A 47-year-old Dominica national, adrift in the Caribbean sea for 24 days, said he survived by consuming a mixture of ketchup, garlic powder, and seasoning cubes.
The Colombian Navy rescued the man, identified as Elvis Francois, 120 nautical miles northwest of Colombia on Monday.
According to media reports quoting the Colombian Navy, a plane had spotted the word ‘help’ on the hull of his sailboat.
Francois said he had no food, only a bottle of ketchup, garlic powder, and stock cubes which he mixed with water.
The Dominica national explained that he was repairing his boat near Dutch Saint Martin in December when adverse conditions carried the vessel out to sea.
“I called my friends, they tried to contact me, but I lost the signal,” he recalled.
Francois disclosed in a Navy video release that there was nothing else to do but sit and wait.
After Colombian authorities rescued him, he received medical attention while they made arrangements to repatriate him.
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Rasta man yuh know……….. give thanks and praise brethren to the most high, it was the spirit and strength of Jah that got you thru. The resilience of our people is profound. Many of the ancestors has endured the wickedness of crossing the Middle Passage pack like sardines barely with food and water for weeks. Glad you were found, and you will get home soon.