The Seattle sailor who turned up safe after the Coast Guard suspended an exhaustive search is on the Big Island having his boat repaired so that he can make the voyage home.

Ira Foreman called his ex-wife Saturday to say he was fine and never in any distress. The Coast Guard says the 66-year-old didn’t know rescuers spent four days scouring more than 200,000 square miles for him.

The Coast Guard says strong winds pushed Foreman out of their search zone.

His brother said Tuesday he was worried, but held out hope because the experienced sailor has been the focus of a Coast Guard search many years ago while sailing from Fiji to Hawaii.

Kent Foreman describes his brother as a loner who typically spends months on his boat.