doc_text: A Florida couple said their pleasure boat was sunk by whales off Costa Rica and they survived 66 days at sea by eating raw fish and drinking purified water, the U.S. Coast Guard reported Sunday.
  William Butler, 60, and Simone Butler, 52, of Miami, were "weak but recovering" at a hospital in Golfito, Costa Rica, after being rescued by a Costa Rican Coast Guard ship Saturday afternoon, said U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Egbert Vallecillo.
  The survivors told authorities they lost about 50 pounds each from the ordeal, said Vallecillo, who spoke to the couple by telephone early Sunday.
  The U.S. Coast Guard's Pacific Command is headquartered in Alameda, 10 miles east of San Francisco.
  William Butler told Coast Guard officials their 40-foot pleasure boat Sibonay was attacked and sunk by "several" whales on June 15 about 1,200 miles southwest of Costa Rica.
  "They were large, according to Mr. Butler," Vallecillo said.
  "But he didn't know how many whales."
  The couple's last radio contact was June 13, when they talked to their daughter in Miami, the Coast Guard spokesman said.
  Vallecillo said he'd heard of boats running into marine mammals when there's poor visibility, but isn't sure if there are any recorded cases of whale aggression.
  "This happened in the early morning hours" with good visibility, he said.
  "This is the first (case) I've documented."
  As the boat was sinking, the couple said, they grabbed fishing rods and a salt-water purifier and and got into a rubber lifeboat, where they remained for the next two months, Vallecillo said.
  As the lifeboat drifted slowly eastward over two months, the Butlers said, they caught between 400 and 500 pounds of fish and survived multiple shark attacks by sealing punctures with a raft repair kit.
  Butler told U.S. Coast Guard officials that several times the couple spotted merchant ships but were unable to flag them down.
  On Saturday, a Coast Guard ship making its "fisheries" patrol about 30 miles off the coast of Golfito spotted the raft and rescued the couple.
  They were sailing from Coral Gables, Fla., near Miami, to Honolulu, where they planned to vacation, Vallecillo said.
  Butler is an experienced sailor, he said.
  Their daughter, Sally Smith, and son, Bill Butler, were flying to Costa Rica on Sunday evening to be reunited with their parents, Vallecillo said.
summary_text: A Florida couple survived for 66 days at sea in a rubber lifeboat after whales sank their pleasure boat.
  As the boat was sinking, they grabbed fishing rods and a salt-water purifier and stayed alive by eating raw fish and drinking purified water.
  William and Simone Butler lost about 50 pounds each and were weak but recovering at a hospital in Costa Rica.
  A Costa Rican Coast Guard ship rescued the couple who said several whales attacked and sank their boat.
  A US Coast Guard spokesman said that boats sometimes run into marine mammals but knew of no recorded cases of whale aggression.