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Men rescued after 33 days in Pacific
AFP ^ | December 12, 2011

Posted on 12/11/2011 6:40:20 PM PST by george76

TWO Kiribati fishermen have recounted their struggle for survival while drifting for 33 days in the Pacific before being washed ashore on a remote atoll and solving a 50-year family mystery.

Uein Buranibwe, 53, and Temaei Tontaake, 26, told of their ordeal today when they arrived in the Marshall Island's capital Majuro from Namdrik Atoll, 560km from their Kiribati home

...

After a month adrift their craft was washed into Namdrik, an isolated Marshall's atoll with a population of about 600 where the first residents they met took them to the only person on the island who spoke their language.

They were delighted to discover she was a descendant of Tontaake's uncle Bairo who was lost at sea from Marakei in the 1950s, landed at Namdrik and stayed, marrying into the community.

"Now we know what happened to my uncle," said Tontaake.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...


TOPICS: Outdoors
KEYWORDS: fishermen
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1 posted on 12/11/2011 6:40:21 PM PST by george76
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To: george76

Whoa, creepy.


2 posted on 12/11/2011 6:44:19 PM PST by NakedRampage (Puttin' the "stud" in Bible study)
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To: NakedRampage
"Now we know what happened to my uncle," said Tontaake.

I LOLed at that line. That's my kind of uncle. Shipwrecked, washed up on shore, and married into the local community. Go with the flow.

/johnny

3 posted on 12/11/2011 6:49:38 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (gone Galt)
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To: george76

wow, that’s weird


4 posted on 12/11/2011 6:52:20 PM PST by nuconvert ( Khomeini promised change too // Hail, Chairman O)
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To: george76

wow, that’s weird


5 posted on 12/11/2011 6:53:30 PM PST by nuconvert ( Khomeini promised change too // Hail, Chairman O)
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To: george76

Fascinating book. Some folks get lost. Some folks actually know how to find land in the middle of nowhere.

Looks like the guy in the article belongs to a family that has that first category nailed down.

6 posted on 12/11/2011 6:54:47 PM PST by ClearCase_guy (Nothing will change until after the war. It's coming.)
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To: JRandomFreeper
This guy would go for that no doubt.
7 posted on 12/11/2011 6:56:37 PM PST by wally_bert (It's sheer elegance in its simplicity! - The Middleman)
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To: george76

Sounds like one of those after school specials.


8 posted on 12/11/2011 7:04:14 PM PST by MrEdd (Heck? Geewhiz Cripes, thats the place where people who don't believe in Gosh think they aint going.)
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To: wally_bert
I'd have a beer with him. I got nothing against squids. ;)

/johnny

9 posted on 12/11/2011 7:08:48 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (gone Galt)
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To: george76

Interesting my daughter needed a memoir to write a paper for English - I handed her my beat up copy of Trumball’s “the raft” about three fliers who were shot down in wwII and survived 39 (?) days in the south pacific. I just helped her double check it an hour ago.


10 posted on 12/11/2011 7:15:43 PM PST by reed13k (For evil to triumph it is only necessary for good men to do nothing.)
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To: george76

I guess since the article didn’t mention any relatives that his uncle didn’t reproduce while on the Island.


11 posted on 12/11/2011 7:29:41 PM PST by Killage1 ("Society is produced by our wants, and government by wickedness" - Thomas Paine)
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To: george76

My wife & I spent a wonderful day exploring Fanning Island, the Republic of Kiribati. It is located 1000 miles south of Hawaii and was the closest “foreign” port. Norwegian Cruise Lines was required by US regulations to make a foreign port call before returning to Hawaii. So we steamed two days south to Fanning Island, got off the ship, had a picnic, got back on the ship and then teamed back north for two days.

The highest point on the whole atoll was about 10 feet above sea level. When the cruise ships didn’t come, they often went 3 months between ships that would bring the mail.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=fanning+island&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=50.69072,69.169922&vpsrc=6&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Fanning+Island&ll=6.402648,-159.082031&spn=31.690284,34.584961&t=h&z=5


12 posted on 12/11/2011 7:54:04 PM PST by BwanaNdege (“Man has often lost his way, but modern man has lost his address” - Gilbert K. Chesterton)
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To: BwanaNdege

Once again, the US used it physical and financial resources to assist in the search for these foreign people.

Yet, the world always condemns and criticizes the USA...


13 posted on 12/11/2011 8:07:02 PM PST by neverbluffer
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To: george76

Great ending!


14 posted on 12/11/2011 8:53:13 PM PST by rawhide
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To: wally_bert

Boy, did that bring back a flash of memories! Of course, I had the older card which had no mention of Gitmo.


15 posted on 12/11/2011 8:57:06 PM PST by Thorliveshere
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To: JRandomFreeper

That is a great attitude!


16 posted on 12/11/2011 9:02:20 PM PST by SaraJohnson
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To: Killage1

I didn’t read the article, but the snippet says a “descendent” told them of the uncle that married into the community. What I think is interesting is that after 61 years, the uncle’s native language was still understood/ in use by the person. Of course I’m assuming the person didn’t learn it from a DVD foreign language course.


17 posted on 12/11/2011 9:09:22 PM PST by 21twelve
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To: Killage1

I didn’t read the article, but the snippet says a “descendent” told them of the uncle that married into the community. What I think is interesting is that after 61 years, the uncle’s native language was still understood/ in use by the person. Of course I’m assuming the person didn’t learn it from a DVD foreign language course.


18 posted on 12/11/2011 10:21:06 PM PST by 21twelve
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To: george76

I finished reading Kon Tiki a few months ago. This is very believable after reading that book.


19 posted on 12/11/2011 10:43:58 PM PST by married21 (As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.)
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To: george76; null and void; Yehuda
After a month adrift their craft was washed into Namdrik, an isolated Marshall's atoll with a population of about 600 where the first residents they met took them to the only person on the island who spoke their language.

They were delighted to discover she was a descendant of Tontaake's uncle Bairo who was lost at sea from Marakei in the 1950s, landed at Namdrik and stayed, marrying into the community.

Well apparently the natives don't eat foreigners so for those looking for the ultimate SHTF destination...

20 posted on 12/11/2011 10:58:26 PM PST by Ezekiel (The Obama-nation began with the Inauguration of Desolation.)
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