Well, one thing they had going for them was that there were two of them. If they had a clue how to right the boat, they would have been all set (assuming the mast was sealed). People really need to practice this before they go anywhere.

As a former idiot, who tried this trick single-handed once (my third time ever on my first Hobie), and wound up out overnight on the bottom of a Hobie 16, I totally agree with Matt's list. At a minimum, the VHF, tied to you, is critical. I used to get laughs and stares when I showed up at fleet events with my VHF, until I told people this story. Amazingly, no one thinks it could happen to them, so not one other person went out and got a VHF to sail with routinely. I won't even go out without one anymore.

Anyway, as for their boat, mine got back in the same shape, and the damage was done by the Coast Guard. They didn't know how to right it, so they tried to drag it in (sideways, I presume). My guess would be that they used grappling hooks, because I've seen them up close, when they show up with a 41-footer, they have zero plans of going in the water to do anything...

Mike