Man and His Dog Rescued After Sailboat Sinks During Hurricane

A Florida sailor and his beloved Golden Retriever were rescued from certain doom after the boat on which they were living sank amidst Hurricane Helene’s squall .

Earl Barcome, 64, moved onto the 36-foot sailboat with his 10-year-old companion, Gunn, about a year ago after he ended a 30-year relationship on land, NBC affiliate WBBH reported. It was the “perfect boat” to “start a new chapter,” Barcome's sister, Shirley, said on a GoFundMe page, even if he had to “overload” his credit cards to complete the purchase. It was “the culmination of a lifelong dream, offering him solace and purpose after a difficult chapter in his life,” Shirley explained.

As Helene loomed over Florida, Barcome planned to head for a protected section of Sanibel Island. Unfortunately, his boat’s motor failed during the journey. Shortly thereafter, the bilge pump exploded and the vessel began filling with water which quickly rose to his chest.

“It was moving mountains of water. Every which way you turn. And these waves were just everywhere you look,” Barcome told WBBH . But he was determined to make it out of the calamity alive. “I said, Gunn, this isn’t the day we’re going to die,’” he recalled. “I’m calling the Coast Guard.”

The U.S. Coast Guard dispatched rescue swimmers from the USCG Air Station post in Clearwater, who were able to locate Barcome and his companion. Dramatic footage of the rescue shows the swimmers rappelling into the water as waves crash around them. “He falls into the water and just power swims to my boat,” Barcome recalled. “And he’s like, ‘I need you guys [off the boat] now.'”

Though he and Gunn were rescued without injury, Barcome tragically had to watch his beloved home sink into the ocean. “Earl has lost everything,” his sister wrote. “With no funds and his dream shattered, rebuilding from this tragedy feels impossible without help.”

But Barcome isn't wasting anytime focusing on what he lost. “I have a new understanding. And that’s a beautiful thing,” he said. “The realization that life is a little more important was ... it was a new day. And, what do I got to complain about? I got a shirt and pants. So what, what comes next?” he reflected. “Time will tell, you know.”