An Australian sailor and his dog survived two months alone at sea after a storm left them stranded in the Pacific Ocean.
Sydney resident Tim Shaddock, 51, and his dog, Bella, were rescued from their crippled catamaran on Thursday by a tuna trawler, reported Australian outlet 9News.
The pair set off in April from La Paz, Mexico, on a 6,000km journey to French Polynesia, during which a storm erupted and damaged their vessel, according to the outlet.
With the boat’s communications knocked out by the storm, Shaddock and Bella were left adrift in the North Pacific.
To stay alive, they ate raw fish and drank rainwater, and hid under the boat’s canopy to avoid sunburn, Shaddock told 9News.
Two months later, they were discovered off the coast of Mexico by a helicopter that was accompanying a tuna trawler, 9News reported.
When he was found, Shaddock was wearing two hats to shield himself from the sun, and sported a dense, bushy beard that people have compared to Tom Hanks’ look from the film “Castaway.”
The sailor’s doctor told the outlet that Shaddock had “normal vital signs” and did not suffer any major injuries. Bella was also found in good health, 9News reported.
Shaddock was seen smiling with a cup of coffee and a blood pressure monitor on his arm in footage obtained by the outlet.
“I have been through a very difficult ordeal at sea,” Shaddock told 9News. “I’m just needing rest and good food because I have been alone at sea a long time.”
But the sailor added that he was “in very good health.”
Another sailor who survived alone at sea, 47-year-old Dominican resident Elvis Francois, survived more than 20 days in the Caribbean in December by eating ketchup and seasonings. He was repairing his boat when ocean currents pushed him from shore, per the Associated Press.
And in early 2020, a Singaporean man, Wong Tetchoong, 59, spent nearly three months alone at sea as the world closed its docks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
His yacht was damaged when he arrived in Fijian waters, and the local navy rescued him on April 30. Wong said he was able to procure food from some ports despite being denied entry.
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