Veteran sailor Nathan Thomas and his friend Adrian survived a frightening encounter with Hurricane Debby off Florida’s Gulf Coast on Sunday. The pair were adrift in over 20-foot waves after the main sail of Thomas’ newly purchased sailboat failed.
Thomas, 69, recounted the ordeal to ABC News on Monday, describing it as “like being in a washing machine.” They were stranded for nearly three hours before the U.S. Coast Guard rescued them following an urgent SOS call.
Coast Guard aircrews rescued two adrift boaters, Sunday, after their 34-foot sailing vessel lost its sail 73 miles off Boca Grande, Florida.
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(#USCG video by #AirStation Clearwater)#CoastGuard #Rescue #Storm #HurricaneSeason2024 pic.twitter.com/WBneGlvknF— U.S. Coast Guard (@USCG) August 5, 2024
Thomas expressed his fear, saying, “I knew that if the Coast Guard didn’t get to us, we had less than a 50% chance of surviving.”
The 34-foot sailboat, named “SV Voyager,” was bought for $5,000 just days earlier in Marathon, Florida, on Wednesday. Thomas aimed to sail it back to Tampa before Debby hit. He underestimated the storm’s speed, saying, “I thought I could beat it, but I gambled wrong.”
Adrian, a retired Merchant Marine unused to the boat’s racing-style design, accidentally caused a steel cable to snap, rendering the main sail useless. The boat was then adrift in tumultuous seas.
Thomas emphasised the importance of staying calm, saying, “You can’t panic. If something goes wrong, maintain control. The minute you panic, it’s over.”
The incident occurred around 8 a.m. Sunday, 35 miles northwest of Clearwater, Florida, and 35 miles southwest of Tarpon Springs. Debby, then a tropical storm, was gaining strength near Florida’s Panhandle as a Category 1 hurricane.
The Coast Guard had already deployed rescue aircraft by the time Thomas contacted them via radio on Sunday. A friend of Thomas had alerted the Coast Guard station in St. Petersburg on Saturday evening after the boaters missed their check-in.
Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Hooper of Coast Guard District Seven highlighted the importance of accurate information and safety equipment. Updated satellite data from the boaters’ friend helped locate them.
The Coast Guard confirmed that the two men were found in seas of 15 to 20 feet with winds reaching 60 mph. Despite low visibility, a fixed-wing aircraft located them, and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter completed the rescue.
Thomas described how the aircraft circled them until the helicopter arrived. He sank the boat to prevent it from causing environmental damage, saying, “I’m not going to have my boat run ashore in some protected area.”
Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane with 80 mph winds around 7 a.m. Monday in Florida’s Big Bend region.
An experienced sailor since age 17, Thomas expressed disbelief at needing rescue, saying, “I’ve been through too many storms, and this storm actually got me.” His passion for sailing remains undiminished, as he plans to get another boat.