A sailor and his dog found after months stranded in the Pacific:
A stranded sailor and his dog have been rescued in the South Pacific Ocean after months at sea, rescuers told Australian media over the weekend.
The sailor, Tim Shaddock, 51, and Bella, the dog, departed from La Paz, Mexico, three months ago. A month into his journey, a storm struck his white catamaran, wiping out all electronics, according to 9News. He says he and Bella survived three months at sea eating raw fish and drinking rainwater.
They were rescued by a Mexican tuna trawler over the weekend, 9News reported.
"I have been through a very difficult ordeal at sea," Shaddock told the channel, adding that he had fishing and other survival gear with him.
[...] Shaddock and Bella were spotted last week by a helicopter accompanying a tuna trawler, which was on its way back to Mexico, according to 9News. It was unclear when Shaddock first left Mexico, and where he and Bella were rescued.
[...] Shaddock said he avoided sunburn by sheltering under his boat's canopy, eating raw fish and drinking rainwater.
[...] Not only did Shaddock have to look after himself, but also his dog, which Tipton said, helped in the pair's survival.
"He had companionship. Once you've got enough food and water, then I think the dog has an advantage," Tipton said. "Your survival time is as long as you can keep collecting water, getting occasional food and doing things that help you stay positive," he added.
Finding Shaddock was like a "needle in a haystack" in the enormous Pacific Ocean, Tipton said, especially since the helicopter was not even actively looking for him.
"It was a combination of luck and the right behavior," he added.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by captain normal on Sunday July 30 2023, @02:30PM (2 children)
looks like he lost the main sail boom also. But he still had a foresail and likely could have jury rigged a main of sorts. He had also sailed straight in to the doldrums. Wonder if he had charts or just depended on a GPS? Lucky for him Tuna are easy to catch in the open ocean, especially as his boat had become what they call a "floater" in Hawaii. That is a big attraction to fish. He also should have been able to catch Mahi-mahi as well. Seems he at least had some fishing gear.
That's why I'd never put out to sea without my sextant and charts. Seems being lucky is as good as being smart.
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts"- --Daniel Patrick Moynihan--
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Monday July 31 2023, @08:27AM (1 child)
TFA says nothing about why he was stranded or what the trouble was, apart from saying his electronics were wiped out. I must be out of touch - do sailors now rely entirely on electronics, not even carrying a sextant or magnetic compass? Even without those, you can still navigate roughly by the sun and stars, that's what Columbus did. Nevertheless it would be very difficult sailing without a main boom if that was missing. Perhaps he was under sail, but just very slow.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Monday July 31 2023, @03:27PM
Sailors? Yes. Not very smart people on boats? Not so much.
With a puny enough sail, you'll get pushed around by the currents and wind. Your boat is a sail too.
(Score: 5, Funny) by RamiK on Sunday July 30 2023, @02:51PM
"Fish and sleep all day long. Lots of belly rubs. Good times."
~ Bella B. Dog
compiling...
(Score: 1, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Sunday July 30 2023, @05:09PM (3 children)
A Dog and His Sailor Found After Months Stranded in the Pacific
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 30 2023, @06:14PM (1 child)
That is more a cat thing. After having dogs my whole life, this stray that I fed a couple of years ago gave me the understanding about how cats really do think they own us. Very funny. Dogs act more like a wingman.
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Monday July 31 2023, @12:32PM
But my dog's favourite food is salmon, and my cat won't touch fish.
(Score: 2) by inertnet on Sunday July 30 2023, @09:47PM
The dog couldn't go to Australia with him. I believe it originally was a Mexican stray dog and it would have had to go in quarantine for a long time before it could enter Australia. So the sailor decided it was better to leave it with one of his rescuers, who promised to take care of it.