Sailor Survives 24 Days at Sea Eating Ketchup and Food Seasoning
Colombian Navy Twitter Sailor survives 24 days at sea with only ketchup and seasonings to eat
A sailor rescued after 24 days at sea says he survived by eating only ketchup and food seasonings.
Elvis Francois was found 120 nautical miles away from Colombia's Puerto Bolívar after a plane saw the word "help" engraved on his sailboat's hull, the Colombian navy said in a statement on Thursday.
Francois, 47, who is originally from the island nation of Dominica, said he had been making repairs to his boat near the island of St. Martin in December 2022, when bad weather conditions pulled him out to sea.
The Colombian navy noted in their statement that Francois didn't have "any kind of knowledge in navigation," which led to him becoming lost.
"Twenty-four days — no land, nobody to talk to, don't know what to do, don't know where you are — it was rough," Francois said in a video released by the navy, which was obtained by NBC News. "At a certain time, I lose hope. I think about my family."
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Colombian Navy Twitter Sailor survives 24 days at sea with only ketchup and seasonings to eat
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In the navy video, Francois further detailed that he tried to contact friends and coworkers, but eventually lost service as he drifted off to sea. "There was nothing else I could do than sit down and wait," he said.
In order to survive, Francois detailed how he had to rely on food items left aboard the ship to feed himself.
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Colombian Navy Twitter Sailor survives 24 days at sea with only ketchup and seasonings to eat
"I had no food. It was just a bottle of ketchup that was on the boat, garlic powder and Maggi," he said, referring to the soup and food seasoning. "So I mixed it up with some water."
Cmdr. Carlos Urbano Montes told the Associated Press that Francois said he collected rainwater with a cloth to drink. He added that Francois was found in good health, but had lost weight.
The navy said in their statement that Francois received a medical check after his rescue and was then handed over to immigration authorities, who plan to return him to his home country.
