Survival at Sea

[NorthPacific]

US sailor rescued after 66 days lost at sea
3 April 2015
From the section US & Canada

US sailor rescued after 66 days lost at sea - BBC News

Louis Jordan arrives at hospital
Louis Jordan looked well as he walked into hospital
A sailor who spent two months lost at sea has been rescued after apparently surviving on raw fish and rainwater.
Louis Jordan, 37, was found by a passing German tanker 200 miles off the North Carolina coast on Thursday.
His 35-foot sailboat had overturned and Mr Jordan was sitting on the hull, from where he was hoisted to safety.
His family reported him missing at the end of January, and when his father spoke to him after the rescue, he said: "I thought I lost you."
In an audio clip of the phone call, Mr Jordan apologises for not being able to sail home.
Speaking from the safety of the German container ship, he tells his father: "I'm doing fine now."
Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss from the Coast Guard in Miami told WITN, a North Carolina broadcaster, that Mr Jordan had survived adrift in the Atlantic Ocean on a diet of raw fish and rainwater.
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Media caption
Footage of the rescue was released by the US coast guard
Jordan arrives at the hospital from a Coast Guard helicopter
Mr Jordan arrives at the hospital from a Coast Guard helicopter
Louis Jordan outside hospital
He smiled as he arrived at a hospital in Virginia
The US Coast Guard said in a statement that they transported Jordan by helicopter from the German vessel, Houston Express, to a hospital in Norfolk, Virginia.
They said such a feat of endurance was unheard of, but Mr Jordan's father told CNN he had never given up hope his son would be found alive.
He was last seen on 23 January, setting out from Conway in South Carolina on a fishing trip in his sailboat Angel.
It is not yet known why the boat capsized, although US media report that the mast was found snapped in half.

[NorthPacific]

More from: WITN
WITN | Greenville, NC | News, Weather, Sports | WITN - Home Page - Headlines
Man-missing-for-66-days-found-alive-off-Cape-Hatteras-298516271.html

he man who spent 66 days lost at sea is now resting at his mother's home in Jacksonville.

Louis Jordan and his mother, Norma Davis, arrived from Norfolk this afternoon.

The 37-year-old was released from a Norfolk hospital this morning, a day after his amazing rescue off Cape Hatteras.

The Coast Guard says a German container ship spotted Jordan and his 35-foot sailboat around 1:30 p.m Thursday.

Jordan lives in Conway, South Carolina, while his mother resides in Onslow County.

"I feel blessed and I feel full of love and feel grateful to be with my family and with family again," Jordan said. "I feel grateful to have the opportunity to live to do what I want to do, which is to produce some sort of fruit in my life something valuable, something to make the world a better place"

The self-described "inexperienced sailor" said he was headed to the Gulf Stream — "where a lot of fish are" — when disaster struck.

"I was planning on catching some big ones," Jordan recalled. "On the way there, my boat capsized. I was actually sleeping, that's when it happened. The whole boat had turned around and I was flying through the air somersaulting and the ceiling was the floor and the floor was the ceiling and this side was the other side and everything was upside down and backwards."

He added: "I was just rolling around with all the things, all the objects, all my possessions and electronics and GPS and even my stove had come off of the wall and was flying in the air with me. We're all just turning around together and I land against the wall and I break my shoulder."

The storm broke his boat's mast and damaged his communication gear. Jordan said he prayed to God to protect him after encountering the bad weather and "huge waves."

He added that "it seemed like a lot longer" than the 66 days he was missing.

Jordan's mother said she got a text message with the rescue news. "It was amazing, I just couldn't contain my excitement," said Norma Davis.

The Coast Guard said Jordan didn't file a "float plan," the nautical equivalent of a flight plan, to determine his route or destination, and said there wasn't enough information to narrow down his whereabouts.

Officials also searched financial data to determine whether Jordan actually had come ashore without being noticed, but found no indication that he had, according to the Coast Guard.

Asked if he would ever sail again, Jordan said, "I don't know." His mother was asked if she'd ever let him sail again. "I don't know," said Davis. But with a smile she added, "Not in the ocean."

[boatman61]

Obviously a diet of fish and raim water agreed with him.. looked damned healthy after 66 days of it sitting on an upturned hull..

PS: not forgetting the sea weed and tiny crabs..

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by boatman61

PS: not forgetting the sea weed and tiny crabs..[/SIZE][/FONT]

Hw did he get crabs? He was out there by himself.

[Cormorant]

Mermaids.

[jeanathon]

I would think sitting on the hull in January hypothermia would get you long before hunger.

[Jcolman]

Originally Posted by jeanathon

I would think sitting on the hull in January hypothermia would get you long before hunger.

The press had it wrong. His boat had overturned, however it righted itself. When he was found, the boat was upright.

