Around 2:30am, the tourist unintentionally set sail when the makeshift piece of dock detached from the Newport Yacht Club and he spent two hours attempting to wave down passing boats. His cellphone had gotten wet, but just before 5am he was able to place a call to 911. He had spent his time on the water trying to dry his phone with a lighter and scribbling down notes to his family. The 911 dispatchers were awarded special recognition in 2018 for their efforts in directing emergency responders to the small raft based on landmarks the tourist was describing and the GPS signal from his cellphone.