Kingfisher Crew Rescue Honeymooners

Story and photo by PA2 Bobby Nash, PADET Jacksonville, Fla.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Coast Guard brought an elderly couple to safety after their vessel became disabled and drifted for fives days 66-miles east of Jacksonville April 18.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Pictured above is James Brown and Nancy Willie May after speaking with Jacksonville media about their ordeal at sea. Coast Guard photograph by PA2 Bobby Nash.

James Q. Brown and Nancy Willie May of New Bern, N.C., were sailing their 34-foot vessel, the Chapulin, from Marsh Harbor, Bahamas to Fernandina Beach, Fla., when the vessel began taking on water. The water disabled their engine, and their main sail would not deploy leaving them drifting helplessly in 6-to-8 foot seas and 25-to 30-knot winds.

"I sent Nancy down after something and she said, 'There's a foot of water in the boat,'" said Brown.

The pair contacted the Coast Guard via channel 16 on their VHF radio for help in the early morning. The Coast Guard requested the help of the Navy's 2nd Fleet to find the Chapulin and render assistance. The Navy couldn't locate the small sailboat, so the Coast Guard launched a C-130 fixed winged aircraft from Air Station Clearwater, Fla., to find the sailing vessel.

Rescue coordinators asked crew of the Chapulin to activate their emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) to help the C-130 locate the couple. The EPIRB let the rescue aircrew directly to the sailboat's position April 17.

After the rescue coordinators knew exactly where the pair was, they launched the Coast Guard Cutter Kingfisher from Mayport, Fla., to bring the Chapulin and its crew to safe harbor.

The Coast Guard recommends that boaters always have a VHF marine radio and an EPIRB on their vessel. These devices are invaluable to rescuers when communicating with a vessel in distress and helps expedite any rescue such as this one.

Neither Brown nor May was hurt. Brown said this was by no means the worst he's seen at sea.

"[This] was not that bad a situation," says Brown of the ordeal. "It was a situation where you had to add up what you think you're capable of at this age."

The couple traveled to the Bahamas to get married, and both will be 72-years-old this year.

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