The open sea is one of the least predictable places on earth, as reported by Inspire More.
Where the things went wrong?
Kevin Hyde, 65, of Cape May, New Jersey, has been sailing for his whole life. He recently extended an invitation to Joe DiTommasso and Minnie, Joe’s poodle, to sail to Florida on his sailboat, the Atrevida II. They paused for a break at the Outer Banks of North Carolina after their initial leg of travel went smoothly.
Where things went wrong was there. The sailors were on their way to Florida after setting sail from North Carolina when the skies abruptly darkened and they found themselves in the middle of a violent storm at sea.
“In my entire life, I’ve never heard winds so severe!” Joe remembered. “It seemed like the devil was outside.”
The sailboat’s 50-foot mast snapped off, leaving them unable to steer the boat while the ocean surged around them. They were helpless against the raging sea because neither of their radios worked.
Kevin added, “We were just being driven out to sea more and farther. “In this situation, the waves were bigger than my boat. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
The Coast Guard received a missing person complaint from Kevin and Joe’s family after they lost contact with them. A thorough search was soon conducted by air and sea, although rescuers were unsure of where to begin their search.
Waterlines sucked dry
Kevin and Joe prayed for help as they were adrift for days without a mast, propane, or electricity. By their tenth day at sea, they had almost run out of water and were in much greater need.
Joseph stated that there was no water left at all. The waterlines were being sucked dry. All I begged the Lord for was to see my granddaughter since she merely kept me alive.
As everything appeared to be lost, they received assistance from the most unbelievable source: the Silver Muna, a huge international cargo ship that was sailing from Amsterdam to New York City. Amazingly, a watchful crew member noticed the little sailboat, which had drifted to a location roughly 200 miles off the coast of Delaware at that point.
The Silver Muna had Captain Neeraj Chaudhary at the controls. He quickly stopped his ship and began the difficult task of hoisting the worn-out sailors and their dog onboard the massive ship, even though they weren’t hunting for the missing sailors and hadn’t heard any distress calls.
The crew of the Silver Muna used a cargo net to get Kevin, Joe, and Minnie aboard in around three hours. They were physically and mentally drained, thirsty, and hungry, but otherwise uninjured.
God saved them!
Everyone engaged had strong emotions when saving the men. Even the ship’s captain acknowledged that when the men were brought onboard, he cried and gave thanks to God. He believes that the area of the ocean is where he and his team were sent particularly to save Kevin and Joe.
Captain Chaudhary remarked, “God sent me to save them”. “God saved them by sending our Silver Muna,”
Ultimately, according to Captain Chaudhary, supporting other seafarers is “our job!” We’re delighted that this story has a happy ending, whether or not the Silver Muna came to Kevin and Joe’s rescue due to divine intervention.
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Source: Inspire More
