14 on quest for U.S. saved from sinking boat

NEW YORK – Fourteen men who set sail from West Africa on a 60-foot boat in an attempt to reach the United States were plucked from their sinking craft this week after 47 days at sea, Coast Guard officials said.

The oceangoing catamaran was spotted listing in the North Atlantic on Sunday by the crew of a container ship.

After being lifted from the vessel 920 miles off the Massachusetts coast, the men said they were from Senegal and had been at sea since Dec. 12. They had been trying to reach New York City, where they hoped to find work, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents.

Even on a straight course, that crossing would have been a journey of about 3,800 miles. The men, who were in good health, said they ran into trouble 10 or 11 days into their voyage when they had problems with the sails and were unable to start the motor.