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

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by ontherocks83

I guess this blows some of the blue water capable boat arguments out of the water.

Or conversely, makes a strong argument for them. Sounds like everything broke and he had no means of propulsion.

There is more to a blue water capable boat than simply not sinking.

[sailorboy1]

wonder how many cheeseburgers he had ashore

[David_Old_Jersey]

thus was how polynesia was likely populated.......

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

It might have rained a bit now and then.

I've never tried it myself and hope no to, but from reading the many published stories of survival at sea, they all seem to agree that gathering enough rainwater to drink is extremely problematic. The problem is that you have relatively brief periods of downpours where you can't begin to catch and then store (in what?) large enough amounts to last until the next rainstorm. The Robertsons barely survived 166 days in these same latitudes and they had a hand held watermaker onboard. For someone to go 3 times that without a watermaker or even a solar still just seems beyond possibility to me.

[ontherocks83]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

I'm skeptical. Without regular hydration we quickly die. That's a LOT of turtle blood to keep him from becoming so dehydrated that he couldn't function well enough to catch a turtle or even collect rainwater to drink. It stretches credulity to the breaking point to think he managed to get enough hydration to survive for 16 months from just turtles and rainfall.

It's really hard to say until more details come out. I would really like to believe this story but obviously time will tell.

As to how he could have survived, you'd be amazed what you can come up with for rain collection and storage or just general survival when you have to. Just look at the book adrift he survived a couple months in just a raft and was able to make/catch water. This guy had a boat and whatever parts and supplies were on it to catch water and food. Definitely a lot more to work with to be able to survive.

What I would be more impressed with if this is true would be how he handled it mentally.....and what he did for toilet paper I mean c'mon 16 months with no TP that's just inhumane

[JPA Cate]

You guys with beards, does that look like a whole year's growth? And isn't it rather trim? What if, because of the language barrier, he was adrift, but for 6 months?

I think we need to wait for better confirmation before believing this is completely correct.

Ann

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

I've never tried it myself and hope no to, but from reading the many published stories of survival at sea, they all seem to agree that gathering enough rainwater to drink is extremely problematic. The problem is that you have relatively brief periods of downpours where you can't begin to catch and then store (in what?) large enough amounts to last until the next rainstorm. The Robertsons barely survived 166 days in these same latitudes and they had a hand held watermaker onboard. For someone to go 3 times that without a watermaker or even a solar still just seems beyond possibility to me.

Yup.. but its also possible to fill a bucket in 5 mins.. and if you bung your cockpit drains you've a good catchment there.. be surprised how unfussy one gets about water when its scarce.. and 1/2 a litre/day will keep one ticking over reasonably..

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

I'd be interested in hearing counter-theories on how he ended up there?

I don't doubt that he was adrift. What I doubt is the 16 months part. Entirely possible that he survived at sea for a couple of months and was delirious enough, when picked up, to actually believe it had been 16 months.

Or maybe he ate his "buddy" when he started getting really hungry--after a week or so--and thought that to justify it he had to claim to have been drifting for months and months.

[SaltyMonkey]

I did a rough calculation of nautical miles distance vs when he said he left in mid sept 2012

I estimated he must have been traveling at 10 nmh.

I will recalculate. You can too

[n7zpx]

I think the photo is Tom Hanks!

[Cotemar]

He must have lost track of time

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

I estimated he must have been traveling at 10 nmh.

Based on what assumptions, though? At this point we can't be sure that he is telling us the truth about where he started from, when he left, where he first began drifting, or anything else, really.

[sailorboy1]

what is the time limit to drifting in the open ocean before it becomes impressive?

[SaltyMonkey]

Miscalculation…sm crashes.

distance Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico to Ebon Atoll
5542 statute miles
4815.87 nautical miles

Reasonable?

ok…

9/19/2012 - 1/31/2014
499 days

4815.87 / 499 = 9.65 nm PER DAY not per hour.

[Tim R.]

My calculations come up with about .7mph.

8000/11,520=.69

11,520 is approximately how many hours there are in 16mo. The article claimes 8000 miles not nm so my figure is in mph.

Again, the more unbelievable part is surviving with enough water.