Being in the ocean in the direct path of a hurricane is one of the worst places to be.
And being stranded there is a tempting fate.
But Coast Guard rescue swimmers pulled off a frightening rescue to escape the hurricane.
A man and his dog are stuck on a sinking ship during the hurricane
Hurricane Helene crashed in the Big Bend region of Florida’s Gulf Coast bringing torrential rain and winds that reached 140 miles per hour.
One man and his dog found themselves stranded on a sinking sailboat before the Category 4 hurricane came ashore in the Gulf of Mexico.
Earl Barcome, 64 years old, was living on his 36-foot sailboat named Selkie with his 10-year-old Golden Retriever, Gunn, for over a year after a relationship of over 30 years ended abruptly.
He searched the country to find Selkie which he called his dream boat.
Barcome had set sail to “start a new chapter” of his life, according to a GoFundMe for him.
The boat’s engine died about 25 miles away from Sanibel Island near Fort Myers, Florida.
And the bilge pump gave out as the main cabin began to fill with water.
Barcome found himself in chest-high water and it became clear that his sailboat was going to sink.
“It was moving mountains of water,” Barcome told Fort Myers television station WBBH. “Every which way you turn, and these waves were just everywhere you look.”
He placed a rescue call to the United States Coast Guard from a radio on the ship.
“I said, Gunn, this isn’t the day we’re going to die I’m calling the Coast Guard,” Barcome recalled.
Coast Guard pulls off a dramatic rescue
A helicopter took off from USCG Air Station Clearwater to find the sinking ship.
Coast Guard rescue swimmers spotted them and went in for the save.
A rescue swimmer was lowered from the helicopter into the choppy waters and made his way to the sinking ship.
“He falls into the water and just power swims to my boat,” Barcome recalled. “And he’s like, ‘I need you guys in the water now.’”
Barcome and his dog donned their life vests and plunged into the Gulf of Mexico.
They swam to a basket that lifted them aboard the Coast Guard helicopter.
🚨 HEROIC RESCUE! The U.S. Coast Guard shared a video of their daring rescue of a man and his dog after their sailboat was disabled during Hurricane #Helene. Both are safe and in good health.
📹: AST2 Hudson, edited by Lt. Cmdr. Kellerman, AirSta Clearwater pic.twitter.com/aD5lpt8cxz
— John-Carlos Estrada 🎙️ (@Mr_JCE) September 27, 2024
Barcome is trying to figure out what to do with his life after his dream boat sank.
“So what, what comes next? Time will tell, you know, do I have hope? I have, I have a new, I have a new understanding,” Barcome said. “And that’s a beautiful thing.”
He was deeply appreciative of Coast Guard rescue swimmer Tod Huson and the crew on the helicopter for saving him and his dog.
“The realization that life is a little more important was, That was a new day. It was a new day. And, what do I got to complain about? I got shirt and pants,” Barcome stated.
Earl Barcome and Gunn dodged the worst before they were stuck floating in the water during the hazardous conditions of the hurricane.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this story.
