Australian Man, Devoted Pup Rescued by Mexican Ship After Months at Sea

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – An Australian sailor lastly touched dry land on Tuesday within the Mexican port metropolis of Manzanillo, capping off months spent adrift at sea together with his canine till a shock rescue by a Mexican fishing ship.

The castaway, 54-year-old Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, was noticed by a fishing boat owned by seafood group Grupomar together with his hound, Bella, on a catamaran within the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico, the corporate mentioned Monday.

The sailor and his pup initially set sail in April from the Mexican coastal metropolis of La Paz certain for French Polynesia about 3,728 miles (6,000 km) away.

A couple of weeks into their journey, nevertheless, they develop into stranded after a tough storm broken their catamaran and knocked out its communication tools, stopping Shaddock from calling for assist.

They survived the ordeal by consuming uncooked fish and consuming rain water, Grupomar mentioned in an announcement.

“I am simply so grateful. I am alive,” mentioned Shaddock, sporting a bushy beard and lengthy hair topped by a hat that includes the emblem for “Tuny,” a Grupomar tuna model.

He was welcomed ashore, the place he mentioned he was now feeling “nice” regardless of having struggled with starvation whereas adrift.

When requested how Bella was doing after the rescue, Shaddock mentioned she was “superb.” The pup posed for images with the “Tuny” crew.

“That canine is one thing else,” Shaddock mentioned, including that he had discovered Bella in Mexico earlier than they launched into their fateful journey.

(Reporting by Valentine Hilaire and Reuters TV; Writing by Cassandra Garrison; Enhancing by Sandra Maler)

Copyright 2023 Thomson Reuters.