[Scubacarole]

Watched interview w Navy Seal, serious questions about sailors claims; i.e he was in "waste deep water" the majority of time. Water temps, hypothermia, etc. No flares? 200 miles off coast for 66+ days. Something a bit off about this story.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[NorthPacific]

Heading offshore, to go fishing for big fish, at the end of February? Not sure how attached tor reality the guy was or is. Certainly looks in good condition, able to walk from the helicopter, etc. Amazing feat. Look forward to the book.

66 days is along time, to be adrift. Hope I am never in that situation.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by NorthPacific

Heading offshore, to go fishing for big fish, at the end of February? Not sure how attached tor reality the guy was or is. Certainly looks in good condition, able to walk from the helicopter, etc. Amazing feat. Look forward to the book.

66 days is along time, to be adrift. Hope I am never in that situation.

Don't bother to read the book. Here's a synopsis:
Page 1 - I set off
Page 2 - I roll over
Page 3 - Day 2 - I'm cold, miserable.
Page 4 - Day 3 - I'm cold, miserable. I caught a fish
Page 5 - Day 4 - I'm cold, miserable.
Page 5 - Day 5 - I'm cold, miserable. I caught a fish
....
Page 66 - I get rescued.

[Cparharris]

There must be a picture of the boat taken from the German ship I can't believe it was capsized


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Doodles]

Call me a cynic but something doesn't add up here. He just looks too good and since when does an "inexperienced" sailor head off alone into the GS in winter "to catch some big ones." :roll eyes:

The self-described "inexperienced sailor" said he was headed to the Gulf Stream — "where a lot of fish are" — when disaster struck.

"I was planning on catching some big ones," Jordan recalled. "On the way there, my boat capsized. I was actually sleeping, that's when it happened.

[Alchemist 66]

I was wondering about the current off North Carolina. Wouldn't the gulf stream have carried him farther than 200 miles in the time he was lost? Or is it seasonal?

[NorthPacific]

This from the BBC website.
Sailor rescued: How do you survive 66 days lost at sea? - BBC News

Interesting about how far he should have drifted in 66 days. Like to Europe!

Sailor rescued: How do you survive 66 days lost at sea?
By James Morgan
BBC News, Washington DC
4 April 2015
From the section US & Canada
Louis Jordan aboard the Angel
Louis Jordan on his boat Angel, before his ill-fated trip
In today's Magazine

