News and Public Media for North Central Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Captain Calls Finding Boat Of Florida Teens "Stroke Of Luck"

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A Norwegian ship captain has told a newspaper it was a "stroke of luck" that he discovered the boat of two teenagers lost at sea last July.

The Palm Beach Post reported Sunday (http://bit.ly/22ZuQ9D ) that Havard Melvaer was in his office aboard the huge supply ship when he stepped outside for fresh air and spotted the 19-foot-long boat.

Last summer, Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, both 14, had left Jupiter Inlet, Florida, in the boat and never returned. Lengthy searches turned up no clues. The Coast Guard initially located the boat off New Smyrna Beach, but a company hired to retrieve it couldn't find it later.

Melvaer says the boat's in a shipping container and will arrive in Florida in May.

The Associated Press is a wire service to which WUFT News subscribes.