See the guy with the beer? He should be dead.
A man who gave his name as Jose Ivan was found in the Ebon Atoll of the Marshall Islands last week. His hair and beard were appropriately unkempt as he washed ashore on a 22 foot, fiber-glass boat with a sea turtle in it. The man claims he left Mexico for El Salvador late in 2012 in that same boat.
According to his story, Jose set sail for El Salvador with a companion some fifteen months ago. However, the other sailor did not survive long after the boat’s engines lost power, setting the two adrift.
Jose was found in only tattered undergarments with no fishing equipment. He was luckily found by local islanders who sought care immediately. A Norwegian anthropology student stationed on the island, by the name of Ola Fjeldstad, reported the survivor to be in bad condition but “getting better.”
It turns out relative terms are the most reliable to use when describing a man reduced to the physical state of an over-dried sponge.
Since the story broke, sources from Mexico have verified some of the travelers claims. His name is Jose Salvador Alvarez, and he was indeed reported missing November 17th 2012. Search attempts were cancelled shortly after as bad weather limited visibility.
Alvarez claims he only survived the journey by catching fish and sea turtles with his bare hands. The lack of any tools inside the boat support this notion. Supposedly he drank rain-water during storms, but had to use turtle’s blood as a substitute in times of long drought.
If this story is true, it will beat the previous record for longest time lost at sea by a staggering six months. A title currently held by three men who drifted from Mexico to the Marshall Islands for nine months in 2006. Unlike Ivan, these voyagers could reinvigorate their spirits using the power of friendship.
Upon discovering Alvarez, he was immediately taken to the atoll’s main island so the islanders could use Ebon’s one phone to make a call to the foreign ministry. So far, Jose’s story is looking mostly true.
The Department of Public Health has yet to release a statement regarding the use of turtle blood as a substitute for basic fluids.
