[WATCH] Two women and their dogs rescued after five months in Pacific Ocean

The US navy rescued two women and their dogs, after they were spotted some 900 miles south-east of Japan 

One of the dogs being rescued, after spending five months adrift in the Pacific (Photo: the Evening Standard)
One of the dogs being rescued, after spending five months adrift in the Pacific (Photo: the Evening Standard)

 

Two women and their dogs, who had been adrift in the Pacific ocean for nearly five months, were rescued, according to the US navy.

They were rescued on Wednesday, when a Taiwanese fishing vessel spotted them around 900 miles south-east of Japan and alerted the US coast guard.

The USS Ashland arrived the following day, said the navy in a statement.

The women were trying to sail from Hawaii to Tahiti, when, two months into their trip, the women began making distress calls, but there seemed to be no vessels nearby and they were too far out at sea for signals to be reached on land.

The women, identified by the navy as Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiaba, both from Honolulu, lost all power in their engine as a result of bad weather in May, but believed they could still reach Tahiti with their sails.

(Photo: STL Today)
(Photo: STL Today)
(Photo: SkyNews)
(Photo: SkyNews)

“They saved our lives,” said Appel through the navy release. “The pride and smiles we had when we saw [US navy] on the horizon was pure relief.”

They told the navy that they survived because they had packed a water purifier and enough food for a year, mostly dried goods like oatmeal and pasta.

The women received a medical assessment, food and beds aboard the ship, where they will remain until the next port of call, the navy said.

“The US navy is postured to assist any distressed mariner of any nationality during any type of situation,” said Cmdr Steven Wasson, the commanding officer of the USS Ashland.

Appel’s mother told The Associated Press that she never gave up hope that her resourceful daughter would be found.

Joyce Appel, 75, who lives in Houston, said she got a call from her daughter early Thursday morning more than 5 months after they had last spoke.

“She said, ‘Mom?’ and I said, ‘Jennifer!?’ because I hadn’t heard from in like five months,” she said. “And she said ‘yes mom,’ and that was really exciting.”

Jennifer Appel departed on 3 May, her mother said, but her phone was lost overboard the first day she was at sea, and she hadn’t heard from her daughter since.

“Various things on her boat broke, the mast broke and the engine wouldn’t start when she needed power. So she had several problems that caused her to end up drifting in the ocean,” the elder Appel said.

Joyce called the US Coast Guard about a week and half after her daughter left Honolulu, she said. “The Coast Guard, in Hawaii, did a search and rescue effort,” she said.