Two Women, and Their Dogs, Rescued After Nearly 5 Months Lost at Sea

[Dalek]

They were supposed to trade one island paradise for another: a monthlong sailing trip in spring, from Honolulu to Tahiti.

But on Wednesday morning, they were discovered in the wrong hemisphere, 5,000 miles off course and nearly six months into a dream that had curdled into a nightmare.

Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiaba were rescued by the Navy vessel the Ashland 900 miles south of Japan, according to a statement released by the Navy on Thursday. After setting out in early May, a storm claimed their 50-foot boat's engine on May 30. They spent the next five months adrift at sea and unable to make contact with others.

The two friends survived on a water purifier and a store of oatmeal, pasta and rice, with two pet dogs, Zeus and Valentine, to keep them company.

"I had tears in my eyes,'' Ms. Appel said of the moment she saw the Navy ship approaching, according to The Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "It was incredibly emotional."

In a video released by the Navy, she blows kisses with two hands as her rescuers arrive; Zeus and Valentine yap and circle excitedly in the background.

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"It was very depressing and very hopeless," Ms. Appel said. Their boat had been too far out of range to communicate with anyone either on land or at sea. "There is true humility to wondering if today is your last day, if tonight is your last night."

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The Ashland, a ready-response vessel that operates out of Sasebo, Japan, was alerted to the location of Ms. Appel and Ms. Fuiaba's boat by a Taiwanese fishing vessel on Oct. 24, according to the Navy. The next morning, nearly half a year of anguished uncertainty came to an end.

"They saved our lives," Ms. Appel said in the Navy statement. She described the feeling of seeing a ship on the horizon as "pure relief."

Ms. Appel and Ms. Fuiaba are currently aboard the Ashland, where they will remain until its next port of call. Their boat, deemed unseaworthy, was left behind.

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How in the world do you try to go to Tahiti but end up in Japan?

And if they were planning on a month trip why did they have a years supply of food on board?

 

[Cpt-GargameL]

I'm glad they were found.

 

[ghostemoji]

I'd imagine they brought a year supply of food in case their engine went out and they were adrift at sea for months on end. ;)

 

[Steel]

That's... Hard to imagine. Damn, they brought a lot of supplies. Good thing they never had to think about eating the dogs.

 

[MBeanie]

It sounds like they planned to travel more after tahita, maybe that could be the reason for all that food.

"I had lived in Hawaii for 10 years and traveled around all the islands. I wanted to go see the other 20,000 islands in the South Pacific. I had no idea what I got myself into," she said.

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I mean its just a guess.