Chilean Search Plane Locates American Sailor

Ken Barnes, 47, set off from Long Beach, California, on October 28 in his yacht, the Privateer. His goal was to sail solo around the world, and he had planned his trip for several years in advance. On his website, Barnes talked of his reasons for planning the trip. "For many years, probably from the age of 10, I have liked the solitude of sailing, the adventure, the adrenaline associated with the chance encounter of the unknown," he said.

Unfortunately, Barnes’ trip was cut short near the tip of South America when his 44-foot ketch ran into a violent storm with 40-foot waves that broke both masts and drenched all of the supplies and food Barnes had on board. His girlfriend, Cathy Chambers, told reporters that Ken called her in California on Tuesday on his satellite phone, saying that he was in trouble because of the storm. His phone battery was running low, but he managed to call her again Thursday morning briefly, to tell her that he had a small cut on his leg, but he was surviving on granola bars and Pop Tarts.

Tuesday afternoon the U.S. Coast Guard and Chilean maritime officials picked up signals from Barnes’ distress beacon, about 500 miles off the Pacific coast. The Chilean Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation to locate the Privateer. A Navy plane spotted the crippled yacht Wednesday, and a navy tugboat with a helicopter and a merchant boat were ordered to join the rescue operation. Navy Capt. Luis Vidal said that the trawler Polar Pesca 1 is expected to reach Barnes’ boat on Friday morning, near the Straits of Magellan.

A pilot of one of the navy planes, Capt. Gonzalo Vasquez, told reporters that the Privateer is not in danger of sinking, and Barnes does not appear to be in any life-threatening danger. He has a life raft, a survival suit, and the weather has been improving. According to Vidal, it was sunny in the area on Thursday and the winds and waves were soft. Those weather conditions are expected to last until the Polar Pesca reaches Barnes.

Chilean and American officials told Barnes’ family that the trawler is expected to take him to Punta Arenas, where he will be treated by doctors and possibly flown to Santiago. U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Judith Baroody told reporters that the embassy has been in contact with Barnes’ family and Chilean authorities, and the embassy has "full confidence" in the ability of Chilean authorities to handle the rescue effort.

Chambers told reporters that Barnes is a survivor and a fighter, and he’s very methodical in his thinking. But she no longer supports his dream of sailing around the world. "He attempted it, he tried it, but after what I know now—no way!" she said. "His life is too important."