Man on trans-Pacific voyage in ocean rowboat rescued

Published November 09, 2017

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a Chinese man off Hawaii who was voyaging from California to Asia in an ocean rowboat.

The Coast Guard identified him as Ruihan Yu, a Chinese national who was rescued Tuesday about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast of the island of Maui.

A Coast Guard news release says the 32-year-old Yu left California on June 9 and was headed for China and Taiwan when his 18-foot (5-meter) vessel developed communication failures and a damaged rudder.

Yu's friend notified the Coast Guard that Yu was in possible distress after receiving a text message from him on a two-way satellite communication device.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Tara Molle says Yu planned to continue to his final destination of Australia.

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This story has been corrected with new information from the Coast Guard to show that the boater's first name is Ruihan, not Ruihn.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/man-on-trans-pacific-voyage-in-ocean-rowboat-rescued