BANGKOK, Jul 17 Australian yachtsman, Sydney resident Tim Shaddock , who sailed on a small catamaran from Mexico to French Polynesia with his dog Bella, got into a storm and lost all communication devices, food supplies and fresh water, after which he survived for more than three months in the Pacific Ocean with his pet on raw fish and rainwater, according to the Australian TV channel 9 News.
A sailor in distress was accidentally discovered by the crew of a fishing trawler: a helicopter pilot, who took off from the trawler in search of schools of tuna, stumbled upon a single-masted sailing catamaran battered by storms at a point in the ocean, far from both the usual routes of merchant fleet ships and the recommended routes for small courts, according to the TV channel.
«It was literally like finding a needle in a haystack with such a small boat in the vast Pacific Ocean,» Mike Tipton, a professor at an Australian university, an expert in ocean survival, told the TV channel.
“The fact that Shaddock survived is a combination of luck and sailing skills. For example, he knew that with a limited supply of fresh water in a tropical climate, one should try not to be in the sun and not overheat, so as not to lose water from the body through sweat, but he was lucky with the season,» the scientist said, noting that storms raging at this time of the year in the tropical Pacific Ocean are not only a source of danger for a small vessel, but also a source of fresh rainwater.
The presence of his dog on board played a huge role in Shaddock's survival and good physical condition, Professor Tipton is sure.
«I think that the presence of the dog on board helped a lot. Survival needs a lot of positive emotions, and these emotions were given to him by the presence of Bella's dog on board and the sense of responsibility that he felt both for his life and for the life of the dog,» — he told the TV channel.
Currently, Shaddock and his dog Bella are on board the trawler that rescued them, which is heading for the Mexican coast.
«Shaddock has normal vital signs,» a Mexican doctor told the TV channel, remotely helping the crew of the trawler from the shore to establish the most favorable regimen for the rescued sailor and his pet for a quick recovery. After three months on raw fish and rain water, Shaddock needs a special diet.