Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Clay/Navy(NEW YORK) — Two civilian mariners rescued at sea by a U.S. Navy ship after being stranded in the Pacific Ocean for almost five months didn’t think they “would survive another 24 hours.”
Jennifer Appel, an experienced sailor, and Natasha “Tasha” Fuiva, a sailing novice, left Honolulu on their sailboat on May 3, bound for Tahiti, 2,600 miles away in the South Pacific.
During a spell of bad weather on May 30, their sailboat’s engine stopped running for good. They were rescued on Wednesday in the western Pacific 900 miles southeast of Japan — nearly 5,000 miles from their intended destination.
The women, traveling with their two dogs, said they endured two days of shark attacks on their sailboat and major storms before being rescued.
“When we saw you guys coming over the horizon, it was, ‘Oh, God, We’ve been saved,'” Appel said in an interview provided by the U.S. Navy.
“It was the most amazing feeling because we honestly did not believe that we would survive another 24 hours in the current situation,” Appel added.
“We had no idea what to expect,” Appel said, “But when we saw that big gray ship coming, it was just relief.”
“Eternally grateful,” added Fuiava.
Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.