Women spent five months lost at sea

Two sailors and their dogs have been rescued by the US Navy after more than five months lost at sea in the vast Pacific Ocean.

The planned voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti aboard a small yacht did not start well for the two women from Honolulu, as one of their mobile phones washed overboard and sank on their first day at sea.

From there, things got worse. About a month into the trip, bad weather caused their engine to lose power, then their mast was damaged, and, as they drifted across thousands of miles of open ocean, the water purifier stopped working.

But the two sailors, accompanied by their faithful pets, were resourceful and prepared with more than a year’s worth of food.

They sent out daily distress calls that no one heard, until they were rescued by the US Navy on Wednesday about 900 miles southeast of Japan, thousands of miles off course.

The USS Ashland rescued the women after a Taiwanese fishing boat spotted their crippled yacht on Tuesday and alerted the US Coast Guard, the US Navy said in a statement.

The women, identified by the US Navy as Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiava, lost their engine in bad weather in late May but believed they could still reach Tahiti using their sails.

“They saved our lives,” said Ms Appel through the navy release. “The pride and smiles we had when we saw (US Navy) on the horizon was pure relief.”

Pictures: AP.