Man Washes up in Marshall Islands 'After 16 Months Adrift'

[foolishsailor]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Important survival decisions were made here by two people and based on those decisions one person survived and one did not.

Not sure I entirely agree. Many if not most survival stories have a huge amount of chance involved. The desire to live is important sure, but that just allows one to keep going on until chance delivers something.

We don't know, for example, that the youth had any psychological aversion to the diet - he may have just had a physical one that could have been his genetics. He may just not have been able to survive on pure protein. He also was much younger and would have had significantly higher metabolic demands, even in starvation mode. As a young man he also would not have had the same metal strength as an older man with a longer term vision of things.

These things are all tied to the cards they were dealt when they got on the raft (edit: err, meant got in the boat to leave to fish for sharks) can't change them and it is a lot easier to bluff the sea when your are dealt aces than deuces.

Luck has, and always will, play a huge role in these survival stories.

[Cotemar]

They left from a port called Paredon Viejo in Mexico's Chiapas state in November 2012.

Three boats went looking for him and his boat companion. The state sent an airplane to search for them.
----------------
By his account, he and his teenage companion had already killed some sharks and had 400 kilograms (about 880 pounds) of the animals on the boat. But they would not have the shark meat to survive.

"We threw it into the water. It was too much weight, and there was too much wind," he said.

"Three days later, we wish we had what we had thrown away. We wanted to eat it, but the sea had already taken it away."

Alvarenga also admitted to dark moments, saying he considered killing himself.

"Twice I wanted to," he said, as he gestured at slitting his throat. "I wanted to with a knife. When I didn't have water, food; I gave up and I grabbed a knife."
But he says he was too "scared" to go through with it.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/04/world/asia/marshall-islands-castaway/

[socaldmax]

I don't get all of the skepticism.

What is it that you don't believe? That he came from Mexico? That he ended up in the Marshall Islands? That it took over a year to drift that far?

Those are all indisputable facts. Does anyone believe he parachuted out of his Learjet 200 mi east of Ebon Atoll and climbed into a boat that was towed out there so he could wash ashore as a publicity stunt?

I would have no trouble believing that he ate his fellow fisherman - there's even a remote chance the guy didn't die of natural causes. Maybe he went delusional and killed him, who knows? He may or may not recover his memory, and even if he does, he might not be willing to tell the entire truth about what happened.

I am amazed he survived the journey, but I have no reason to doubt the distance he traveled or how long it took. Whether it was 16 months, or 13 months, or 3 months, it was a long ways and a lot of resourcefulness and probably a lot of luck involved.

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Well.. I lived on red lentils and chapati for around 30 days rather than open any of the 19 x 1lb tins of corned beef I had on board.. did have 20 but that one went over the side after the 1st mouthful.. USA corned beef is *****..
Guess that makes me a fussy non-survivor..

Thats why we import it from Argentina..

[Cotemar]

State Civil Protection services for Chiapas, told CBS News the search for the missing fishermen was called off after two days due to bad weather and heavy fog in the area.

The alert was initially raised over the missing fishermen by the local fishing cooperative to which they belonged. The cooperative told authorities the men had failed to return from their fishing trip as planned.

Marroquin explained that fishermen from the area normally venture 80 or 85 miles out to sea to fish, so when their boat couldn't be found he was confident they would be picked up by a larger vessel as it drifted through the shipping channels in the region.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jose-salvador-alvarengas-survival-story-gets-backing-from-mexico-rescue-official/

[BandB]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

State Civil Protection services for Chiapas, told CBS News the search for the missing fishermen was called off after two days due to bad weather and heavy fog in the area.

The alert was initially raised over the missing fishermen by the local fishing cooperative to which they belonged. The cooperative told authorities the men had failed to return from their fishing trip as planned.

Marroquin explained that fishermen from the area normally venture 80 or 85 miles out to sea to fish, so when their boat couldn't be found he was confident they would be picked up by a larger vessel as it drifted through the shipping channels in the region.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jose-salvador-alvarengas-survival-story-gets-backing-from-mexico-rescue-official/

Again, we don't know the rest of the story. But if two days was the extent of the search, that's sad. I understand having to call it because of conditions but sure seems like it should have resumed later.

[rockDAWG]

Originally Posted by BandB

Again, we don't know the rest of the story. But if two days was the extent of the search, that's sad. I understand having to call it because of conditions but sure seems like it should have resumed later.

Can't use the standard of US, Canada, UK, Germany or AU to apply to other countries. We are indeed are very lucky.

[Seasiq]

Originally Posted by sparau

He didn't have a solar array, electric oven and a spice rack !! Even if you did it would break/run out and then it's my recipe list back.

