An Australian man and his dog who were lost at sea for over two months on a busted-up catamaran are now back on dry land following a rescue by Mexican fishermen.
Retired sailor Tim Shaddock, 51, and Bella, the steadfast dog he recently adopted, set out on an ambitious voyage from La Paz, Mexico, in April on his catamaran, the Aloha Toa. His stated aim was to reach French Polynesia, some 3,700 miles away,
reported DW.
The idyllic French islands proved to be a dream too far.
A couple of weeks into the trip, a storm battered his ship, destroying its electronics and sending it over 1,000 miles off course in the Pacific Ocean.
Shaddock and Bella survived on rainwater, fish, and hope. The shaggy captain passed the time making repairs on the boat, swimming, and fishing, all the while doing his best to stay out of the sun.
Having “lost [his] cooking along the way,” the stranded sailor, whom News.com.au indicated once worekd as a tech specialist for IBM, indicated he resorted to eating plenty of tuna sushi.
The Aloha Toa was ultimately spotted 1,200 miles offshore by a helicopter that was conducting surveillance for a Mexican tuna trawler,
reported the Telegraph.
The trawler, named the Maria Delia, pulled up…
