Two New Jersey men, Kevin Hyde, 65, and Joe Ditomasso, 76, set sail from Staten Island on Hyde’s sailboat on December 3rd, sailing out into the Atlantic Ocean for what they thought would be a bit of fun. But then they weren’t heard back from, as they didn’t return to shore and were instead stuck out at sea for 10 agonizing days after being blown off course and out into the Atlantic by a severe storm.
But, fortunately for them and the dog with them, they were, on the tenth day, spotted by a tanker traversing the Atlantic Ocean and rescued. They attribute the rescue, which they called a “small miracle” to their constant prayers while stranded at sea.
Hyde, as Fox News Digital reports, is the one who called the rescue a miracle, saying “It’s just kind of a small miracle that we were found at all.” Ditomasso, commenting on the prayers he prayed while stuck at sea, said “All I asked the Lord was to see my granddaughter.” God heard those prayers and the two men and their poodle were rescued by the tanker.
Commenting on the tanker rescuing them and the tiny odds of their having been found, Hyde said “We were waving and stuff like that because by that time, my mast was down, all systems were mute, we were just kind of hanging on to the boat. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack in this situation.”
And those two weren’t the only ones praying feverishly for the rescue to succeed. Captain Neerah Chaudhary, who rescued them, said “We rescued them with our crane, cargo net. I was praying, ‘God save them, our rescue should be successful.‘”
The prayers evidently reached God’s ears, as the rescue was successful.
After the two men went missing, the Coast Guard mounted a massive rescue effort, using everything from a cruiser to helicopters to try and find and rescue Hyde and Ditomasso. Fox News Digital, reporting on that effort, said:
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The U.S. Coast Guard launched a large search-and-rescue effort, involving planes, helicopters, and boats to cover more than 21,000 square miles from Massachusetts to Florida. A U.S. Navy cruiser also assisted in the search, as well as a number of commercial and recreational vessels, FOX 5 New York reported.
Cmdr. Daniel Schrader, who is the spokesperson for Coast Guard Atlantic Area, commented on the rescue, saying:
“This is an excellent example of the maritime community’s combined efforts to ensure safety of life at sea. We are overjoyed with the outcome of the case and look forward to reuniting Mr. Hyde and Mr. Ditomasso with their family and friends.”
“We also want to highlight the importance of proper safety equipment and preparedness when going to sea. Having an emergency position indicating radio beacon, or ‘EPIRB’, allows mariners to immediately make contact with first responders in an emergency.”