Senior uses flares in sea rescue after five days
15/03/2022
An elderly sailor from British Columbia, Canada, who drifted in a raft in the Caribbean Sea for five days, used flares to summon help.
Don Cavers took to the raft after his Ericson sailboat, Starlight, ran onto a reef off Cuba, while en route from Colombia to Puerto Rico in December 2021, reports msn.com.
In December, the 77-year-old from Blind Bay bought a boat sight-unseen in Colombia and set sail for Puerto Rico. But he quickly ran into trouble in high winds, when the boat started taking on water. Within 36 hours, the salt had destroyed most of the electrical systems.
After spending long hours trying to repair the equipment, he fell asleep and the boat hit a reef and started sinking.
Mr Cavers grabbed some survival essentials — a working computer, his bag filled with life-saving supplies. These included flares and a signal mirror, a bag of nacho chips and also a pack of crackers. He also took a waterproof backpack with his identification, a 20-litre container of water and a locator beacon.
He intended that the raft would stay tied to the wreck, but strong wind and waves pushed him into the open ocean.
When he missed a scheduled satellite phone call, relatives at home started getting worried and raised the alarm.
Three days after the wreck, Mr Cavers got the locator beacon working. It sent a satellite message to search and rescue organisations. An alert was sent out by the U.S. Coast Guard that resulted in a rescue.
The Bulk Pangea merchant ship volunteered to help. It located Mr Cavers’ raft halfway between Cuba and the Yucatán Peninsula, in Mexico.
Firing flares
He heard a horn blast and thinking that it was a warning to get out of the way, he fired a couple of flares. He radioed the boat, only to be told they were here to rescue him.
The teams in Trenton described this rescue as “unusually successful,” said Capt. Jean House, search manager with the Joint Rescue Co-Ordination Centre.
“Ninety-nine times out of 100 it would have gone the other way… you know, he could have been drifting in that dinghy for weeks, so things turned out really good for him.”
