# Two American Women rescued after 5 months at sea



## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

They had a year's supply of food and water purification. That is what probably saved their lives.

There a few videos in the story. I am wondering if they may be there in our new format. I tried one of the options, so I am curious how this story will look.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-american-sailors-rescued-after-five-months-sea-n814806

Two American women lost at sea for five long months have been rescued after a broken mast and a disabled engine took them thousands of miles off course.

Jennifer Appel, 48, and friend Tasha Fuiava were found by a Taiwanese fishing vessel around 900 miles southeast of Japan, the U.S. Navy said Thursday. A Navy ship based out of Sasebo, Japan, rescued them on Wednesday morning Japan time.

"When I saw the gray boat on the edge of the horizon, my heart leapt because I knew that we were about to be saved," Appel told TODAY. "I honestly believed that we were about to die within the next 24 hours."










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 Two women and their dogs rescued by Navy after 5 months at sea 2:48
On May 23, the women set off from Oahu bound for Tahiti, about 2,600 miles away, but problems soon arose. First, a piece of the mast called a spreader failed, Appel said, limiting the sailboat's maneuverability, and on May 30 a storm flooded the engine. Communications were also impacted.

Appel and Fuiava described a sense of despair after making daily distress calls for 98 days straight, but the calls were out of range. They spotted other ships that did not or could not respond, and fired at least 10 flares. Twice the ship was attacked by Tiger sharks, they said.

"I could see light and I could see vessels, and once you get closer, we thought it would be close enough to do a [distress] call," Fuiava told TODAY. "When they would turn and keep going, yeah, it was kind of sad."

The women were rescued along with their two dogs, Zeus and Valentine, who had been aboard with them. While the dogs provided an immense source of comfort during the ordeal, at times Appel and Fuiava feared they would tip off sharks circling around their boat.

"I went downstairs with the boys and we basically laid huddled on the floor and I told them not to bark because the sharks could hear us breathing. They could smell us," Appel said.


In this Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017 photo, sailors from the USS Ashland approach a sailboat with two Honolulu women and their dogs aboard as they are rescued after being lost at sea for several months while trying to sail from Hawaii to Tahiti. Jonathan Clay / U.S. Navy via AP
On the 99th day of distress calls, a Taiwanese fishing vessel found them, they said. It began towing the sailboat, but by that time Appel said the ship was in such poor condition she estimates it wouldn't have lasted another a day.

The Taiwanese ship's crew contacted the Coast Guard in Guam, and the USS Ashland, an amphibious dock landing ship, sped toward the area and reached the sailboat at around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday Japan local time (9:30 p.m. Tuesday ET), the Navy said.

Video released by the Navy showed Appel blowing kisses to an approaching U.S. vessel as the two dogs barked and scampered about.










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 Dramatic Rescue: Navy Saves Two Americans Lost at Sea for Months 1:22
The journey from Hawaii to Tahiti is a fairly common route that normally takes about a month to complete.

Before departing, the mariners had loaded their boat full of supplies. They had water purifiers and a year's worth of food aboard - mostly dry goods like oatmeal, pasta and rice - and used those to survive, the Navy said.

Sailing experts in Honolulu had advised that for the trip to Tahiti they should pack the boat with as much food as possible in case of emergency, Appel said.


In this Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017 photo, USS Ashland sailors help Zeus, one of two dogs who were accompanying two Honolulu women who were rescued after being lost at sea for several months while trying to sail from Hawaii to Tahiti. Jonathan Clay / U.S. Navy via AP
Appel and Fuiava were taken aboard the USS Ashland and will remain until the ship's next port of call, the Navy said. The Navy did not disclose their exact location for security reasons.

[URL='https://twitter.com/USNavy/status/923636426226524168]







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When they were found, they were far off course - closer to Japan and more than 5,000 miles away from Tahiti.

"It was incredibly emotional, and it was so satisfying to know the men and women that serve our country would come and assist us - it was actually quite mind blowing and incredibly humbling," Appel said in a conference call from aboard the USS Ashland after their rescue.

"It was very depressing and it was very hopeless, but it's the only thing you can do, so you do what you can with what you have," she added. "You have no other choice."

Jennifer Appel's mother, Marie Appel, said in a phone interview Thursday that she doesn't know when she will be reunited with her daughter, who is from Texas and has been living in Hawaii for about eight years.

"Jennifer's a very strong-willed person, and very curious, and very creative, so consequently when things would break she would try to fix them," Marie Appel said. "And so I was sure that if it was any possibility, she would pull it out, she would make it."

The elder Appel said with a laugh that she would advise her daughter that "four wheels on the solid ground is preferable to sailing," but doesn't think the experience will anchor Jennifer to the land.

"She loved the water, she loved going to Galveston, she's always enjoyed the water," Marie Appel said. "So I doubt that she'll stop, I doubt that she'll stop sailing."

The Navy said the women are upbeat and looking to another adventure, and Jennifer Appel confirmed the experience has not tempered her love of sailing. The sailboat is currently adrift, and the pair hopes that it is found by another ship and can be repaired.

"Well, you gotta die sometime," Appel said. "You may as well be doing something you enjoy when you're doing it


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

I think @hiwall or someone else posted about this as well. Quite the story and one that only had a happy ending because of preparedness.


