And They Lived To Tell Their Tale

by Dick Mac

I just read about three of the luckiest young men in the world.

They left their homes on a Pacific atoll in a small boat for a trip to a neighboring island. They brought some coconuts for snacking and drinking.

They lost sight of their home island as they sailed into the ocean. After losing sight of land, they became disoriented and instead of heading for their destination, rode further and further out to sea until they were deep in the open ocean.

They never arrived at their destination, nor did they arrive home; and after two days, their families reported to the authorities that they were missing.

Some searching was done, but into the eighth week of their disappearance, the authorities determined that they could not survive that long in the open ocean in such a small craft with no provisions, were lost forever, and were declared dead.

The small community mourned the lost in funeral services and started the process of moving along in life without the three young men.

A few days later, a fishing boat in the open sea saw the small craft floating along. When they investigated, they found the three young men alive in the boat, unable to move, weakened by the ordeal. They had lost so much weight that bones were protruding under their skin, and they were severely sunburned.

The fishermen took them aboard, informed the Coast Guard, and set about stabilizing the three. Their sunburns were treated, and within a few hours they were able to drink small amounts of fluid. Later in the day they ate small pieces of white bread, and eventually slices of apples and oranges.

There was much celebrating in their home community when word reached there, and a huge party is being organized for the coming weeks. Their families are hoping that the captain and crew of the fishing boat will be able to attend.

An amazing story.

Doctor examining teen boys rescued after 50 days at sea