Australian sailor and dog rescued after 3 months at sea: Reports
A sailor and his dog were rescued after being stranded for three months in the Pacific Ocean, surviving on only raw fish and rainwater, according to reports.
A few weeks after Tim Shaddock, 51, and his dog Bella set sail from La Paz, Mexico towards French Polynesia, a storm struck damaging their vessel and electronics, Shaddock told 9News. They were rescued after a helicopter accompanying a Mexico-bound tuna trawler spotted their boat over the weekend.
“I have been through a very difficult ordeal at sea,” Shaddock said. “I’m just needing rest and good food because I’ve been alone at sea a long time.”
Shaddock said that he and his dog ate only raw fish and drank rainwater to survive. He added that he had fishing and other survival gear with him, which helped. He told 9News that he avoided sunburn by sheltering under his boat's canopy.
“To the captain and fishing company that saved my life, I’m just so grateful. I’m alive and I didn’t really think I’d make it,” Shaddock said, adding that he and his “amazing” dog Bella are both doing well.
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A doctor who treated Shaddock on the trawler told 9News that Shaddock's vital signs were stable and that he was in good spirits. He will receive more medical assistance once the trawler arrives back in Mexico. Bella is also safe and well.
He told reporters that the energy and fatigue were the hardest parts of his time stranded, according to the Associated Press. He added that he passed time fixing things and enjoying the water to stay positive.
Shaddock said that considers himself to be a quiet person who loves being alone in the ocean, according to the Associated Press. He found himself at a loss when asked by reporters why he set out to cross the Pacific Ocean in April from Mexico’s Baja Peninsula to French Polynesia.
“I’m not sure I have the answer to that, but I very much enjoy sailing and I love the people of the sea,” Shaddock told reporters. “It’s the people of the sea that make us all come together. The ocean is in us. We are the ocean.”