Man with Grand Forks ties rescued from Gulf of Mexico during Hurricane Helene

Oct. 5—GRAND FORKS — Earl Barcome and his beloved dog are lucky to be alive following a harrowing experience in his sailboat last week when Hurricane Helene struck the Gulf of Mexico.

Barcome, who grew up in Grand Forks, and Gunn, a 10-year-old golden retriever, had spent almost a year enjoying boat life along the Florida coast. But everything changed Sept. 25, when the hurricane brought a 500-mile path of devastation from Florida to the southern Appalachians and caused at least 180 deaths in the southeastern U.S.

That day, Barcome, 64, was trying to sail away from the hurricane's path, said his brother Don Barcome of Galesburg, North Dakota. He was heading 100 miles south from Sanibel Island to Cape Sable, to wait out the storm in a protected inlet.

But the 36-foot sailboat's engine overheated and failed and the boat began taking on water after the bilge pump blew. Despite Earl's best efforts, hand-pumping water from the hold, Helene's powerful winds were too strong, pushing the sailboat northwest.

The hurricane "was moving mountains of water," Earl told the ABC-TV affiliate in Florida. "Every which way you turn. And these waves were just everywhere you look."

"I said, 'Gunn, this isn't the day we're going to die. I'm calling the Coast Guard,'" he said.

Thankfully, Earl and Gunn were rescued Sept. 26 by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter 26 miles west of Sanibel Island.

"He did not go overboard (and) he did not leave the boat until the (guardsmen) told him to get in the water and swim to the basket" they had dropped, said Don Barcome, recounting this brother's experience. Both Earl and Gunn were wearing life vests.

"He had a good life vest," Don said, "and Gunn was acclimated to having a vest on."

His sister Shirley Barcome of Grand Forks and two others have launched a GoFundMe page online, with a goal of $100,000 to help Earl rebuild his life.

His story has even attracted international attention, including a response from a donor who saw the rescue in a televised news report in the United Kingdom.

"(Earl's) beloved sailboat and everything on board now rest at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico," Shirley Barcome said in the GoFundMe post.

"Earl has lost everything. With no funds and his dream shattered, rebuilding from this tragedy feels impossible without help," she said. "We are reaching out to friends, family and kind-hearted strangers to help Earl start over. Your support will help him find his footing again and reignite his dream of living on the water. Every bit counts, whether it's a donation or simply sharing his story.

"Thank you for helping Earl and Gunn get back on their feet — and back to the sea where they belong."

"Earl's sailboat was more than just a home," Shirley Barcome said. "It was the culmination of a lifelong dream, offering him solace and purpose after a difficult chapter in his life. But in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, everything he cherished was lost to the Gulf of Mexico."

Don Barcome said, "I'm really proud of my sister and her family for jumping in and helping (start the GoFundMe account). And people are amazing. ... There's a lot of good going on."

Owning a boat and living on the water has been a lifelong dream of Earl's, Don Barcome said of his younger brother, who was an avid reader of National Geographic magazines.

"Earl loves the ocean," Don said.

It could have been books, notably "Kon-Tiki," by Thor Heyerdahl, a Norwegian explorer, that fueled Earl's interest in outdoor adventures. "Kon-Tiki" is about six men going on an expedition on a balsa raft from Peru to the Polynesian Islands.

After a difficult divorce, the end of a 30-plus-year relationship, a couple of years ago, Earl set out from Colorado to fulfill his dream of living on a boat. He spent months traveling the country in search of the perfect watercraft. He lived with his brother Don for about eight months.

Earl finally found the right sailboat, through an online search, and headed for Fort Pierce, Florida.

It was a "project boat," Don recalled. "He had to work on it; he lived on it for a while" until he could set sail.

Earl would spend all his time on the water, coming to shore once every two weeks for supplies.

Now, in the wake of his intense encounter with Hurricane Helene, Earl is living in a Fort Myers, Florida, hotel and recovering from the experience, which Don describes as "overwhelming."

The Barcome siblings, the children of Dr. Donald and Shirley Barcome, grew up in Grand Forks. Earl graduated from Red River High School in 1978, and earned a degree from UND in 1983. He was a member of the Grand Forks Curling Club team that captured the gold medal at the Junior World Championships in 1979 and the bronze medal in another year in that competition.

"Earl has always been very athletic — an awesome athlete," Don said. His physical capabilities, even at age 64, bolstered his chances of survival.

After his rescue, Earl was "cold, bruised and banged up," he said, but otherwise, "physically, he's great."

The whole experience has been difficult for his loved ones, too, said Don, who couldn't reach his brother by phone for seven hours during the storm. His calls kept going to voice-mail.

At one point, Don received a response message, "Call failed," he said, "and that crushed me."

One of Don's good friends, trying to reassure him, said, "He dropped his phone in the ocean," which gave him some comfort.

When Don finally received a call from Earl on Sept. 26, confirming his rescue and safe return to Florida, "it was surreal," he said.

Now, after his boat was destroyed, Earl is contemplating his next steps, while he tries to keeps his spirits up.

"Time will tell, you know," he told ABC-TV. "Do I have hope? I have ... a new understanding. And that's a beautiful thing."

He is beyond grateful to Officer Tod Huson and the Coast Guard for saving their lives.

"The realization that life is a little more important was — that was a new day. It was a new day," Earl said. "And, what do I have to complain about? I got a shirt and pants."

Although physically Earl is doing well, "he's riding a rollercoaster emotionally," Don said.

In phone conversations, "It sounds like he's accepted (the loss of his boat and belongings). He sounds more grounded, but he has his moments. ...

"I told him, 'You didn't lose what matters.'"