Readers on where they would be happiest living
A truly dangerous meeting of minds
Quiz of the week's news
How is lost luggage found?
A US sailor who was missing at sea for more than two months has been found alive and well, sitting on his upturned boat. How is it possible to survive so long adrift?
Louis Jordan, 37, set off from the marina at Conway, South Carolina, on 23 January, telling his family he was going on a fishing trip to "catch some big ones".
What happened next is unclear. At some point, the sailor told media, his boat "flipped" in the night during bad weather. The mast snapped in half and the boat began filling with water.
His family reported him missing, but the Coast Guard were unable to find him. Even his father, Frank, lost hope of ever seeing his son again.
But 66 days later, a passing German tanker found him clinging to his capsized vessel, 200 miles (320km) off the coast of North Carolina.
Jump media playerMedia player helpOut of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Media caption
Footage of the rescue was released by the US coast guard
Mr Jordan said he felt like he had been adrift for "100 days", but surprisingly he showed little sign of dehydration, sunburn or malnutrition, and appeared in rude health for a man who had apparently been surviving on raw fish and rainwater.
While not directly disputing Mr Jordan's story, the Coast Guard say the full story of what happened is still far from clear.
"We don't have any reason to believe anything he told the media is false," said spokesman Nate Littlejohn. "However, we don't know for a fact he was out at sea for 66 days. All we know is his family reported him missing on 29 January. We've not heard the whole story yet."
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Louis Jordan's ordeal
map
23 January: Sails out of the marina in Conway, South Carolina, on his boat Angel
29 January: Reported missing by his father Frank, who told Miami Coast Guard his son had not been seen or heard from in a week
8 February: Search operation launched by Coast Guard
18 February: Search abandoned with no sign of Mr Jordan or his vessel
2 April: Found sitting on the hull of his capsized boat, 200 miles east of Cape Hatteras, off North Carolina.
line
Mr Jordan's two months at sea is a mere fraction of the 13 months that Mexican Jose Salvador Alvarenga spent cast adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
The bedraggled fisherman eventually washed up 6,000 miles away in the Marshall Islands after 440 days alone, telling reporters he had stayed alive by eating fish and drinking the blood of sea turtles.
"His story sparked a lot of debate - was this doable or not doable?" said physiologist Professor Mike Tipton of Portsmouth University, co-author of the book Essentials of Sea Survival.
"And when you think about it - he was drifting in an area of the Pacific with sufficient rain, where cold temperatures are not a threat, and he had plenty of experience catching fish. He had the combination of being the right kind of person and a lot of luck."
Louis Jordan arrives at hospital
Louis Jordan looked well as he walked into hospital after his rescue
The hierarchy for survival, he says, is oxygen, circulation, body temperature, water and then, finally, food.
To drink, Mr Jordan says he collected rain water and rationed what he drank to about a pint (568ml) a day, which according to Prof Tipton is just above the daily minimum needed to stay alive (300ml-500ml).
"You need that to maintain the function of the kidneys and other vital organs. Without it you won't last more than a couple of days."
Another good source of hydration is the blood of turtles and seabirds - a 20kg (44lb) turtle can provide about a litre of blood.
The accounts of castaways who survived by drinking their own urine make no sense, Prof Tipton says, because urine hastens dehydration.
As for food, if you start with lots of body fat you can survive for a long time, Prof Tipton says.
Mr Jordan told reporters he ate pancakes and raw fish which he caught "with his laundry" after having no luck with his fishing rod.
But eating fish has a serious downside for extreme survival. "They're full of protein. And protein requires a lot of extra water to flush out the by-products of its digestion," Prof Tipton explains.
"You're better off with fats and sugars - and that's exactly what survival rations are made of. But of course you're unlikely to catch a bar of chocolate floating by."
The ideal meal for a drifting sailor is not fish but turtles - which have a lot of fat under their shells.
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Famous castaways: Who survived longest at sea?
Jesus Vidana
Mexican shark fisherman Jesus Vidana describing his crew's remarkable story of spending 270 days adrift
Mexican Jose Salvador Alvarenga endured 440 days drifting across the Pacific Ocean until he was found in the Marshall Islands, emaciated and wearing only his underpants, having swum ashore.
Poon Lim, a Chinese sailor during World War II, set a record for the longest survival on a life raft. He survived 133 days alone in the Atlantic
In 2006 Mexican shark fisherman Jesus Vidana and his crew spent 270 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean before a Taiwanese tuna fishing vessel rescued them off the Marshall Islands.
US adventurer Steven Callahan survived 76 days in a life raft in the Atlantic in 1982 after a whale rammed into the hull of his sloop, Napoleon Solo.
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The fact that Louis Jordan was found sitting up out of the water is also highly significant - it could very well have saved him from hypothermia, says Prof Tipton.
"Your body cools six times faster in water. So you're better off out than in," he explains.
Even so - the unusually cold winter in North Carolina would have put the sailor in serious peril, depending how far from the coast he was drifting.
"If you plot the great sea survival stories on a map, they all tend to be in Equatorial waters," says Prof Tipton.
The hot, tropical sunshine may increase your danger of dehydration and sunstroke, "but you can avoid that if you create shade and collect enough rainwater", he says.
Hypothermia, he says, is much harder to battle. If Louis Jordan really has spent the last 66 days capsized drifting up and down the chilly Carolina coastline, he must have had excellent clothing or shelter to protect from the elements.
Jim Hench, professor of oceanography at Duke University, says that where Mr Jordan was found - 200km (124 miles) east of Cape Hatteras - meant the vessel would have benefitted from the warm currents of the Gulf Stream.
"Remember those waters come up from the Caribbean. At this time of year they could have been as warm as 20C-25C," he says.
However, Mr Jordan could not have been exclusively drifting in the Gulf Stream for 66 days, because if he had "he would have gone a lot further".
"The Gulf Stream flows at about the pace of a slow walk - which is actually very fast by ocean standards. You could move a long way in 66 days - perhaps even the width of the Atlantic Ocean," he calculates.
"When I saw where he was picked up, I was very surprised to hear he'd been drifting for two months."
Louis Jordan outside hospital
It seems more likely that Mr Jordan spent that time drifting closer to shore, Prof Hench says.
Mr Jordan says that when first he saw the German container ship, he did not believe it was real.
But nevertheless, he knew what to do: "I waved my hands real slowly, and that's the signal: 'I'm in distress help me,'" he said.
He credited his faith with keeping him mentally strong throughout his lonely struggle, telling reporters that he read his Bible and prayed regularly.
He said he wasn't as concerned about his own wellbeing as he was for his family and friends who would think he was dead.
Prof Tipton says this psychology is typical of survivors. "Studies show there are attitudes people get themselves into in these extreme situations.
"They don't give up or feel hopeless - they focus on short term goals, surviving to the evening and setting themselves tasks. The explorer Shackleton was very good at that.
"The other thing people do is focus on their family. Those positive mental images are very important for survival.
"And I noticed - when he was finally rescued - Mr Jordan had a very emotional phone call with his father."

[Jon Eisberg]

Originally Posted by Alchemist 66

I was wondering about the current off North Carolina. Wouldn't the gulf stream have carried him farther than 200 miles in the time he was lost?

If he were actually out there for 60+ days, and had headed for the Stream as directly as he claims, I would certainly think so...

:-)