APALACHICOLA, Fla. (AP) - A Panhandle sailor reported missing in the Gulf of Mexico has been found adrift but alive.
Craig Neus of Panama City had been sailing home from Baltimore since June aboard a 32-foot vessel. His family notified the Coast Guard when they couldn't reach him after he stopped in Captiva on Nov. 4.
A Coast Guard crew searched about 80,000 square miles before spotting Neus roughly 6 miles off Apalachicola. The battery on Neus' sailboat had died, and he had no cellphone reception to call for help.
Officials say Neus' daughters had been repeatedly calling his cellphone when they finally got a ring Thursday. They alerted the Coast Guard, who called Neus' cellphone company to determine the 77-year-old sailor's position.
Neus was found in good health but needing a tow.
(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
