Sailor Missing for Six Weeks Found Off Course, but Safe

A man reported missing six weeks ago while on a solo sailing trip to the Hawaiian Islands has been found drifting off the Northern California coast, Coast Guard officials in Long Beach said Monday.

Donovan Jones, 58, of Eugene, Ore., was in good condition when he was located Sunday afternoon aboard his 33-foot vessel, Mistress, by another private boat some 100 miles west of Eureka, Calif., a Coast Guard spokesman said.

Jones, who told his rescuers he had been blown off course while attempting to sail to Hawaii, was reported missing July 31; he had left Marina del Rey on July 1, Hall said.

“He claims to be in good health, but he’s tired,” Hall said.

In all, Jones spent 73 days at sea, apparently surviving the ordeal by catching fish and eating whatever provisions he had stowed for the voyage to Hawaii, which typically can stretch for three to four weeks, Hall said.