Man tells about his rescue

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PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Dennis Clements talks about his experience Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, after being rescued from the Atlantic Ocean 250 nautical miles east of Hatteras, N.C.

The Missouri native was travelling from the Hampton Roads area to the U.S. Virgin Islands when he ran into bad weather damaging his sailboat Tuesday.

He was attempting to get back to the mainland, but Saturday's weather was so rough that it set off his Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon, or EPIRB.  That signal notified the Coast Guard which started an incredible effort to rescue the distressed sailor.

The Navy's USS Dwight D. Eisenhower launched a helicopter with search and rescue crew after an Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., HC-130J Hercules aircraft notified them that Clements sailboat rolled and was de-masted and taking on water. 

Clements had been ejected from his sailboat and eventually bumped into a Coast Guard dropped life raft in the black of night.  The Navy crew arrived on scene and was able to locate Clements by his pocket-sized, non-waterproof flashlight.

U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew Kendrick