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MAN SURVIVES ON KETCHUP FOR THREE WEEKS AT SEA
The Caribbean Sea is known for its beautiful beaches, crystal clear water, and laid-back lifestyle. But for one man, paradise quickly turned into a nightmare after he was lost off the coast of the island of Saint Martin with mostly ketchup to eat.
Elvis Francois, 47, was found 120 miles from Colombia’s Puerto Bolívar on Jan. 16 after a plane spotted the word “HELP” written on the hull of Francois’ sailboat.
He had been lost at sea for 24 days,
“I had no food. It was just a bottle of ketchup that was on the boat, some garlic powder, and Maggi bouillon cubes, so I mixed it up with some water,” Francois said.
Francois, who is from the island of Dominica, remarked that he had been making repairs to his boat off the coast of Saint Martin in December when bad weather pulled the boat out to sea.
He explained that he lacked the navigational skills to direct himself back to shore, and so his weeks-long ordeal began.
“I tried to [go] back to port, but I lost track because it took me a while to fix the sail,” Francois said. “I [called] my friends and my coworkers. But when they tried to contact me, they lost service. There was nothing else I could do than sit down and wait.”
Over the 24-day period that Francois was lost at sea, he had only condiments for nourishment, and he used a cloth to collect rainwater. He spent his time trying to keep water out of his sailboat and attempting to attract attention by lighting a fire, which failed.
“Twenty-four days — no land, nobody to talk to. Did not know what to do, did not know where I was. It was rough,” he said. “At a certain time, I lost hope, but then, I would think about my family.”
After he was finally rescued, Francois was taken to the Colombian port city of Cartagena for medical treatment. There, he was able to speak to Colombian authorities about his ordeal and work with immigration officials to arrange his trip back home to Dominica.
Colombian Army Commander Captain Carlos Urano Montes said that they found Francois “to be in good health,” though he had lost a bit of weight.
Francois expressed his immense gratitude for the rescue team, stating,“I thank the Coast Guard. If it were not for them, I wouldn’t be telling the story.”
Colombian officials have confirmed that Francois has begun his journey back home.
But the story does not end there; it has a happier ending.
Francois, who survived on a bottle of ketchup for three weeks, is getting a new boat courtesy of Heinz, the world’s largest ketchup manufacturer.
The ketchup maker announced last month that it was searching for Francois, the Dominica-born sailor. But, it couldn’t immediately find him, forcing Heinz to go on Instagram to plead with the social media platform’s users to help the company find François. That plea – in the form of the #FindtheKetchupBoatGuy campaign – reached nearly five million users.
With their help and the help of local reporters in Dominica, Heinz finally found Francois.
The company said, "We were able to connect with him and discuss the best way to help and support him and his family. We and Elvis are currently working out the logistical details of giving him a new boat.”
François said he “didn’t know what to think” about Heinz’s efforts to get him a new boat, but he seemed to welcome the gift.
“I lost all that I had on the boat,” he said.
© allthatsinteresting.com newsmax.com
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