Sailors Stranded At Sea For Ten Days Begin To Lose Hope, But Then They Spot An 'Object' On The Horizon

By this point, Joe DiTomasso and Kevin Hyde had been stranded in the water for ten long, gruelling days. Their vessel had no power and no fuel. They had very little food and water for themselves, let alone for their furry sailing companion Minnie. While surviving on small rations of honey and beans, they had to muster the strength to stop their faithful pooch desperately drinking the salty sea water!

The 30-foot sailboat had become both their prison and the only thing keeping them alive. But as waves the size of mountains whipped and slammed around them, they knew they had to live long enough to somehow find rescue. So, when the horizon revealed a 600-foot tanker, the men saw a golden opportunity. Could they get its attention, or would it miss their tiny vessel floating in the vast expanse of the ocean?

If you think this sounds like the plot of a Hollywood drama that would sweep the Oscars — yu’re not the only one! After all, DiTomasso himself has said the story would make a great film. Heck, he has even toyed with the idea of writing a book about his experiences. You see, this ordeal was very real, and at many points he and Hyde — and their families at home — believed it wouldn’t have a happy ending.

It all started on Thanksgiving when DiTomasso, 76, and Hyde, 65, set sail from New Jersey on a journey to Marathon, Florida. The men had initially met when DiTomasso was living on a houseboat in Cap May marina and Hyde’s Atravida II sailboat was docked there. They bonded over their shared love of boating and became firm friends — which is when they hatched the plan to sail to a sunnier climate.

DiTomasso’s daughter Nina told newspaper USA Today, “My dad actually did this once before, but with a different set of friends on their boat. And he had a great experience. He was extremely excited.” While that trip wasn’t on a sailboat the size of the Atravida II, no one had any real cause to worry about the men attempting this new voyage — both were experienced, safe sailors.

The sole wrinkle, according to Nina, was that she wasn’t entirely familiar with the men’s proposed route. The family had confidence in their skills, but not knowing whether they planned to go port to port across open water or via the inland Intracoastal Waterway did give them pause. Still, they knew DiTomasso had his cell phone with him and would check in periodically, which mitigated any nagging worries.

For the first few days, DiTomasso kept his word and regularly updated the family on his and Hyde’s progress. When he called from the Oregon inlet, Nina knew that they had ventured into the Chesapeake Bay, a long way from New Jersey. She would also have known, though, that this area includes North Carolina’s Outer Banks, unnervingly nicknamed the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” by sailors.

And it was during this period that a family friend’s call with DiTomasso was cut off unexpectedly. The family didn’t fret unduly: they reasoned his cell had just died due to a low battery — DiTomasso routinely forgot to charge the thing, after all! Yet when another pal from the marina told the family that Hyde’s phone was out of service too, a low hum of anxiety began to set in.

A few days came and went with no contact, during which time DiTomasso’s ex-wife Babs managed to get hold of his credit card statement. That showed that he hadn’t used the card since December 3. As Nina admitted, “That’s when we really grew concerned.” The panicked family notified the Coast Guard on December 11 that the men were lost. And when they did, they learned some additional worrying information.

You see, the Coast Guard revealed it already had made contact with the Atrevida II at one point. The call had been to report that their generator was experiencing issues, which had caused the boat to run aground. The problem was seemingly resolved, though, as the vessel had set sail again, but perhaps the issue had reared its head again? Whatever the truth, it was an unnerving potential insight into what might have happened to DiTomasso and Hyde.

With this prior distress call in mind, the Coast Guard sprang into action, sending aircraft and cutters to scour the waters, while the U.S. Navy pitched in with parts of their Second Fleet. Hell, even recreational boats owned by private sailors just like DiTomasso and Hyde joined the search, along with commercial vessels operating in the area. In total, they were combing an area of water measuring 21,164 square miles — roughly the size of Massachusetts and Hawaii put together!

“They just worked tirelessly, day and night,” gushed Nina about the incredible rescue effort. “They sent out planes to search, a helicopter and they put it on social media.” All the family could do was sit tight and try not to think the worst, all while friends tried to reassure them. Nina revealed she was told, “If anyone is going to survive this, it's Joey Tomatoes,” — a reference to her dad’s amusing nickname.

