The Seafarers-crewed Lykes Discoverer this week rescued three people on the high seas near Bermuda.At 2040 hours on Dec. 22, the Discoverer was contacted by a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft and advised that the agency had located what they believed to be the FV Sea Gypsy, a boat that was overdue on a voyage from Newfoundland to Bermuda with three persons aboard. At the time of the communication, the Lykes Discoverer was located some 25 miles away from the Sea Gypsy’s position.
After instructing his crew to establish continuous communications with the Coast Guard aircraft and prepare the vessel to take persons on board, Discoverer Capt. Scott Putty set course for the Sea Gypsy. At about 2210 hours, crew members from the Discoverer had the smaller boat in sight and Putty began maneuvering his vessel into position to take her alongside.
Some 40 minutes later, after safely securing the Sea Gypsy, Discoverer crew members passed out lifejackets to the three distressed mariners aboard the boat. They later were brought aboard the Discoverer and their boat was abandoned.
Rescued from the Sea Gypsy were Capt. Whitfield J. Brathwaite and his two-person crew—Joseph A. Brathwaite and Alphonse A. Barrow. All three had credentials from Barbados.
Once aboard the Discoverer, Capt. Brathwaite informed his liberators that he and his shipmates had been adrift for four days. Their vessel lost power and they were unsuccessful in their repeated attempts restart any generators, the captain said. They had been without food for several days. All were fed, given shelter and afforded phone calls to their families.
Putty commended the work of Bosun Matthew Sagay and that of the other crew members during the rescue.
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