I am writing to thank you for the beacon which resutled in the rescue of the 31′ sailboat named “Dancer” on Sunday, June 22rd. We were stranded approximately 28 miles East-North East of the Fort Pierce inlet with no engine and we were trying to sail with only the jib because the Captain felt that it was too dangerous to try to put up the mainsail due to the storms we were in. We were trying to sail into the wind doing about 1-2 knots while we were floundering in the Gulf Stream.

I believed that we were in distress that night when we hit a significant storm producing heavy rain, rough seas, and lightning strikes all around us. When we came through Memory Rocks the boat was tossing and rolling as though it was in a washing machine. The safety lines on the port side of the boat were useless because of a dock collision at Green Turtle the day before. I am 72 years old and was being thrown about for hours on end into the interior walls, tables and cabinets, where I sustained numerous bruises.

When we lost our engine about halfway across the Gulf Stream, the Captain stated that we would not be able to cross the Gulf Stream and we would be swept North to an unknown destination. At that point he fired a single flare and I turned on the ResQLink+ that I had purchased for this trip. I felt seriously at risk, because I am a diabetic, and our food supply and my supply of medicine was running low. We had no radio contact since the Captain was not sure if his antenna was working properly on the boat, so I used my handheld to try to reach someone. Unfortunately, we were too far away to get any response by radio.

We had been sailing all night in that storm, so since I believed that we were in distress, I initiated the ResQLink to see if we could get the Coast Guard to come from Fort Pierce, which is where the boat had been docked. A crew came to our rescue. After interviewing the captain, they called the Boat U.S. tow company out of Fort Pierce to bring us in. We were approximately 28 miles East-NorthEast of the Fort Pierce inlet at the time. I was thankful that they had arrived and ended our ordeal.

Thank you for your valuable service. Sincerely, Paul J. Guglielmino Former Captain, U.S. Army