NAPLES, Fla. - WINK News has just learned that Bart Bailey -- the commercial crab fisherman who swam more than 12 miles to shore after his 24-foot boat capsized -- has been released from the hospital.

Bailey is back home just one day after he was found on Barefoot Beach. An exhausted Bailey was discovered by a couple that was walking along the Bonita Springs beach.

The 50-year-old fisherman was forced to abandon ship when it started taking on water several miles from shore. Wearing a lifejacket, Bailey started swimming for his life.

Meanwhile, concerns arose when Bailey failed to meet his friend Keith Ellis; the men had arranged to meet at a Naples dock at sundown Wednesday. When Bailey failed to return home, his wife Pepper reported him missing around 12:00 midnight.  The Coast Guard and local agencies launched a search by sea and air.

When Bailey was found, he was dehydrated and exhausted. He borrowed a cell phone from a beach-goer and called his wife shortly before an ambulance arrived to transport  him to North Collier Hospital, where he was admitted in fair condition Thursday afternoon.

Related: Man swims to shore after boat begins to sink in Gulf