Tuesday, 22 August 2006After drifting across the Pacific Ocean for almost 10 months, staving off death by eating raw birds and fish, three Mexican fishermen have been returned to dry land with a harrowing tale of survival on the high seas.
The three were smiling and relaxed in fresh clothes as they arrived in Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands, aboard the Taiwanese fishing boat that plucked them to safety two weeks ago.
The scene contrasted with their discovery, when the exhausted men were found emaciated in tattered rags after drifting 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) westwards across the Pacific.
In an interview with АFР on board the vessel as they entered the harbour in Majuro, they said they had spent most of the time fishing and praying. They survived by eating raw fish and seabirds and collecting rainwater to drink.
"We spent most of the time reading the Bible," said 27-year-old Jesus Vidana Lopez. "Fishing and praying mostly. God really helped us because we were at sea for so long."
Vidana, Salvador Ordonez, 37, and Lucio Rendon, 27, and two other companions set out from the Mexican port of San Blas on October 28 last year on a shark fishing expedition on a 29-foot (8.8 metre) boat with two outboard motors.
But they ran into trouble when their fuel ran out and they were carried far from land. Their companions, so far unidentified, both died within two months, and their bodies were tossed into the sea.
"They could not eat the raw fish and birds. They kept throwing up and eventually they vomited blood," Ordonez said.
The only equipment on board was shark fishing gear, he said. But the hooks were too big to catch little fish, so they used wire to make smaller ones.
Vidana and Rendon gave Ordonez much of the credit for their survival, nicknaming him "El Gato" (The Cat) for the way he crawled up behind and pounced on unwary birds that landed on their boat.
The worst time of the voyage was during December and January, when they were hit by big storms and could catch little to eat.
"We were afraid we would sink," Lopez said. "The longest we went without food was about 13 days during that time when we had only one sea bird to eat."
Ships occasionally passed but none ever acknowledged the drifting boat.
That all changed on August 9 when the tuna boat saw a small blip on its radar and went to investigate. When it arrived on the scene, there was no sign of life, with the three men huddled asleep in the bottom of the boat.
Ordonez said he woke to the sound of a boat engine nearby and tried to wake the others. But after so long alone at sea, the others initially refused to believe it was anything other than the sound of the wind.
As the Taiwanese vessel motored closer the three leapt up, frantically waving their arms, said Lanpe Lejjiur, one of the crew members.
"Even when we got up next to their boat they kept waving," he said. They were off the waters of the tiny Pacific nation of Kiribati. Another crew member, Linter Lepan, said the trio were nothing but "skin and bones."
After their rescue they were able to telephone their families, and Vidana discovered he was the father of a six-month-old baby girl born while he was adrift on the Pacific.
Two Mexican government officials were also on hand to help the three men return home. None of the three had passports or any proof of identity.
After the vessel docked, doctors examined the trio and they were taken to Majuro Hospital for further check-ups.
The three are expected to depart Wednesday for Honolulu on the next leg of their journey home.
bakutoday
22/08/2006
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Tuesday, 22 August 2006
Mexico
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