After 137 days adrift on the Pacific Ocean aboard his sailboat, Rimas Meleshyus was rescued off Saipan, a U.S. territory north of Guam, by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Meleshyus, who left the USSR in 1988 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen, departed Hilo, Hawaii, aboard his 30-foot sailboat Mimsy in June. His intent was to ‘drift’ Kon-Tiki-style to Fuji. The 3,300-nautical-mile voyage normally takes small-boat sailors approximately a month to complete.
National Public Radio reports that during the voyage, Meleshyus’ satellite communicator failed and his mainsail broke. He was able to contact the Coast Guard via VHF radio and was towed into Smiley Cove Marina on Saipan.
This video by Sherri Riggs shows Melshyus after the rescue:
This is Meleshyus’ fourth request for help in five years. You can find more in Soundings’ December 2017 issue.
