David Simpson, 64, was thrown from his boat when a strong wave hit the ship near Caloundra, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, CNN subsidiary 9News reported.
He watched as his boat – with his dog on board – drifted away, then managed to swim about half a mile to a water beacon, where he waited to be pushed up by a wave to cling to the ladder from the beacon. .
The man was discovered on a beacon at sea.
From Caloundra Volunteer Coast Guard – QF4 / Facebook
“The wave hit the side of the boat and I tried to tie up the dinghy which had drifted a bit and broke a rope while holding the dinghy,” Simpson told 9News. “The dinghy hit me … and I fell about 2.5, 3 meters on my ribs and off the boat.”
Another sailor later discovered the unmanned vessel with the engine still on board and the dog on board and alerted the authorities.
Simpson said he tried every way he could to get attention and even took off his shorts to wave them around. “Maybe that’s why nobody stopped because I was naked,” he said.
Three hours after the alarm went off, Simpson was found by a helicopter, which spotted him in the dark 1.5 miles from his ship.
“He is very lucky to get to that beacon,” Ian Hunt, Mooloolaba Coast Guard commander, told 9News.
Mitch the dog was rescued by Surf Lifesaving Queensland.
From Surf Life Saving Queensland / Twitter
The Mooloolaba Coast Guard said on Wednesday that attempts to retrieve the now grounded ship are underway.