Colombia: Sailor Drifting in the Caribbean for 24 Days Rescued, Survived by Eating Ketchup

In a miracle rescue, the Colombian Navy rescued a Dominican man who had been drifting across the Caribbean Sea for 24 days. The man reportedly survived by just eating garlic powder, seasoning cubes, and ketchup as his sailboat drifted.

The sailor, who was considered lost at sea, was identified as Elvis Francois, 47. According to the Associated Press, he scrawled the word "help" in English on the boat's hull, and this had been very instrumental to Colombian authorities rescuing him.

His sailboat seemed to only have had meager rations as he only ate garlic powder and Maggi cubes, as well as subsisted on a bottle of ketchup, as it drifted across the treacherous Caribbean Sea waters.

Sailor Got Swept to the Caribbean Sea While Making Repairs

Francois' ordeal has many people asking why he set out to sea if he did not have many rations. The answer to this was that he was not planning to go out to sea at that time at all.

According to the New York Post, his ordeal at sea began in December, He had been making repairs off St. Martin Island in the Netherlands Antilles, where he lives. However, as he was doing this, a strong current swept the boat he was repairing out to sea.

The sailor stated that he tried calling out for help. His friends even started calling him but they lost the signal. He admitted that there was nothing he can do but sit and wait in his boat until help arrived.

However, he would remain adrift for almost a month until he was spotted from the air just 120 nautical miles northwest of La Guajira peninsula. He was soon rescued and taken to the Colombian port city of Cartagena, via a passing container ship. The Colombian Navy then released a video of Francois to show that he is O.K.

The Dominican Sailor's 24-day Odyssey Drifting Through the Caribbean Sea

In the video interview, Colombian authorities revealed that while the sailor was in good health, he did lose a lot of weight. They also gave Francois a routine medical check-up before handing him over to immigration authorities to return him to Dominica, which should not be confused with the Dominican Republic.

Before he was given to immigration officials, however, they allowed Francois to tell his tale of survival. He said in the video that he collected rainwater with a cloth so that he had something to drink and not dehydrate.

After over three weeks of drifting across the Caribbean Sea, Francois saw a plane pass by and signaled it with a mirror. The Colombian Navy then reportedly told him that the plane did see his signal when it passed by again, according to the Huffington Post.

The cargo ship that Francois rode to Colombia then picked him up. Colombian authorities stated that as soon as he was picked up, he had to abandon his sailboat.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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