On December 12 a message was posted to the U.S. Coast Guard Mid-Atlantic Twitter account which read, “The USCG is searching for an overdue 30-ft Catalina sailboat, named Atrevida II, with two people aboard — Kevin Hyde, 64 years old, and Joe DiTomasso, 76 years old. If you have any information, call the USCG Atlantic Area Command Center.” The tweet ended with the hashtag, “SearchandRescue.” 

While this was happening, David Reistad — DiTomasso’s son-in-law — did some research online and found that, if the boat had lost power, it could have been dragged far off course by currents. He told USA Today, “They probably ended up drifting into the Gulf Stream,” where they “couldn't do anything about it but just be pulled up north.” This could have led them further and further away from land, into the North Atlantic’s ice-cold waters.

As the days wore on and on, Nina admitted, “We were mentally preparing for the worst.” Finally, on December 13 — ten long days after DiTomasso’s last contact, but only one day after the social media blast — there was a huge development in the rescue attempt. Incredibly, it all came about because a tanker named the Silver Muna was traversing the Atlantic to deliver fuel from Amsterdam, Netherlands.

A tanker crew-member spotted something unusual in the water. Strange as it was, it looked like there was a blinking light out there! Stunningly, despite the Atrevida II appearing as little more than a small speck in the ocean, it had grabbed the attention of the Silver Muna, which soon picked out the smaller vessel in the darkness with its searchlight. DiTomasso and Hyde were also waving their tired arms wildly and hoisting a green flag over their heads.

The men — and Minnie — were brought aboard the tanker at 4:18 p.m. Both were looked over by the vessel’s doctors, who didn’t find anything seriously wrong that would require immediate medical intervention. The two friends were so exhausted they could barely speak, though, and were in desperate need of a hot shower, a good meal and some well-deserved rest.

As the crew looked over the Atrevida II, they were shocked at its condition. There was no mast, which meant the sailing rig had completely fallen down and blown away. The edge of the deck was supposed to be surrounded by safety cables, but those had all been destroyed. Many other hardware items were similarly smashed to bits. The small boat had been absolutely battered by the elements.

When the Coast Guard called DiTomasso’s family to tell them the men had been rescued, relief washed over them in a wave. Nina told Action News, “They just said they found them and honestly I didn't care what else they said.” Emotions were running so high that Nina and Natalie couldn’t quite process everything — all they knew was their dad was still alive and they could see him soon.

Luckily, Nina and Natalie’s mother Babs and stepdad Dan Sekel were able to field the call with slightly clearer heads. Babs revealed, “They were super-positive. They said they were very hopeful and very optimistic, and I conveyed that to the girls.” So, not only had DiTomasso been found, but the Coast Guard was also confident he’d be okay in the long run!

The following evening, the Silver Muna docked in New York City and the men were reunited with their families. Nina had driven from her home in Pennsylvania to greet her dad, with her sister Natalie also making a beeline there. Natalie told ABC6, “It’s nothing short of a miracle he’s with us today. He’ll be with us for many more years to come.” The men were finally safe and sound.

Commander Daniel Schrader of the Coast Guard released an emotional statement, taking the opportunity to spotlight the heroic efforts of the rescuers. It read, “This is an excellent example of the maritime community’s combined efforts to ensure safety of life at sea. We are overjoyed with the outcome of the case.” Still, a timely warning was then issued to sailors preparing for their next voyage.

An Atlantic Area spokesman cautioned, “We also want to highlight the importance of proper safety equipment and preparedness when going to sea. Having an emergency position indicating radio beacon, or ‘EPIRB,’ allows mariners to immediately make contact with first responders in an emergency.” It was sage advice, and certainly something DiTomasso and Hyde doubtless now wish had been fitted to the Atrevida II.

As previously mentioned, DiTomasso and Hyde weren’t in great condition when they were rescued. Sekel said, “Because of how exhausted they were, they couldn’t talk.” This meant the Coast Guard couldn’t really glean any information about what exactly had happened on their fateful trip. Those answers would remain a mystery until the men recovered their strength — but once they had, they revealed all.

“We were sailing along great for, like, three days,” revealed DiTomasso. “We were moving. Then that first storm hit. When that hit, that’s when the problems started. The sail broke first, then the steering broke. Then after that, we just battled the sea.” Indeed, he said they had encountered stronger winds than he had ever felt and waves so huge he described them as “mountains.”

