Two men and dog missing 10 days found safe on drifting sailboat
Cape May County, N.J. — Two men and a pet dog who went missing last week on a sailboat heading from New Jersey to Florida have been found safe, the United States Coast Guard said Tuesday night.
"Is this really happening?" Nina DiTomasso said. "Are we dreaming?" CBS Philadelphia's Tom Dougherty and Kerri Corrado quote her as saying.
It was a call both Natalie and Nina DiTomasso will never forget.
The Coast Guard said 76-year-old Joe DiTomasso and 64-year-old Kevin Hyde were found about 214 miles east of Delaware by the tanker vessel Silver Muna just after 4:15 p.m. Tuesday.
According to the Coast Guard, the 30-foot Atrevida II sailboat they were on had run out of fuel and power.
DiTomasso and Hyde caught the attention of the tanker by waiving their arms and flag, the Coast Guard said.
"Of course, we have a lot of questions that I am sure my dad will be telling the story about for years to come," Natalie DiTomasso said, "but most importantly, we are just so happy and thankful he is safe."
DiTomasso and Hyde were traveling from Cape May to Marathon, Florida when, the USCG said, they lost contact with family and friends on Dec. 3 after they left Oregon Inlet, North Carolina.
"My dad is notorious for losing his cellphone or his charger," Nina DiTomasso said. "So in the beginning, we weren't super stressed. We just thought 'typical dad' and then, as it got closer to this past weekend is when we really became concerned."
The two men appeared to be in good health, the Coast Guard said.
The DiTomasso girls said their dad is a boater and wise on the water. They said his experience helped him survive.
"Their generator was not working, their radio was not working," Natalie DiTomasso said. "No cellphone charges. The last time we know they picked up food, I believe was around Dec. 3. So low on provisions, so I cannot even imagine what they been through."
The Coast Guard said Ditommasso and Hyde are aboard the Silver Muna, headed to New York. Once they arrive, they'll be transferred to a Coast Guard vessel and reunited with family members, which is expected Wednesday.
Cmdr. Daniel Schrader, the spokesperson for the Coast Guard Atlantic Area, said in a statement they're "overjoyed with the outcome of the case and look forward to reuniting Mr. Hyde and Mr. Ditomasso with their family and friends."