Australian man and his dog rescued after floating adrift in the Pacific for nearly 3 months: 'I didn't think I'd make it through the storm'



An Australian man and his dog who were lost at sea for over two months on a busted-up catamaran are now back on dry land following a rescue by Mexican fishermen.

Retired sailor Tim Shaddock, 51, and Bella, the steadfast dog he recently adopted, set out on an ambitious voyage from La Paz, Mexico, in April on his catamaran, the Aloha Toa. His stated aim was to reach French Polynesia, some 3,700 miles away, reported DW.

The idyllic French islands proved to be a dream too far.

A couple of weeks into the trip, a storm battered his ship, destroying its electronics and sending it over 1,000 miles off course in the Pacific Ocean.

Shaddock and Bella survived on rainwater, fish, and hope. The shaggy captain passed the time making repairs on the boat, swimming, and fishing, all the while doing his best to stay out of the sun.

Having "lost [his] cooking along the way," the stranded sailor, whom News.com.au indicated once worekd as a tech specialist for IBM, indicated he resorted to eating plenty of tuna sushi.

The Aloha Toa was ultimately spotted 1,200 miles offshore by a helicopter that was conducting surveillance for a Mexican tuna trawler, reported the Telegraph.

The trawler, named the Maria Delia, pulled up on the lame catamaran to find its skinny captain sporting two hats and a long beard.

In video of the encounter with rescuers, Shaddock can be seen tearfully welcoming the help, clearly overjoyed to see friendly faces.

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Bella and Shaddock were brought aboard the trawler and given medical attention, then taken ashore Tuesday to Manzanillo, Mexico.

Shaddock was later deemed to be in stable condition despite his dehydration.

"I have been through a very difficult ordeal at sea," he told Australia's 9News. "I’m just needing rest and good food because I have been alone at sea a long time. Otherwise, I’m in very good health."

Ocean survival expert Mike Tipton of the University of Portsmouth told "Weekend Today," "It's a combination of luck and skill. ... And also knowing, for example, as Tim did, that during the heat of the day you need to protect yourself because the last thing you want when you’re in danger of becoming dehydrated is to be sweating."

Tipton likened the chopper spotting the Aloha Toa to finding a "needle in a haystack," adding, "People need to appreciate how small the boat is and how vast the Pacific is. The chances of someone being found are pretty slim."

Shaddock stressed the virtues of his shipmate Bella, which he gave to a crew member of the Maria Della.

"She's amazing, that dog is something else, I'm a bit biased but yeah," said Shaddock. "Bella seemed to have found me in the middle of Mexico, she's Mexican, she is the spirit of the middle of the country and she wouldn't let me go. ... I tried to find a home for her maybe three times and she just kept following me out into the water. She’s a beautiful animal and I’m just grateful she’s alive."

Shaddock added, "She’s a lot more braver than I am, that’s for sure."

The sailor also expressed his deep gratitude for the shipping company whose trawler saved him, noting, "I didn't think I'd make it through the storm, but now I'm really doing good."

According to the company, Grupomar, the trawler was likely headed for retirement, but this way it got a "marvelous farewell, saving human lives," reported the Post.

Antonio Suarez, the owner of Grupomar, told reporters, "Thank God for putting us in the path of a man who could have died."

Shaddock joked with reporters that for his meal celebrating his rescue, he was looking forward to more "tuna sushi."

Rescued Australian sailor and dog finally touch landyoutu.be

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US Coast Guard, Mexican Navy search for trio of missing American sailors



The U.S. Coast Guard is assisting the Mexican Navy in efforts to locate three American sailors who were last heard from April 4, according to a statement Friday from the United States Coast Guard District 11.

The missing sailors, Kerry O'Brien, Frank O'Brien, and William "Bill" Gross, set off from Mazatlán in Mexico en route to San Diego.

Their plan was to stop off in Cabo San Lucas April 6 for provisions and to report in before reembarking on their journey to San Diego. The distance between Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas is about 195 nautical miles.

All three were experienced sailors, according to a statement from Gross' family acquired by CBS San Diego affiliate KNSD. The O'Briens hold Captain's licenses with the USCG and have 20 years of experience sailing together. Gross reportedly has over 50 years of sailing experience.

The trio were aboard a sailing vessel called Ocean Bound, pictured above. Ocean Bound is a 44-foot La Fitte.

Cell phone pings April 4 place the sailors between Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas, according to a joint statement from the sailors' families. Short calls to marinas in Cabo San Lucas suggest they may have been unsuccessful in securing slip reservations in marinas there.

The families also say the USCG is following a "travel projection" based on where they would likely be if they lost radio contact and decided to carry on up the Baja Peninsula toward their final destination of San Diego.

Long aircraft sweeps along the Baja Peninsula are underway, according to the statement.

"The sailing community has hundreds of additional vessels looking for our family members," the families said, thanking the USCG for their search and rescue operations.

"Please help us bring Kerry, Frank and Bill home," the family pleaded in their message to anyone who might have any information.

Marinas throughout Baja Mexico have been contacted by search and rescue teams. In addition, urgent marine warnings have been broadcast over VHF asking all mariners to be on the lookout for Gross and the O'Briens, according to KNSD.

Both the Mexican Army and the USCG are seeking information on the whereabouts of the missing sailors and their sailing vessel, the Ocean Bound. The USCG asks anyone with information to contact the search and rescue coordinator at 510-437-3701.

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Sailor survives 24 days lost at sea by eating ketchup



A sailor survived 24 days lost at sea by eating ketchup and seasoning.

Elvis Francois, a citizen of Dominica, was working on his boat in St. Maarten in December. Francois said the weather suddenly became tempestuous and his sailboat drifted out to sea.

"I tried to [go] back to port, but I lost track because it took me a while to mount the sail and fix the sail," Francois said in a video released by the Colombian navy.

"I call my friends, my coworkers. They tried to contact me, but they lost service," he said. "There was nothing else I could do than sit down and wait."

The 47-year-old sailor didn't have any food on his boat except for a bottle of ketchup, garlic powder, and Maggi seasoning. Francois said he would mix up the limited ingredients with water as sustenance while he floated around the Caribbean Sea.

"So, I mixed it up with some water. So I had this to survive for 24 days in the sea," he explained.

During storms at sea, he collected drinkable rainwater with a cloth. The sailor said that he constantly had to remove water from the small boat to prevent it from sinking. Francois said that he attempted to light a fire on the boat as a distress signal, but it was unsuccessful. He wrote out the word "HELP" on the boat's hull.

More than three weeks after being lost at sea, the tiny sailboat was spotted by air some 120 nautical miles off the Guajira Peninsula in northern Colombia. The turbulent seas had pushed Francois approximately 700 miles southwest from his original starting point of St. Maarten.

The Colombian navy informed a container vessel in the area of the stranded sailor. Francois was brought on board the merchant ship CMA CGM Voltario and taken to the Port of Cartagena in Colombia for medical attention. Cmdr. Carlos Urbano Montes told the Associated Press that Francois was in good health, but had lost weight.

"Twenty-four days – no land, nobody to talk to, don't know what to do, don't know where you are — it was rough," Francois said, according to NBC News.

Francois admitted that he lost faith while being lost at sea for 24 days, but one thing gave him hope.

"At a certain time, I lose hope. I think about my family," Francois said on video.

Francois will be handed over to immigration authorities and taken back home.

Sailor survives 24 days adrift in Caribbean Sea living off ketchup www.youtube.com