A man lost at sea for 66 days was finally brought back on solid ground. 37-year-old Louis Jordan embarked on what was supposed to be a normal fishing trip on January 23. More than two months after, he was found 200 miles off the Atlantic coast of North Carolina.
His parents reported him missing on January 29. The search operation lasted for 10 days but having found nothing that could indicate his or the ship’s location, the case was suspended.
During an interview with ABC News, he said that although he’d been missing for 66 days, it felt more like 100 days. He lost many of his important belongings in the water – his captain’s log, books, rice and a great part of his supplies. He had also broken a collarbone.
But he managed to survive, all thanks to his initiative, courage, problem-solving abilities and pancakes – “flour fried in oil”. His daily ration consisted of two or three pancakes.
So what turned his normal fishing trip into a survival experience? According to Jordan, it all happened suddenly:
“My boat got flipped and did a 180 on me while I was sleeping at night, and I was flying through the air and somersaulting and all my junk and all my equipment, all my GPS devices and everything, even my stove dislodged and it was all flying with me, all rolling around.”
But he did not panic. Besides pancakes, he began to gather rainwater. Jordan described that the rainwater formed above oceans tastes like coconut milk.
He also had an ingenious method of catching fish – using his laundry. According to Jordan, the technique proved itself more successful than using his net.
One of the things that helped him get pass this rough adventure was the Bible. He said he read the Holy Book during those 66 days in open waters and prayed on a regular basis.
He also said that he was more worried about his friends and family rather than himself. He was concerned of what pain and hardship his loved ones have gone through since his disappearance.
After 66 days, luck struck Jordan. On Thursday, April 2, a German-flagged ship, the Houston Express spotted his damaged boat. After being taken aboard the German ship, he was transported by a Jayhawk helicopter to hospital to receive the necessary treatment for dehydration.
Image Source: Mirror
