A Dominican man identified as Elvis Francois has survived at sea by only consuming seasoning cubes, garlic powder, and ketchup after being lost for almost a month.
The 47-year-old was rescued by the Colombian coast guard earlier in the week after he was stranded in the Caribbean sea for 24 days.
The 47-year-old got lost in December when currents pushed his sailboat out to sea as he was making repairs off the island of St. Martin in the Netherlands Antilles, which is where he calls home, he told Colombian officials.
“I called my friends, they tried to contact me, but I lost the signal. There was nothing else to do but sit and wait,” Francois explained in a video released by the Colombian Navy.
He was eventually spotted by a passing plane as he used a mirror as a signal and wrote out the word “help” on the boat’s hull, according to officials.
“At the same point, I lost hope and thought about my family, but I thank the coast guard. If it weren’t for them I wouldn’t be telling the story” Elvis Francois opened up.
A passing container ship aided him by picking the lost man up 120 nautical miles from the port city of Cartegena, according to Navy officials.
Francois attempted many failed distress signals and would consistently pour water out of the boat to avoid it capsizing.
Commander Carlos Urbano Montes said Francois was in good health following a medical checkup, but apparently lost some weight.
Credit: Vanguard
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