Shipwrecked Man Found Alive 100 Miles Off Martha's Vineyard

MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MA — A shipwrecked boater who spent seven days floating in a raft 100 miles from land was rescued by a passing freighter Sunday, the Coast Guard said.

Nathan Carman, 22, and his mother, Linda, 54, went out for a fishing trip aboard the "Chicken Pox," a 31-foot center console boat on Sunday, Sept. 18, departing from Point Judith, Rhode Island. After they failed to return that day, the Coast Guard launched a massive search spanning 62,000 square nautical miles but failed to find them and called off the search after six days.

On Sunday, the "Orient Lucky" freighter crew spotted Nathan Carman floating in an inflatable life raft about 100 miles south of Martha's Vineyard. He was hoisted aboard and was in good condition.

Linda Carman is presumed dead.

"The likelihood of her being alive is minimal," Coast Guard officer Nicole Groll said during a news conference Monday.

Groll said Nathan Carman will be interviewed when the freighter comes into port Tuesday. He had food and water in the raft, Groll said. He recounted the incident for Coast Guard officials during a phone call.

"He said that the ship was taking on water," Groll said. "He got the life raft. He looked for his mom ... (but) couldn't find her and that was it."

The boat sank off the coast of New York, according to Groll.

The Orient Lucky is based out of China.

Photo: The "Chicken Pox." (Credit: Coast Guard)