The fate of Tom Hanks in “Shipwreck” almost had two men from the Solomon Islands who spent 29 days wandering and lost in the inhospitable Pacific Ocean, after a (unfortunate, as it turned out) fault in their GPS.
The two friends, just 24 hours before they finally collapse and the sea rinses them stranded or dead on a desert island, were quite lucky and finally rescued alive (but not completely harmless) off the coast of Papua New Guinea, almost 400 kilometers (250 nautical miles) away from the spot where they began their journey, as reports AFP.
The two friends, o Livae Nandzicana and Jr. Coloney They left the island of Mono, west of the Solomon Islands on the morning of September 3, in a small motor boat, planning to travel 200 kilometers south to the city of Noro, sailing along the coast of the island.
“We had made this trip before and we knew how to go. “Everything should go well,” Nanjikana said. Unfortunately for them, however, they did not go.
This is because the Solomon Sea that separates the islands of the same name from neighboring Papua New Guinea is extremely unpredictable even for the most experienced seafarers, full of whirlpools and strong currents.
Just a few hours after their departure, they found themselves in the middle of a torrential rain and stormy winds, while when the fog fell, it was then that they found them dark, as it prevented them from seeing the shore as their compass and guide.
“When the bad weather came, we were scared. But our situation became more frightening when our GPS stopped working. “We could not see where we were going and so we decided to turn off the engine and wait for the storm to pass in order to save fuel,” he says.
But strong currents swept them away, many miles off the coast. And when the storm passed and the atmosphere cleared, then they realized what a miserable situation they were in: in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, without tracking devices and with minimal food, just enough to spend 2-3 days.
And yet they succeeded, even though it took them not 2-3 days, but almost a month: they managed to survive for 29 whole days, traveling 400 kilometers and eating a few cloves of the few oranges every day they had taken for the trip as well as coconuts they found in the sea. For water they drank a few drops every day from a piece of canvas soaked from the rain water.
They prayed and were ready to accept their certain death, before finally being spotted by a fisherman off the coast of New Britain, in the territorial waters of Papua New Guinea. The two men were so exhausted when they arrived in Pomio on October 2 that they had to be carried in their arms. from people in a nearby house and then in a health center.
“We did not know where we were, but we did not expect to be in another country,” Nanjikana admitted a few days later, adding emphatically that he had gained some positives from this horrific experience.
“I had no idea what was going on while we were at sea. I did not hear anything about coronavirus or anything. I was looking forward to going home, but I guess it was a pleasant break from everythingHe said stoically.
The infamous inhospitable Pacific Ocean
The two men are not the only ones to have had such an adventure in the inhospitable Pacific this year. Last February a sailor fell from a supply ship into the ocean managed to survive for fourteen hours as he was held by an old buoy found near him.
The Russian Vidam Perevertilov, First Engineer of Silver Supporter, fell from the deck of his ship on 16 February. Silver Supporter has shipped supplies from the port of Auckland, New Zealand, to the remote British island of Pitcairn.
After being rescued, he told his son that he felt dizzy when his night shift at the engine room ended, around 4 in the morning, and went out on deck to feel better before falling into the sea. “She does not remember falling. “Maybe he fainted,” said his son, adding that his father, when he fell into the cold sea, woke up abruptly and realized with horror what had happened when he saw his ship getting lost in the dark. about 400 miles south of the Australian Islands, French Polynesia.
The crew, for six whole hours, did not realize that the engineer was missing. Finally, around 10 a.m., Silver Supporter sent a distress signal to rescue its engineer and a French Navy ship began the search.
In the middle of the ocean, with his ship disappearing from the horizon, the 52-year-old Russian made a decision that saved his life. He saw a black mark and without knowing what it was he swam towards him. The mark on the set turned out to be an abandoned fishing buoy.
Pevertilov was held by her and did not leave her until 18:00 in the afternoon where she was found again by his ship. He was pulled out of the water exhausted but alive.
“His desire for survival was strong, but he told me that it was very difficult for him to stay afloat,” his son concluded meaningfully.
The engineer, as he then said, he left the buoy in the ocean and did not take it so that “he could save the life of another human being”.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
