Missing 8 Days, Sailor, 77, Found at Sea

Craig Neus, 77, was sailing his 32-foot boat from Baltimore to his home in Panama City, Fla. But after making a purchase on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at a resort in the appropriately named town of Captiva, Fla., no one heard a word from him—even though his daughters tried calling several times. After a search that spanned more than 76,000 square nautical miles, reports the AP, the Coast Guard found Neus in good health on his boat, the Mariah. He was 6 miles south of Apalachicola, Fla., which is 60 miles southeast of Panama City.

Neus told authorities that he'd been out of cellphone range and that his boat's battery had died. The Coast Guard was able to track him down by tracing his cellphone, which had begun ringing again yesterday, reports NBC News. A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission boat crew traveled to his boat to check on Neus, while a commercial salvage company towed the Mariah to Carrabelle, Fla. Neus had been sailing since June. (Check out how this guy who says he was lost at sea for 16 months survived.)