The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) on Friday rescued a man stranded on an uninhabited Bahamas island and transferred him to the Royal Bahamas Defense Force “in good health,” the USCG said in a statement.

The man had been stranded for three days after his sailboat became disabled near the island of Cay Sal, according to the statement.

The sailboat fired flares, which were picked up by a Coast Guard Air Station Miami auxiliary aircrew, which subsequently alerted the Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders of the situation.

An aircrew located the man on the island and dropped a radio to establish communication with him, along with supplies, including food and water. The man told the crew he had been stranded for three days.

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The Key West watchstanders then directed Coast Guard Cutter Paul Clark’s crew to divert from their plans to rescue the man on the island.

In a statement, a watchstander of the Coast Guard Key West Sector, Petty Officer 3rd Class Dev Craig attributed the success of the mission to the fact the sailboat was equipped with the necessary tools to fire the flares alerting the initial aircrew.

“We’re proud to have saved this man’s life. This case serves as a perfect example of why you must have the proper safety equipment on your vessel,” Craid said in the statement. “Without seeing the flare, the case may not have had a successful outcome.”

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