***Updated story posted at 10:45 p.m. to include new information from the United States Coast Guard.***
After 12 days lost at sea, 67-year-old Ron Ingraham will be close enough to land when he arrives aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Kiska early Wednesday morning.
Ingraham is aboard the Hilo-based cutter, which is towing his 25-foot sailing vessel, Malia, to Kaunakakai, Molokai. From there, he and his ship will be towed by a Maui-based Response Boat-Medium crew, which will take the ship to moorage.
***Original story posted at 1:53 p.m.***
The Kailua-Kona mariner who has been missing since Nov. 27 was found Tuesday alive and uninjured aboard his 25-foot sailing vessel, Malia.
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Ron Ingraham was last heard from when he placed two mayday calls on Nov. 27, saying his vessel was taking on water and in danger of sinking 46 miles west of Kailua-Kona.
He was identified on Nov. 28 and was believed to have been sailing from Kaunakakai Harbor on Molokai and was en route to Manele Bay on Lanai.
Tuesday, Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector Honolulu Command Center received a short mayday call from the master of the Malia over VHF channel 16 at 7:55 a.m.
At that time, watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast.
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The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60), who was about 14 miles away from Ingraham’s location, responded at 8:32 a.m.
By 9 a.m. the USS Paul Hamilton arrived on scene with the Malia.
Ingraham was found alive, but according to officials aboard the U.S. Navy ship, he was weak, hungry, and dehydrated.
Food and water were given to Ingraham by the crew and a rescue and assistance team attempted to repair Malia’s outboard engine.
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Additional help was deployed to the location, including a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and HC-130 airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point. The 110-foot Coast Guard Cutter Kiska, who is home ported in Hilo, is also en route to the scene.
Upon Ingraham’s initial mayday call on Thanksgiving morning, the Coast Guard and Navy crews searched extensively for days, using special technology created for out-to-sea search and rescue, flying 59 sorties and covering approximately 12,000 square miles.
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