Kevin Reece interviews the couple, who found themselves stranded at sea.

GALVESTON — Three people who had planned to deliver 10,000 pounds of coffee from Belize to Texas on an eco-friendly sailboat were rescued Tuesday by the U.S. Coast Guard after they were struck by 25-foot seas 200 miles offshore.

Joe and Terry Butcher, owners of El Lago Coffee Co., along with Joe’s brother, Douglas Butcher, planned to ship the coffee via their sailboat, Red Cloud, from San Pedro on Amgergris Cay in Belize to Galveston Bay.

The trio never imagined they'd ever have to captured their last few hours at sea on video.

It was video taken shortly before the trio had to give in to the 20-foot seas and 50 mile-an-hour winds that knocked out power, cracked the wheelhouse, put a hole in the hull and ended their run for coffee.

Their engine had died earlier, leaving them at the mercy of seas, said Jim Perkins, a ham radio operator who communicated with the Butchers as their 42-foot sailboat tossed, turned and filled with water just 200 miles from home. “They were that close to home when everything went wrong,” he said.

U.S. Coast Guard

Perkins called the Coast Guard about 11:45 a.m. reporting the boat was in danger, according to Coast Guard reports.

“We didn’t want to leave the vessel but my wife had a sprained ankle and we were afraid we were gonna get swamped,” said Joe Butcher.

The guard dispatched a boat, a helicopter and a jet to rescue the Butchers and their dog. They arrived about 3 p.m., hoisted the people and dog from the boat, refueled on an oil rig, waited for almost half an hour until the wind died and then returned to Ellington Field where a family friend was waiting to take them home, Coast Guard reports state.

The boat was in decent condition when the trio was rescued, Romero said.

“There’s an emergency-position-indicating radio beacon that’s broadcasting the exact location of where they left the boat,” he said.

On Thursday morning, Joe was on the phone with the Coast Guard trying to find out if his boat is still floating 180 miles off shore.

Still onboard were the 4,000 pounds of coffee beans.

“It was scary and sad when we had to leave it,” said Terry Butcher.

“Hopefully nobody else will get to her before we do,” said Terry Butcher.

Thursday afternoon the trio was in Baytown and loading a 300-foot tow rope onto another boat.

They are thankful for the Coast Guard rescue, but are ready to brave the seas again.

A friend will help them head back to open water to tow the boat home, that is, if it and the coffee are still floating.

The boat, which is floating 180 miles offshore, had been the Butcher's home for the last 13 years.

Officials say, it’s fair game for salvage if someone else gets to it first.

The couple hopes to head back to sea to brave the same dangers Friday.

They hope to recover the boat, the coffee and their livelihood.