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The United States Coast Guard said Tuesday night that the two men who went missing more than a week ago while sailing to the Florida Keys have been found safe. 76-year-old Joe DiTomasso and 64-year-old Kevin Hyde were found about 214 miles east of Delaware by the tanker vessel Silver Muna just after 4:15 p.m. Tuesday. The men are being taken to New York for evaluation.
Hyde and DiTommasso had departed Cape May, New Jersey on Nov. 27th on their 30-foot sailboat, the Atrevida II, along with a pet dog, according to the Coast Guard. The pair was last seen aboard their boat as it left the Oregon Inlet in North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Dec. 3. Family and friends contacted officials on Sunday after last speaking with the pair on that same day, prompting a search that included aircraft and vessels.
The Atrevida II was located Tuesday afternoon approximately 214 miles east of Delaware, after the men waved down the tanker vessel Silver Muna around 4:18 p.m. Tuesday. The Coast Guard said in a statement: “The Atrevida II was found to be without fuel and power, rendering their radios and navigation equipment inoperable.”
The two men and dog were brought aboard the tanker and evaluated by the vessel’s medical staff “with no immediate concerns.” Ditommasso and Hyde are now aboard the Silver Muna, headed to New York. Once they arrive, they’ll be transferred to a Coast Guard vessel and reunited with family, which is expected Wednesday. Cmdr. Daniel Schrader, the spokesperson for the Coast Guard Atlantic Area, said in a statement: “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.”
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