Also regarding water, did I miss anyone mentioning Dr Alain Bombard, who survived 63 days in part by drinking less than 1 litre of sea water a day to keep him hydrated?

I swiped that from Forrest Gump. I replaced shrimp with turtle and went to town.

[lsymens]

This is an incredible story, but I would like for them to get the real story out. His name has changed, understandable. He was going shark fishing in one story, and going to El Salvador?, in another. But had no gear. Can remember exactly what day he left, but can't remember his phone number or the name of the town his wife lives in. Didn't know the last name of the guy that was with him. Wouldn't you find that out within the month that they were together? As it stands it doesn't add up. I'm sure he's disoriented but makes me very curious.

[Cotemar]

Alvarenga correcting what he had said in confusion earlier, he said Ezekiel had died after they had drifted for four months. 'My friend,' he said in reference to Ezekiel, 'tried to drink the blood of turtles but he kept being sick because it disagreed with his stomach.'

When it came to the time when his young friend died and he had to lower the body overboard, he shook his head, indicating it was a moment he did want to recall.

The boat's deck, he said, was triangular and on it was what he said was a large box, although he was vague when it came to describing it exactly.

'I would get under the box to stay out of the sun, but it was also there that I prayed. I prayed and prayed to be saved. I am not a Catholic but I do believe in God. He sent food to me all the time.

'I caught small fish by putting my hands in the water and wriggling my fingers. This attracted the fish and I was then able to grab them.'

In what he said was a sign from God, after the many months at sea he woke one morning and saw a bird sitting on the edge of the boat.

'I crept very quietly to it and I was able to catch it. I broke off its head to drink its blood as I had been doing but as I as doing that, as I was tilting my head back, I saw land. It was the first land I had seen.'

He was able to half swim, half stagger, through the shallow water and collapse on the beach. 'It had taken me a long time to reach the beach and it was then early evening. I fell asleep immediately.

'I woke up to the sound of chickens and I thought I was dead. It was a sound that did not make sense. I had not heard it for a very long time.

'Then I heard some people shouting to me and they came over to me with water and coconuts. I wanted tortilla but they had only these things.

'I know that God saved me. I am glad that I believe in him.'

Pacific castaway Jose Salvador Alvarenga's family hail his return | Mail Online

[Ocean Girl]

Have they said how old the survived is?

[Pelagic]

Thanks again Cote Mar for summarising the reported updates.

Everything I read confirms an amazing survival story
... Mr Lanwi said the boat appeared to be old and "was in bad shape".

"It looks like it has been water for that long," he said. "All kinds of algae were on it and even inside the boat."

I look forward to learning from this man

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Be surprised what's out there..
150 miles W of the Galapagos we came across 3 x 21ft open wooden skiffs powered by 15hp O/B's.. 2 men to a boat..
Anything goes wrong on Momma boat and they're going nowhere fast..
Also.. remember their hard lifestyle/diet is gonna make them more likely to survive than the pampered pudgy Westerner

Yep.

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

i know one thing. no more inflatable life rafts. going hard.

You have got to show me how to store one of those on the average 38 foot monohull.

Originally Posted by Cotemar

More news about Jose Salvador Alvarenga

Castaway from Mexico: First photos of Jose Salvador Alvarenga's boat
Photographs emerge of small damaged boat on which fisherman Jose Salvador Alvarenga apparently spent 13 months floating across the Pacific



Mr Alvarenga's boat, about 24-feet long, was empty aside from a small blue container into which Alvarenga would hide to seek shelter from the sun. It was emblazoned with the name Camaroneros de la Costa, apparently the fishing co-operative for which Alvarenga worked in Mexico.

Castaway from Mexico: First photos of Jose Salvador Alvarenga's boat - Telegraph

Police have inspected the boat. It is understood no traces of any drugs were found.
Now that just cracks me up. But I am not surprised at all.

What horrific time this guy must've had. I can only imagine. I do not think I would have survived.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Therapy

You have got to show me how to store one of those on the average 38 foot monohull.

Easy, here's the latest model, fits into the lazarette even

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Thanks again Cote Mar for summarising the reported updates.

Everything I read confirms an amazing survival story
... Mr Lanwi said the boat appeared to be old and "was in bad shape".

"It looks like it has been water for that long," he said. "All kinds of algae were on it and even inside the boat."

I look forward to learning from this man

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

Yep. He should do as Poon Lim did, and teach a survival at sea course. I've never heard anyone describe "tickling" pelagic fish as he does. Says he put his hands in the water and wriggled his fingers to attract fish, then catch them bare handed. Common enough in a stream, totally plausible, just never heard of anyone doing this in the ocean. He also says he went over the side into the water to catch fish and turtle. Never heard of any other castaway doing that either.