The Coast Guard brought Kevin Hyde and Joe Ditomasso ashore from the Hong Kong-flagged tanker vessel Silver Muna earlier today following their at-sea rescue after several days adrift.
The sailboat Atrevida II, crewed by Hyde and Ditomasso, departed Cape May, New Jersey on Nov. 27, 2022, and was transiting to Marathon, Florida along the Eastern Seaboard. They were last in contact with family and friends on Dec. 3, 2022, after departing Oregon Inlet, North Carolina. On Dec. 11, 2022, watchstanders at the Coast Guard Fifth District command center were notified of Hyde and Ditomasso’s sailboat being overdue. The Coast Guard began issuing urgent marine information broadcasts and initiated direct communications with commercial vessels in the search area to aid efforts in locating them. The Coast Guard launched multiple aircraft and cutters to search for the Atrevida II. Additionally, vessels from the U.S. Navy’s Second Fleet as well as commercial and recreational vessel traffic within the search area contributed to the effort.
Hyde and Ditomasso were located by the crew of the Silver Muna 214 miles east of the Delaware coast on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. The Atrevida II was found to be de-masted and without fuel or power. Their crew brought Hyde, Ditomasso, and a pet dog aboard. Hyde and Ditomasso were in good condition and remained aboard as Silver Muna continued its transit to New York Harbor.
Hyde and Ditomasso were brought ashore at Station New York for medical assessments and reunification with family and friends.
Today, over 22,000 ships from hundreds of nations participate in the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) program. An average of 4,000 ships are on the AMVER plot each day and those numbers continue to increase. The AMVER Center receives over 14,000 AMVER messages a day. More than 2,800 lives have been saved by AMVER-participating ships since 2000. The success of AMVER is directly related to the extraordinary cooperation of ships, companies, search and rescue authorities, communication service providers and governments in supporting this international humanitarian program to protect life and property at sea.