The winds and waves caused the boat to lose power, rendering their navigation equipment and radios utterly useless. They were blown completely off their course, with no way to contact help, no way to steer themselves back in the right direction, and provisions that would only last them a short time. Shortly before their rescue they hadn’t had a drop of water for two days, and things were seeming incredibly bleak.

Asked how he got through the experience without losing hope, DiTomasso told ABC7, “I said, ‘Lord, all I want to see is my new granddaughter. She’s only 18 months old.’ And he listened to me.” Indeed, in his mind his faith — and his cross — were integral to DiTomasso making it through. He said, “Every morning I’d wake up and kiss [it] and say the ‘Our Father.’ And if… [anybody] does not believe there’s a Lord, they have a problem.”

“We didn’t have… [any] more water left,” stressed DiTomasso. "Nothing. We were sucking water out of the water lines. Cutting them just to get water. We didn’t have water for two days. And Minn — we had to stop her from drinking. She wanted to drink everything!” Of the howling winds, he added, “I never heard a wind so bad. It sounded like the Devil was out there.”

Natalie told ABC7 that the men suffered terrible luck on the trip, with several of their safety backups failing them. She revealed, “They shot off a flare gun — one flare worked, and then the rest of the six were duds. They had solar panels on the boat to help power the boat, but it just so happened that they didn’t get any sunny days, so they couldn’t power the boat.”

Now, even though DiTomasso and Hyde did think outside the box to find drinking water — and tried to attract a rescuer’s attention — survival experts will likely say there were other things they could’ve done. For one thing, cutting the water lines is only one way to get vital H2O. According to Rich Johnson, author of Ultimate Survival Manual, there are other clever methods.

The men could have covered the Atrevida II in a plastic tarpaulin, for instance, and placed some receptacles below it. The idea is to catch the rainwater, but they’d need to be careful and not immediately drink it. That’s because the first raindrops actually wash all the salt water off the outside of the tarpaulin, meaning only everything after the first shower would be safe to drink!

Another option would be to catch rainwater in your clothes, before wringing it out into receptacles. Again, though, you need to be smart because your clothing will be covered in salt crystals from the sea water that’s been splashing at you. You should first wash these clothes in the seawater when the first shower of rain hits. Why? Because seawater itself is less salty than the crystals that dry on clothes.

Here's a great tip, though — don’t throw away all the salt water you collect. You shouldn’t drink it, obviously, but it does have other potential uses. You see, this water can be used to treat any wounds that crop up on the high seas, and it’s also acceptable to wash your food in before eating. Simply store a supply of this non-drinking water, and you’re good to go.

DiTomasso and Hyde thankfully had a supply of beans and honey and made them last as long as possible, but it doesn’t appear as though they tried to catch their own food as well. According to Johnson, small fish tend to gather together underneath boats in open water. Maybe they’re looking for shelter, or maybe they want to say hello. Either way, you can catch and eat them!

Johnson advises, “Troll a handline with a hook and anything flashy to serve as a lure.” Then the next step, “Jig the lure up and down a few meters below the surface... After catching a fish, use the guts as bait to catch more.”

All in all, Hyde was simply thankful that everything worked out okay in the end for him and DiTomasso. At a press conference, he said, “It was just kind of a small miracle that we were found at all, to tell you the truth. We were out of the shipping lane by that time, almost. So, it was probably the last ship that would have been able to find us.”

Hyde gave props to the tanker and its captain, Neerah Chaudhary. He said, “If you look at the size of his ship and the size of the ocean, compared to this toothpick I’m floating around in? Just to be able to spot that, because of the diligence of his crew.” Chaudhary added, “God… [sent] our Silver Muna ship to save them because we didn't receive any distress signal. Nothing. My second officer just noticed there was something.”

Nina also believed her dad’s rescue was miraculous. She said, “We keep saying this is our Christmas miracle. I am just so thankful that my dad will get to meet his next grandchild in May.” Indeed, both men were fully aware of how lucky they were to be alive and were excited to spend the holidays in the warm embrace of their families. As DiTomasso quipped, “I can’t wait till Santa Claus comes!”

As for the idea of going boating again, the men had starkly contrasting answers. Clearly affected by their near-death experience, DiTomasso was steadfast in saying, “No. I’m staying closer to shore.” Hyde, on the other hand, simply quipped, “Sure, why not. I’m not dead yet.” Well… that’s certainly one way of looking at it!