ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— A missing 77-year-old man was found in good health aboard his sailboat, the Mariah, six miles south of Apalachicola, Florida, Thursday.
Nues' sailboat battery died and he had no cell phone reception to contact commercial salvage.
Daughters of Neus contacted Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders reporting that Neus' cell phone was ringing again, but he was still unreachable. Watchstanders contacted the cell phone company and were able to determine Neus' position.
A C-130 Hercules aircraft crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Florida, arrived on scene, located the Mariah and air-dropped a radio to Neus.
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission boatcrew was launched, arrived on scene and verified that Neus was in good health.
A commercial salvage company arrived on scene, took the Mariah in tow and is in route to the Moorings at Carrabelle, Florida.
Coast Guard crews searched approximately 76,379 square nautical miles for Neus.