2 Castaways Wash Ashore In Boca Raton
BOCA RATON, Fla. (CBSMiami.com) – Two castaways finally made it to shore in Boca Raton early Tuesday morning.
According to Boca Raton Police, two people in a small dingy were found on the beach at 750 South Ocean Boulevard. The men were identified as Michael Ayres, 46, of Onondaga, Michigan and Steffon Moore, 19, of Miami Gardens.
Ayres told Boca Raton Police that he and Moore had left Islamorada on November 12th and were heading to Bimini. Ayres said the two left just after noon and that at some point later in the evening, the boat hit some debris and the 41-foot yacht started to sink.
"We bailed for six hours until our arms couldn't hold anything more," Ayres said. "We could not get it drained out."
At that point, the duo decided to try to get to land in the boat's dingy. So, the pair gathered some supplies and abandoned ship.
"This is the thing I'll have nightmares about, the sound of the waves," Ayres said. "There's a certain crash, it's like someone doused you with a bucket of cold water."
Ayres said he fired flares 16 times, but no one ever spotted them. He said that he saw the Miami shoreline, but the winds kept pushing the duo further north.
It was a harrowing few days for Ayres' fiance, Liz Murphy Brown, as well.
"I didn't feel like he was gone, but I cried a lot because I thought he was cold," Brown said.
Boca Raton Police said that there was no additional information and that they have concluded their investigation into the incident.
