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Missing Virginia boaters found safe after extensive search in Atlantic

The Virginia couple that was the focus of an ocean-wide search of the Atlantic are safe and heading home, according to authorities.

The U.S. Coast Guard said that boaters Yanni Nikopoulos and Dale Jones, both 65 and from Hampton, Virginia, told the Coast Guard Sector Virginia command center that they were 80 miles east of Chincoteague and sailing toward Hampton. The couple wasn’t in distress.

“We are extremely happy to learn Yanni and Dale are found and are safe,” said James Cifers, operations unit watchstander in the Fifth District Command Center. “It is truly wonderful the pair will be reunited with their friends and family soon.