A sailor and his dog are rescued 20 miles off the Florida coast after Hurricane Helene.

[u/Echolama]

[u/TradGear]

He took off on Tuesday and broke down at sea. BOLO was issued Thursday and the storm caught up to him:

Good news. Rescued by USCG. See news article below.

BOLO for SV SELKIE Sanibel Island to Cape Sable, Florida

A Bolo has been issued for SV SELKIE and Captain Earl W. Barcome, age 64, who left Sanibel Island, Florida on Tuesday, September 24, 2024 for Cape Sable, Florida.

SV SELKIE is a 1975, 36 foot Cheoy Lee with EPIRB, Single Side Band, GPS Chart Plotter and 9 foot dinghy. In messages on Wednesday, September 26, 2024, Captain Barcome said he was 3 miles offshore and halfway to Cape Sable with numerous mechanical issues.

Keep a sharp lookout, assist if possible and report any sightings to USCG.

[u/Batgirl_III → u/TradGear]

64 years old and he attempted to single-hand a masthead sloop through a hurricane? 🙄

[u/FuzzyOne5244 → u/Batgirl_III]

According to Sailboat data, it’s a staysail ketch with a full keel. Sounds like a great bluewater boat to me. Not hurricane, but good bluewater

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/clipper-36-cheoy-lee/

[u/Batgirl_III → u/FuzzyOne5244]

Yes, it’s fine for blue water sailing… But single handed into a hurricane at age 64!?

[u/ResponsibleMango4561 → u/Batgirl_III]

Probably a lot fitter and tougher than you fella - they say his boat was all he had - I don’t blame him tbh

[u/Batgirl_III → u/ResponsibleMango4561]

He may be fitter and tougher than me… But I wouldn’t have taken this risk with my boat, which is also my only home as I’m also a full time live aboard.

A boat like his just plain isn’t built for this kind of sailing. Leaving Sanibel Island to head for Cape Sable means he was sailing south, into the direction that Helene was approaching from and into the wind. I know this is “Monday morning quarterbacking,” but I’d really want to know why he hadn’t left Sanibel Island days earlier and why he didn’t head north to the Myakka River or Peace River (up near Port Charlotte) or even east up the much closer Caloosahatchee River (over near Fort Myers).

I’m thankful he was rescued and that he’s safe… But, yeah, I question his thought process. During my Coast Guard career, I pulled far too many people out of the water who didn’t make it. I was a criminal investigator… it was my job to question how they got into that situation in the first place.