For more than two months, no one ashore knew exactly where an 86-year-old sailor and his dog were.
The pair had set out aboard the sailing vessel Willow Wind, traveling from Astoria, Oregon, toward Pago Pago in American Samoa.
The last known contact came on August 20.
Then there was silence.
Days turned into weeks.
By October 24, the sailor was officially reported overdue.
Three days later, an emergency beacon finally transmitted from the Willow Wind.
That signal changed everything.
The Coast Guard launched a major search
The U.S. Coast Guard’s Rescue Coordination Center in Alameda received the emergency beacon alert on October 27.
A C-27 Spartan aircraft was launched from Sacramento, while an HC-130 Hercules and the Coast Guard Cutter Robert Ward were also directed toward the area.
Nearby commercial vessels were asked to assist.
That evening, a Coast Guard aircrew finally spotted the Willow Wind.
The damaged sailboat was roughly 460 miles off San Diego.
And aboard it were the missing sailor and his dog.
Both were alive.
Rough seas delayed the rescue
Finding them was only the beginning.
The merchant vessel Grand Orion diverted from its route and reached the sailboat early the following morning.
But the ocean was too rough to safely transfer the sailor and his dog.
The crew had to wait.
Hours later, at approximately 5:36 p.m. on October 28, conditions finally allowed the rescue.
The Grand Orion crew brought both the sailor and his dog aboard.
The Willow Wind, which had damaged sails, was left drifting at sea.
They had been without contact since August
Authorities have not publicly released the sailor’s name or the dog’s name.
Exactly what happened during the more than two months without contact also remains unclear.
What is known is that the two remained together aboard the sailboat throughout the ordeal.
The journey from Oregon toward American Samoa would have taken them thousands of miles across the Pacific.
By the time help arrived, the sailor was described as weak and having difficulty walking, but no major injuries were initially reported.
A helicopter carried them back toward safety
The following morning, October 29, the Grand Orion had moved closer to California.
A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter flew out to meet the ship.
The sailor and his dog were hoisted from the vessel approximately 170 miles west of Ventura and flown to Coast Guard Sector San Diego.
Emergency medical personnel then transported the sailor to Scripps Mercy Hospital for further evaluation.
The Coast Guard did not report any serious medical problem involving the dog.
One emergency beacon changed the ending
The rescue could have ended very differently.
There had been no contact with the sailor since August 20.
More than two months had passed before the emergency beacon transmitted.
Then an entire chain of people began moving toward them.
Coast Guard aircraft searched the Pacific.
A cutter changed course.
A commercial ship diverted from its route.
Its crew waited through dangerous seas.
And finally, an elderly sailor and the dog who had remained beside him were pulled from the damaged boat.
Coast Guard Cmdr. Jason Nguyen later used the case to stress the importance of carrying emergency communication equipment and leaving a float plan with someone ashore.
But for many people, the most memorable part of the story will be simpler.
An 86-year-old man disappeared into the Pacific.
His dog stayed with him.
And after more than two months of silence, they came home together.
