Coast Guard Rescues Couple Stranded in Small Raft at Sea for Over 12 Hours

— -- The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a couple early this morning after they were lost at sea in a small inflatable raft for over 12 hours, Coast Guard officials said.

The couple -- Kathleen Earner, 52, and Joseph Earner, 55 -- had set out in a green and yellow raft from Rocky Beach in Cohasset, Massachusetts, on Monday afternoon, the Coast Guard said in a statement. Their son reported them missing around 1 a.m. today after he said he hadn't heard back from them since about 4:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon.

After a search in the dark that lasted over three hours, the couple was spotted by a Coast Guard air crew at 4 a.m. this morning, the Coast Guard said. The couple was found about eight nautical miles northwest of Rocky Beach.

The Earners said they were pulled by a current and could not row back to shore, USCG Lt. Michelle Simmons told ABC News today. She added that the couple had been waving a cigarette lighter in the air when the Coast Guard helicopter crew spotted them.

A boat crew then responded to the scene, brought the couple aboard and took them back to shore.

The couple did not have any injuries, the boat crew reported.

"We are happy to bring this couple home alive and well, but urge mariners to remember to have the proper safety gear when on the water," USCG Lt. Jennifer Hertzler said in the statement. "Wearing life jackets and having a radio are just some basic examples of what mariners need to have on the water to be safe."