Three men had to be rescued over the weekend by the U.S. Coast Guard when their sailing boat became disabled off the coast of Cape Cod.
Coast Guard officials said an emergency beacon aboard the AELA alerted them on Saturday that the Swedish boat was in distress 1,200 miles away.
Watchstanders launched a long-range surveillance aircraft and was able to gain visual contact with the three stranded men. They said they also spoke with the father of two of the stranded men, who reported his last contact with his sons on Friday via email.
Coast Guard officials said nearby mariners were then alerted through the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, an international distress notification system.
Out of four ships that responded to the distress signal, the Hong Kong-flagged chemical tanker, Alpine Melina, was able to recover the three men from their boat on Sunday morning.
All three were said to be in good condition.
The rescued men will stay aboard the Alpine Melina until the ship’s next port of call in Mexico, where they will catch flights back to Sweden.
