64-year old man rescued after being stranded for 3 days on uninhabited Bahamian island

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a man that had been stranded for three days on an uninhabited island in the Bahamas after his sailboat broke down. 

The Coast Guard Air Station Miami Auxiliary aircrew noticed flares coming from a boat near Cay Sal, a 2,000 square-mile island between Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas. The crew notified the Coast Guard Sector Key West about the stranded man, the agency said in a statement. 

A Coast Guard Air Station HC-144 Ocean Sentry was sent to find the man. After spotting him, they dropped supplies, including food, water, and a radio to communicate, to hold out until he could be retrieved from the island. 

After he was rescued on Friday by the Coast Guard Cutter Paul Clark, the 64-year-old man from the Bahamas told the Coast Guard crew that he had been stranded on the island for three days after his vessel “became disabled” during the voyage. 

The man was transported back to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force in “good health,” officials said. 

“We’re proud to have saved this man’s life. This case serves as a perfect example of why you must have the proper safety equipment on your vessel,” Petty Officer 3rd Class Dev Craig said. 

“Without seeing the flare, the case may not have had a successful outcome,” he added. 

The U.S. Coast Guard has an agreement with the Bahamas to regularly fly over Cal Say, located about 135 miles from the Bahamas and 81 miles from Florida, in order to look for people who have become potentially stranded there. 

The rescue comes after the Coast Guard helped rescue four divers that went missing during a pleasure cruise in North Carolina last week. After significant efforts were made to find the group, they were spotted about 63 miles east of Myrtle Beach 17 hours after they became lost.