Man reported missing at sea for 66 days reunites with family

NORTH CAROLINA — A man whose family says he was missing at sea for more than two months is back on dry land and reuniting with his family.

The crew of a German-flagged container ship found Mr Louis Jordan floating today (April 3) on the overturned hull of his 35-foot sailboat, about 200 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras.

A Coast Guard helicopter crew from North Carolina airlifted Jordan from the tanker to a hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, today, where he was recovering from a shoulder injury and dehydration.

Mr Jordan, 37, had been living on his sailboat at a marina in Conway, South Carolina, until January, when he told his family he was “going into the open water to sail and do some fishing,” said his mother, Mrs Norma Davis. He sailed out of the marina on Jan 23, Coast Guard officials said, and had not been heard from him since.

The details of Mr Jordan’s whereabouts since January and how he might have survived for more than two months at sea were still unclear, said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss.

“We don’t know where he capsized,” Mr Doss said. “We really won’t know what happened to him out there until we talk to him” at length.

Mr Doss said Mr Jordan did say that he had eaten fish that he caught.

Records show that Mr Jordan sailed out of the marina in Conway, on Jan 23, aboard the sailboat Angel, said Ms Marilyn Fajardo, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard’s 7th District. Ms Fajardo said the Coast Guard in Miami was notified by his father, Mr Frank Jordan, on Jan 29 that he hadn’t seen or heard from his son in a week. One week later, Mrs Davis said their son was still missing.

Ms Fajardo said alerts were issued from New Jersey to Miami to be on the lookout for Mr Jordan and his sailboat. Officials also searched financial data to determine whether Mr Jordan actually had come ashore without being noticed, but found no indication that he had, she said.

A search was begun on Feb 8, but Ms Fajardo said the Coast Guard abandoned its efforts after 10 days. Despite reports from other sailors claiming to have seen Mr Jordan’s sailboat, none of the sightings were confirmed and the case was suspended. The Coast Guard said Mr Jordan didn’t file a “float plan,” the nautical equivalent of a flight plan, to determine his route or destination, and Ms Fajardo said there wasn’t enough information to narrow down his whereabouts.

“We’re elated that he survived. We were never able to determine where he was headed,” Mr Doss said. “Without that as part of the equation, it was difficult to come up with a search area.”

Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt Krystyn Pecora said Mr Jordan had a shoulder injury. Mr Frank Jordan said his son also was dehydrated from his ordeal. AP