Levi Verwoest’s three years of sailing the Queensland coast in Australia came to an end after his catamaran capsized Wednesday, leaving him to spend a night on the water before he was rescued the following day, broadcaster ABC reported.
The 29-year-old Hawaiian sailor said the boat started taking on water after sunset when he noticed that a hatch cover was missing.
The boat capsized shortly after, he said.
WATCH: $10-million Yacht capsizes on camera
Verwoest was saved by RACQ CQ Rescue at about 7:45 a.m. on Thursday morning, after he activated an emergency beacon, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
And that, said rescuer Arno Schoonwinkel, is likely what saved his life.
“Without an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) or PLB (Personal Locator Beacon), it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack,” he told the Herald.
“Once it was activated, we were able to quickly hone in on the signal and he was winched up and was back here at the base within 40 minutes of us being tasked.”
Verwoest spent over 12 hours aboard the vessel after it capsized, 7 News reported.
He lost everything he had on the boat — including his passport — and spent the night in a dinghy.
Verwoest hopes he can save cash for a new vessel now.
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