On March 31st, three male sailors in their 40s began a fishing trip when their sailboat’s outboard motor started to fill with water, and they paddled to shore. They were stuck on an island- part of the Federated States of Micronesia, called Pikelot Atoll-  for a week, and they survived on coconuts and water they found in a well. Search for them began on April 6th, after a woman had called the Joint Rescue Sub-Center, claiming that her uncles had not returned from their trip yet. They had a search for 78,000 square nautical miles, but the search was difficult because of the weather and resources; the U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft had spotted them on April 8th because they had written the word “HELP” with palm tree leaves.

They had sent down survival packages, and a Hawaiian air station crew dropped down a radio for communication. Once the sailors got the radio, they used it to say they were healthy, had recovered their boat, and had access to food and water. Lt. Chelsea Garcia led the search and
rescue, and the sailors were soon taken back to Polowat on the USCGC Oliver Henry on April 9th and were home by evening. When rescued, they realized that one of the Coast Guard rescuers was related to the sailors; they were third and fourth cousins, they had the same last name, and was able to speak their local language.

The island they were on was uninhabited, and about 100 miles north west from where they live. When they were found, Lt. Chelsea Garcia said, “In a remarkable testament to their will to be found, the mariners spelled out “HELP” on the beach using palm leaves, a crucial factor in their discovery. This act of ingenuity was pivotal in guiding rescue efforts directly to their location.”Similar occurrences have happened at the islands, the most recent being in 2020, where there were 3 men in the same situation, their boat ran out of fuel and had been stuck on Pikelot, and they wrote SOS in order to be found.

Be careful when going out to sea!