Florida man rescued after being lost at sea

Friday, October 4, 2002
Posted: 12:44 PM EDT (1644 GMT)

 CHARLESTON, South Carolina (AP) — A Florida man who was lost at sea for more than two months was rescued 40 miles off the coast, officials said.

    The Coast Guard reached Terry Watson, 43, around 7 p.m. Thursday. Emaciated and weak, Watson was suffering from dehydration, delusion and shock, officials said.

    “I died a month ago,” Watson told The Post and Courier after he was assisted off a Coast Guard rescue boat.

    Watson and his 23-foot sailboat called the Psedorca were found 42 miles southeast of Little River
Inlet, which is located near the North Carolina-South Carolina border, the Coast Guard said.

    Authorities say Watson was last spotted in Miami on July 19. The captain of another boat said he was traveling with Watson around the Florida Keys and reported the boat missing July 23.

    A search of more than 8,000 square miles turned up nothing.

    Officials aren’t sure how Watson survived. He apparently used his broken mast to rig a shelter, but Coast Guard crewmen said they had not been able to talk with Watson long enough to determine how long he has been without food and water.

    A charter fishing boat captain found Watson and his ship at 1:25 p.m. Thursday and radioed the Coast Guard for help, authorities said.

    A helicopter dropped a rescue swimmer near the boat, but Watson refused to leave his vessel.

    “The helicopter apparently scared him, and he was not in good physical condition. He could barely
move,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Carr.

    The Coast Guard then sent a rescue boat from Georgetown. When it arrived, Watson
again refused to leave his boat, Carr said.

    Though the crew was prepared to use force to remove him to safety, they eventually persuaded Watson to come aboard Thursday evening, Carr said.

    He arrived at the Winyah Bay Coast Guard Station wearing a black and red life vest, a thermal underwear shirt, tattered green pants and brown hiking boots.

    At times he appeared disoriented, giving a rambling answers to questions. Other times, he appeared more coherent, the newspaper reported.

    “The Coast Guard is very nice,” Watson said. “I just need some food. I’ll be all right. I wouldn’t mind having some chocolate pudding.”

    Watson was taken to Georgetown Memorial Hospital for observation.