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## DKRinAK (Nov 21, 2011)

They may be boat owners, but they sure as hell ain't sailors.

Nothing wrong for a short reefed mainsail and they could have run the jib alone and gotten somewhere....

They has a years worth of food. Did they also have a years worth of weed?


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## havasu (Sep 4, 2011)

This story is the talk of the boating forums. Umm, stocked with food for a year for a 21 day voyage? Both gained weight on this "lost at sea" voyage? Their motor dies on a SAILBOAT, making them stranded at sea? Sailing with no EPIRB? 

This is pure BS, and a way to make millions on a book deal.


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## gabbyj310 (Oct 22, 2012)

Sounded fishy to me!


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

You people and your unreleastic expectations for people to have common sense and to use it. Maybe they were going nautical Thelma & Louise and then decided to live after all. 

What I know about the ocean and sailing could fit inside the mind of Maxine Waters (so basically nothing). But perhaps a boat that size always stores lots of extra food. Although it does seem like one should know how to use the motor and the sails if they are going to go out on an extended voyage. But that's me expecting a modicum of common sense from people again.


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## backlash (Nov 11, 2008)

DKRinAK said:


> They may be boat owners, but they sure as hell ain't sailors.
> 
> Nothing wrong for a short reefed mainsail and they could have run the jib alone and gotten somewhere....
> 
> They has a years worth of food. Did they also have a years worth of weed?


I read they had no sailing experience.
Just like muscle cars, just because you can buy one doesn't mean you know how to drive it.
If the local sailing community advised them to take as much food as they could you would think someone would have advised them to stay on land or take reliable communication equipment.
This whole thing looks like BS.
I see a Lifetime movie in the works.


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## angie_nrs (Jul 26, 2017)

havasu said:


> This story is the talk of the boating forums. Umm, stocked with food for a year for a 21 day voyage? Both gained weight on this "lost at sea" voyage? Their motor dies on a SAILBOAT, making them stranded at sea? Sailing with no EPIRB?
> 
> This is pure BS, and a way to make millions on a book deal.


I was thinking the same thing! I think these were two publicity hounds (not their dogs) looking to make a name for themselves. They had that much food and not a back up plan for communications??? They never saw anyone in shipping lanes where they could have used a flare gun? I don't know anything about sailing in the ocean....nada....zero. But, from what I understand the ocean isn't as sparse and empty as many believe. I went on a cruise one time and there was hardly a time that you could look out at the ocean and see absolutely nothing. Although we were in the Caribbean so I guess that may make a difference.


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## havasu (Sep 4, 2011)

As a kid of 25 years old, a friend and myself set sail on his 27' Catalina sailboat for a 7 day tour of many of the islands off the California coastline. We thought of everything, except common sense. On day one, we realized our makeshift freezer made from 80 pounds of dry ice had accumulated sea water in it, melting our ice and spoiling all of our frozen provisions. On one island jaunt, our wind died completely until the sun went down making it necessary to sail at night, through a rocky coastline with no moon to help us navigate. After a few days, we found a cove to relax in and take a much needed bath in the ocean, only to be surrounded by 12-14' great white sharks. We dropped anchor on the back side of Catalina Island, where there are several hundred buffalo roaming around We got charged nearly 1/2 a mile until we hid inside an outhouse. 

Bottom line was we made it, and can now laugh at how ill prepared we were but it was one hell of an adventure.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

This whole thread makes me happy to be landlocked.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

They had a years supply of food. I'll bet that their supply of pot was at least a years worth.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

This story is all over the Rhodesian Ridgeback groups, because their dogs are RRs. RRs are very active dogs and need lots of exercise. 

I spend lots of time with my daughter's RR. They are better if they can run and play for a few hours a day. If they don't get exercise, they are not as much fun to be around. When they do get lots of exercise with respectful treatment, they are as loyal and lovable as any dog you can own. 

I can't imagine being cooped up on a boat with those 2 dogs for that long.


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## RedBeard (May 8, 2017)

weedygarden said:


> This story is all over the Rhodesian Ridgeback groups, because their dogs are RRs. RRs are very active dogs and need lots of exercise.
> 
> I spend lots of time with my daughter's RR. They are better if they can run and play for a few hours a day. If they don't get exercise, they are not as much fun to be around. When they do get lots of exercise with respectful treatment, they are as loyal and lovable as any dog you can own.
> 
> I can't imagine being cooped up on a boat with those 2 dogs for that long.


I feel bad for the dogs. They took hunting hounds and stuck them on a boat. Nice people, to bad the sharks didn't eat them...


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

UPDATE:



> *Inconsistencies cast doubt on Hawaiian women's harrowing tale of sea survival *
> 
> HONOLULU - Two Hawaii women who say they were lost at sea on a sailboat for months never activated their emergency beacon, the U.S. Coast Guard said, adding to a growing list of inconsistencies that cast doubt on their harrowing tale of survival.
> 
> ...


http://www.denverpost.com/2017/10/31/hawaiian-women-lost-at-sea/


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Two females that didn't know the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Well...at least they weren't driving on the road. WOMAN DRIVER NO SURVIVOR!


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