Disasters · Tybee Island rescueTybee Island sailboat rescue: Couple and two cats survive, boat destroyedWritten November 5, 2026 at 6:32 AM UTCTranscript0:07Firefighters rescued two people and two cats from a sailboat wreck.0:11The couple survived, but lost a boat they used as a living space, along with0:16belongings aboard.0:17What can they recover?0:19As they try to rebuild, their thirty-five-foot sailboat ended up aground near North0:24Beach on Tybee Island, Georgia.0:26Strong winds and powerful waves battered the vessel Monday night, November second.0:31The boat capsized and was destroyed.0:34Damien Allen and his girlfriend had been living between their camper and the0:38sailboat.0:39Losing the boat took away one of those living spaces.0:43Allan described losing belongings ranging from computers to groceries they had just0:48brought aboard.0:48Tybee Island Fire Rescue brought the two people and two cats safely ashore.0:54Tybee Island police also helped with the response.0:57The cats, biscuit and hoops, survived alongside Allan and his girlfriend.1:02Before they reached shore, Allan was trying to control the boat.1:06While protecting a cat, he described unfamiliar waters and waves that disrupted his1:11steering.1:12His girlfriend worked the radio as the conditions worsened.1:15Allan and his girlfriend were heading for Dato Island in South Carolina.1:19Near Tybee Island, they encountered strong waves in waters they didn't know.1:24Alan said one wave knocked his headsail loose, leaving the sail flapping in the1:29wind.1:29The loose sail pulled the front of the boat back and forth.1:32Allan said, then another large wave broke over the people and the cats.1:37He described a wall of water coming toward them.1:40The wave knocked a cat loose from his girlfriend's hands.1:43Allan said, she passed a cat into his arms.1:47He held the animal while also holding the helm, trying to keep control of the boat.1:58His girlfriend made a pan-pan call, an urgent request for help over the radio.2:03Allan couldn't clearly hear the exchange.2:06But caught a question, asking whether he could see the lighthouse.2:10He turned toward it and steered toward the beach, where firefighters were waiting.2:15Alan said responders proposed getting the people off first, then the cats.2:19He told them, Nope, you're gonna get the cats first.2:23I'm not leaving without cats.2:25He insisted they save the animals, and both cats ultimately reached shore safely.2:30One of those cats briefly acquired another name.2:34Hoops was initially called Soup, and Alan said first responders had misheard it.2:39He was much more concerned about the animal's survival than the mix-up, and so maybe2:44his name is Soup now.2:46Soup or Hoops.2:48I don't care.2:49I'm just happy he's safe.2:51Allan said.2:52Biscuit was hiding during a visit afterward.2:55Both animals had made it through the wreck.2:58Alan said the couple's computers and video games were lost with the boat.3:02He specifically mentioned a Nintendo sixty-four and Smash Brothers.3:06They had also just stocked up on groceries.3:09Those losses now sit alongside the task of dealing with the wreck itself.3:13Allan has a fundraiser seeking help with boat recovery, beach cleanup, and3:18rebuilding.3:18It identifies the owners as Damien and Nickel, and names hoops and biscuit.3:24At one point, the appeal showed four donations.3:27The immediate emergency ended with both people and both cats alive and ashore.3:32Their recovery is still unsettled.3:34It's unclear what belongings can be retrieved from the wreck, or whether boat3:39removal and beach cleanup are finished.Read the articleStory timelineHeyDex
