Sailor and Dog Rescued After Two Months at Sea

The sailor had departed Astoria, Oregon, in August aboard the Willow Wind, bound for Pago Pago in American Samoa. Contact with him was lost on August 20. The Coast Guard was alerted on October 24 that he was overdue and began searching for him and his boat.

Three days later, an emergency beacon from the vessel prompted the Coast Guard to deploy aircraft and a cutter and ask nearby ships for help. An aircrew located the sailboat about 460 miles off San Diego that evening.

The merchant vessel Grand Orion reached the Willow Wind at dawn, though high waves at first made a safe rescue impossible. Its crew later brought the sailor and his dog aboard. The boat had damaged sails and was left adrift.

The next day, a Coast Guard helicopter crew retrieved them from the Grand Orion, roughly 170 miles west of Ventura, and flew them to San Diego. The man was brought to Scripps Mercy Hospital to be assessed. Coast Guard officials said emergency personnel found him weak and having difficulty walking, but without major injuries.

Coast Guard Cmdr. Jason Nguyen thanked the merchant mariners and Coast Guard crews involved. He also urged sailors to carry emergency communication equipment and leave a float plan with someone ashore. A fundraising page set up by the sailor’s neighbor identified him as Harry Blodgett and his dog as Sasha, and said they needed housing and financial support after losing the boat and its contents.