It almost reads like an episode of Gilligan’s Island.Three castaways on a three hour cruise were unexpectedly rescued by the US Coast Guard from a deserted atoll in the island nation of Micronesia.The three brothers, all in their 40s, had embarked from their home on Polowat Atoll on Easter Sunday but were marooned on the deserted island about 100 nautical miles from home after their small, open-skiff-style boat was damaged along with the outboard motor. .They were spotted on Tuesday by a US Navy search plane after spelling the word ‘HELP’ on the beach in palm fronds.Rescuers dispatched from Guam had to contend with adverse weather conditions as they tried to cover as much of the initial search area as possible — a vast expanse spanning more than 78,000 nautical miles.A rescue ship took two days to retrieve the men and return them safely home. They said they had access to food and water the whole time after their skiff — like Gilligan's Minnow — was washed up on the beach.“In a remarkable testament to their will to be found, the mariners spelled out ‘HELP’ on the beach using palm leaves, a crucial factor in their discovery. This act of ingenuity was pivotal in guiding rescue efforts directly to their location,” said Lt. Chelsea Garcia, a search and rescue mission coordinator with the USCG.The irony is that three men were rescued on the exact same island four years ago, in 2020, after they used palm fronds to spell out ‘SOS’.
It almost reads like an episode of Gilligan’s Island.Three castaways on a three hour cruise were unexpectedly rescued by the US Coast Guard from a deserted atoll in the island nation of Micronesia.The three brothers, all in their 40s, had embarked from their home on Polowat Atoll on Easter Sunday but were marooned on the deserted island about 100 nautical miles from home after their small, open-skiff-style boat was damaged along with the outboard motor. .They were spotted on Tuesday by a US Navy search plane after spelling the word ‘HELP’ on the beach in palm fronds.Rescuers dispatched from Guam had to contend with adverse weather conditions as they tried to cover as much of the initial search area as possible — a vast expanse spanning more than 78,000 nautical miles.A rescue ship took two days to retrieve the men and return them safely home. They said they had access to food and water the whole time after their skiff — like Gilligan's Minnow — was washed up on the beach.“In a remarkable testament to their will to be found, the mariners spelled out ‘HELP’ on the beach using palm leaves, a crucial factor in their discovery. This act of ingenuity was pivotal in guiding rescue efforts directly to their location,” said Lt. Chelsea Garcia, a search and rescue mission coordinator with the USCG.The irony is that three men were rescued on the exact same island four years ago, in 2020, after they used palm fronds to spell out ‘SOS’.
