The Colombian navy said it rescued a man in the Caribbean who survived for 24 days on ketchup, garlic powder and nuts aboard his sailboat, swept away by currents. The man is called Elvis François, he is 47 years old and was found about 220 kilometers north of the Guajira peninsula, in northeastern Colombia: he had lost control of the boat while he was repairing it in the southern part of the island of Saint Martin (Sint Maarten, part of the Netherlands), more than a thousand kilometers to the east.
In a video shared by the Colombian navy, François, who is Dominican, said the boat had been washed off the coast on December 22 due to bad weather. At that point the man had tried to contact some friends, but without success. Although taking on water, the boat had remained afloat, but had continued to be carried away by the currents. François had also written the word “HELP” on the side of the boat and tried to light a small fire to get noticed, but without success. Eventually he was spotted by a passing plane after using mirrors to reflect the sunlight. He was taken to the port of Cartagena, Colombia, where he was examined. His health conditions are fair.
