PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. — Stuart Bee, a man lost at sea during the weekend, soon will be reunited with his brother in Delaware, the Coast Guard said.
It'll be a meeting that might not have happened if he wasn't able to stay with his boat.
Bee, 63, on Friday departed Cape Marina in Port Canaveral, Florida, onboard his 34-foot Sea Ray boat and wasn't able to make it back. Coast Guard watchstanders around 11:40 a.m. Saturday received a call about the boater, with the person on the line saying Bee typically didn't stay overnight on his boat.
The Coast Guard sent out a C-130 Hercules aircrew from Clearwater to search for Bee, with Customs and Border Patrol air marine unit joining to help, a news release states.
Bee was found 86 miles off Florida's east coast around 10 a.m. Sunday, clinging to the bow of his boat. The Coast Guard brought him in about an hour later.
He reportedly told the Coast Guard his boat suffered mechanical issues Saturday. Just after midnight Sunday, he woke up to water rushing into the forward cabin.
"The chances of finding Bee alive were slim,” said Lt. Shawn Antonelli, command duty officer, District 7, in the release. "But he was able to stay with his boat, which helped save his life."
The Coast Guard says it's transporting Bee back home to Delaware, where his brother will greet him.
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