2 Fishermen Rescued After Month Adrift

LIHUE, Hawaii — For a time, the only Christmas presents two fishermen thought they would give their families were the farewell messages scratched on the plastic paddles of their life raft.

“If I don’t make it, I hope to see you in my next life,” wrote David Summers.

“I hope I make it, but if not give the family my love,” wrote Richard Enslow Jr.

The messages, which also apologized for causing their families grief, were written three days after Christmas and nearly three weeks after their 48-foot fishing boat, Lady Aud, sank Dec. 9 on the way back to Honolulu.

Salvation came Jan. 6 when the fishing vessel Kekoa found them near the island of Niihau.

Enslow, 20, and Summers, 25, both of Mililani, were treated at a hospital for slight dehydration and released. Summers also had a dislocated shoulder he suffered before their boat went down.

The men were heading back to port to get medical attention for Summers’ shoulder when they heard a sudden thump or popping sound, and the Lady Aud started sinking. Water covered the battery, so they couldn’t call for help. An emergency location transmitter also failed.

The two climbed aboard a six-man raft with some survival supplies aboard and drifted through wind, rain, lightning and huge waves.

“It sounded like a war zone out there,” Summers said. “It was real hard trying to survive.”

Rescuers scoured the area for five days before calling off the search over the objections of family members.

“I knew they called it off too soon. I sensed they were floating,” said Enslow’s brother, Tim.

“We blanketed that place with aircraft,” said Coast Guard Lt. Maureen March. “I don’t know why we never saw them.”

On what the men believe was New Year’s Day, something--possibly a whale--overturned their raft. They climbed back in but had lost most of their supplies, including an air pump. Having to blow air into the leaking raft every 20 minutes left them exhausted.

The two survived on fish they were able to catch and on rainwater. By the time fisherman Kevin Yamase found them, only a few sips of water remained in their bottle. Their raft also was starting to fall apart.

“I don’t know how much longer we would have lasted,” Summers said.

Yamase said he first thought the raft was an orange float and headed in that direction in hopes of finding fish around it.

“Then I saw Richard waving his hand and I thought, ‘My God, there are people on that,’ ” Yamase said.