Australian in Homemade Boat Got Lost Near Hawaii, Rescued After 100 Days at Sea

The man was simply lucky as the boat had no communication equipment installed. He could have had died if not accidently found by the crew of another vessel sailing by, a local coast guard official said.

An Australian man sailing alone in a homemade boat has been rescued off the coast of Hawaii after spending more than 100 days at sea.

The 62-year-old was blown off course on his way home to Australia from Panama due to poor weather conditions.

At some point, he was spotted by the crew of a passenger ship sailing by who picked him up and took him to the shore of Maui on Sunday.

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The crew members said that the sailor was "disoriented" when they found him.

His boat didn't have any communications equipment or an engine, and the fact that he got lost could have had drastic consequences, a local coast guard said.

"Being disoriented while at sea in a vessel with no communication capabilities aboard can be deadly if not handled quickly," Jacob Schlereth, Maui Coast Guard's spokesman stated, cited by The Guardian.

Despite the incident, the man reportedly still plans to resume his trip home. The distance from Panama to Australia is over 14,000km.