Boat with 2 men runs aground after days adrift
Feb 27, 2013, 1:59 PM
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Two men were taken to a hospital when their sailboat ran aground on a north Florida beach after spending days drifting without power.
Officials say 86-year-old Francis Saunders and 71-year-old Jerry Willis were heading to Grand Bahama Island when their boat lost power. It drifted for seven days before coming ashore on Ponte Vedra Beach late Monday.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman Joy Hill says Saunders’ dog, Alfy, was also aboard and is being taken care of by the St. Johns County Animal Control.
The Florida Times-Union (
http://bit.ly/YXgyVL) reports the men left Port St. Lucie in a 32-foot sailboat built in 1976. They told rescuers they lost their bearings, then lost power and began to drift.
Authorities say the men appeared tired and confused when they came off the boat.
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Information from: The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union,
http://www.jacksonville.com
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