On 25 April 2014, after 13 days at sea, having been pounded for two days by gale force winds and high seas and breaking waves, we were forced to abandon our sinking sailboat and take to a life raft.

Our sailboat had been our home since 1 August 2013 and from our precarious position in the life raft, in stormy darkness, we watched our sailboat and home sink beneath the waves and disappear on a cold journey to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean. Everything we had went down with it. In a matter of moments we (Len and Lisa), our crew member and our beloved little Jack Russell Terrier, Dexter, were continuing our fight for life in a tiny life raft. We were being thrown around and battered by an angry sea. Alone and 950 nautical miles from nearest land, the pitch darkness, huge breaking seas and driving rain had engulfed us, reducing visibility to near zero.

Without exaggeration this was a scary and lonely place to be. Unbeknown to us, 13 Brave men had diverted their LPG Tanker from 32 nautical miles away and were making headway towards our GPS distress signal. Blown and driven by heavy seas and high winds we were drifting rapidly away from our signaled position. The US Coast Guard and these 13 brave men were outstanding! With a sense of urgency they worked together at a frantic rate to find us. Their coordinated efforts, dogged determination and bravery were instrumental in saving our lives. We will forever be indebted to these brave men and the US Coast Guard, who coordinated the rescue that saved our lives. We have been given a 2nd chance at life and for that we thank everyone involved.

WITHOUT ANY DOUBT WE OWE OUR LIVES TO OUR EPIRB! It worked flawlessly and had been properly registered with the US Coast Guard. THIS EPIRB WAS A FREE REPLACEMENT BY ACR ELECTRONICS IN FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA. OUR FIRST EPIRB ALSO SAVED OUR LIVES IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA IN 2013 WHEN WE LOST A RUDDER 72 NAUTICAL MILES FROM LAND!