Joshua Nair
A sailor shared the heartbreaking words that he said to his precious dog when their vessel sunk while both of them were aboard.
The American was eventually rescued in the Gulf of Mexico following the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene on Thursday (26 September), as it hit the southeast of the US.
Earl Barcome was living on his 36-foot sailboat named Selkie for a year after his last relationship ended after 30 years, as the 64-year-old hunted for the 'perfect boat' as he wanted to set sail for Florida, according to his sister Shirley, who explained this on a GoFundMe page.
He wasn't alone though, as his 10-year-old Golden Retriever, Gunn, joined him on his travels at sea.
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Shirley explained: "Earl’s sailboat was more than just a home. It was the culmination of a lifelong dream, offering him solace and purpose after a difficult chapter in his life.
"But in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, everything he cherished was lost to the Gulf of Mexico," she revealed, asking for donations.
Earl spent his first year on the water by going through 'peace and healing' but as Hurricane Helene began to form in the waters around them, he planned to move away from Helene to a protected inlet, before the boat's motor failed on its voyage leaving them helpless.
Up to their chests in water in the cabin, he told WBBH: “It was moving mountains of water. Every which way you turn. And these waves were just everywhere you look.”
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After this, he turned to his dog, when all hope seemed lost and gave the pooch (and probably himself) some words of wisdom.
“I said, 'Gun, this isn’t the day we’re going to die, I’m calling the Coast Guard.'”
Desperately calling the Coast Guard for help from a radio onboard, a helicopter was sent to his location, which was just 25 miles west of Sanibel Island, Florida.
The USCG Air Station Clearwater's rescue swimmers then spotted the boat at 3pm on Thursday, with the dramatic rescue caught on tape by the Coast Guard, as both Earl and his dog were in life vests and escaped the sinking boat by diving into rough waters.
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He added: “He (the rescue swimmer) falls into the water and just power swims to my boat, and he’s like, ‘I need you guys in the water now.'”
They were then lifted into the helicopter by a basket as the sailor left his vessel behind for good, for the livelihood of him and his pooch.
“So what, what comes next? Time will tell, you know, do I have hope? I have, I have a new, I have a new understanding. And that’s a beautiful thing,” he later said.
Earl continued: “The realisation that life is a little more important was, that was a new day. It was a new day. And, what do I got to complain about? I got shirt and pants."
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With his new view on life, he now has to get back on his feet and begin to rebuild before potentially going back out to sea.
Shirley wrote on the GoFundMe page: “Earl has lost everything. With no funds and his dream shattered, rebuilding from this tragedy feels impossible without help,” revealing that there is a $25,000 goal that they want to hit.
Hurricane Helene has killed at least 63 people, according to the BBC, wrecking havoc from Florida to the Great Lakes region after hitting the coast as a Category four storm.