Man rescued after two days at sea

MOREHEAD CITY - Robert Brakes of Morehead City didn't look like a man who had just spent two days drifting at sea in a life raft.

"Surprisingly, he looked healthy. You couldn't physically tell," said Lt. j.g. Scott McGrew of Coast Guard Sector North Carolina.

But looks can be deceiving.

"Brakes said that he felt he would not be able to survive another day without food and water, but knew he was going home after he saw the Coast Guard C-130 flying over his raft," McGrew said.

Brakes, 60, was safely rescued by the Coast Guard Friday afternoon after being found adrift in his life raft in the Atlantic Ocean 102 miles southeast of Cape Lookout.

The Coast Guard began an air search of the area late Friday morning after the crew of the cruise ship Grandeur of the Seas reported seeing a capsized sailboat. Watch standers at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received the call and contacted the Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center Portsmouth, which launched a Coast Guard C-130J aircrew from Elizabeth City to investigate.

When they arrived, the aircrew spotted a debris field and a covered life raft. After several low flybys of the raft, the aircrew reported seeing a person onboard, the Coast Guard said.

"It was a C-130 that located the life raft and once the life raft was found with Mr. Brakes onboard, a helicopter was sent to rescue him," McGrew said.

Brakes was hoisted from the raft by a MH-G0 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew from Elizabeth City and flown to Carteret General Hospital in Morehead City, where he was treated for mild hypothermia and dehydration, the Coast Guard said.

Brakes told the Coast Guard his vessel sank so quickly he was unable to gather food, water or his ship's Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beach (EPIRB). The sailboat reportedly sank sometime during the night of June 4.

"He said it just started sinking in the middle of the night," McGrew said. "He woke up and half the boat was under water."

Brakes said he attempted to contact help with his vessel's radio but was unsuccessful.