2 French sailors rescued from drifting boat south of Puerto Rico

Rescued by crews of coast guard vessels Vigilant and Richard Dixon. Two sailors from a yacht were washed ashore in the Caribbean Sea about 147 nautical miles south of Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard said.,

Those rescued included French nationals Robert Pungnier, 77, and Marie Claude Durand, 50. who had apparently been adrift for more than seven days, as the boat was idle,

The Coast Guard of the San Juan Sector received a communication from the ship Vigilant on Thursday morning, Two red flares and one red smoke signaling flare launched from the sailboat Orion reported sightings, Vigilant came forward to help, as Orion appeared to be disabled by a broken sail, The crew of Vigilant provided water to the sailors and confirmed that the Orion ship’s engine was not functioning and mechanical problems were hampering manual navigation. Coast Guard patrolmen diverted the ship to Richard Dixon to provide assistance.

Once on site, the crew of the Richard Dixon safely boarded the sailors, who voluntarily agreed to receive assistance from the Coast Guard. One of them showed signs of extreme fatigue, while the other seemed to be in good health., The sailors were transferred to the French island of Martinique, where local authorities welcomed and assisted them.

“Our crews are pleased to help bring these sailors to safety,” said Adam Johns, Coast Guard Sector San Juan search and rescue mission coordinator for the case. “The sailors showed good discipline and timing in using flares to signal their distress. A VHF marine radio and a 406 MHz emergency positioning device are also required to inform sailors of any emergencies.

The Coast Guard Vigilant is a 210-foot medium-capability ship, based in Port Canaveral, Florida, while the Richard Dixon is a 154-foot fast response ship, based in San Juan, Puerto Rico.