The sailboat was on a voyage from Hawaii to Catalina when the crew activated their EPIRB after their sails were damaged and they were dead in the water. U.S. Coast Guard rescue personnel at the Eleventh District Command Center received the alert and launched a search aircraft from Sacramento and requested the Amver participating Octopus to divert and assist. The Octopus was approximately 50 miles from the Sequel and arrived on the scene in 3 hours.
The Octopus embarked a 37 year old passenger from the sailboat and transferred 80 liters of fuel, food, and water to the skipper of the Sequel who was refusing to abandon his sailboat. The sailboat was only making 4 knots but the skipper insisted he could make the voyage to California.
The passenger embarked on the Octopus was complaining of stomach pains and was treated by nursing staff on-board the mega yacht. The Octopus disembarked the survivor in Honolulu.
The Octopus enrolled in Amver in 2011 and assisted in the search for a missing plane in the Pacific Ocean earlier this year.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
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