Posted on 08/19/2006 2:24:19 PM PDT by Valin
Mexicans lost two crewmates
Mexico City
August 19, 2006
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/mexicans-lost-two-crewmates/2006/08/18/1155408020608.html
Mexico City: THE miraculous story of three Mexican fishermen who survived nine months adrift in the Pacific Ocean in a small boat has taken a new turn after it was revealed there were five men on board the vessel when it began its voyage.
Joel Hernandez Garcia, an official with the Mexican foreign ministry, said there were five people on board the boat when it set off on October 28 from the village of San Blas on Mexico's Pacific coast to fish for shark in local waters.
The boat was blown off course by a storm, and after running out of petrol, drifted for more than nine months and 8000 kilometres until the three survivors were rescued last week by a Taiwanese tuna trawler.
"Two of (the missing fishermen) apparently died after the passage to the open sea, as they were drifting," Mr Garcia said. "The survivors have mentioned the probable time of death of the first person as January and the second person a month later."
No mention was made of the dead fishermen during interviews with Mexican broadcasters earlier this week.
But the operator of the Taiwanese boat said he thought the men said there had been five men, media reports said.
The missing trio said they survived on raw fish, raw ducks, raw seagulls and rainwater. They caught the fish with hooks attached to the end of electric cables from the boat's motor.
"At one point, we went for 15 days without anything to eat," one of the survivors, Jesus Vidana, 61, said.
Mr Garcia made his remarks after talking to Mr Vidana, who indicated "there was little to eat and that the other two refused to eat".
Mr Garcia said the bodies of the two dead fisherman had been thrown overboard.
The men said a Bible on board gave them hope and strengthened their faith. "We never lost hope, because we prayed day and night," Mr Vidana said.
The nine-metre-long, three-metre-wide boat was nearly sunk by huge waves that swamped the vessel, and survived several storms, the men said.
On August 9, the Taiwanese fishing crew spotted the crippled boat on their radar.
The Mexican Government said the men would be brought home as soon as possible.
They are now guests on the trawler, which is due to arrive in the Marshall Islands tomorrow.
That's amazing.
Wow! That's a little more than a "three hour tour".
"Garcia's Island"?
John 4:12-14 (Amplified Bible)
12Are You greater than and superior to our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well and who used to drink from it himself, and his sons and his cattle also?
13Jesus answered her, All who drink of this water will be thirsty again. 14But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life.
Hire some ghostwriters, play up the Christian angle, get it published in the next 6 months, and blammo! Instant best seller.
Being a fishing boat, wouldn't they have better suited equipment to catch fish with?
After 15 days, maybe the other two guys started to look like seagulls????
Great story!
I can't wait to hear the one-liner Jay Leno will have for this one......
I'm a born skeptic and the length of time reported here...I just don't know. I mean, Cap't. Bligh and company, were in that longboat only 41 days with a couple of landfalls thrown in and that feat was called unbelievable.
I also wonder if cannabalism enters into this story as well. A not unheard of event whith men adrift at sea for long periods.
Believe it or not PING!
I'm sure the journey just got all the worse when the toilet paper ran out.
It says they were shark fishing on an 8 meter(about 25 foot) boat and with 5 guys onboard you gotta wonder where they were going to put the shark!
You'd think they could of afforded some rods and reels if they could afford twin 200 outboards huh? ;-)
I witnessed a rescue at sea. Three men were drifting in a small fishing boat for almost 3 weeks when the cruise ship we were on spotted them. It was quite exciting watching the rescue.
Maybe. But my hope someone in Hollywood will reward them by paying for their story.
I agree. The story also seems to morph into an epic with each passing day.
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