Australian Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock (right) embraces Grupomar President Antonio Suarez during a welcoming ceremony after being rescued from sea and arriving to port in Manzanillo, Mexico, July 18, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)
MEXICO CITY – An Australian sailor finally touched dry land on Tuesday in the Mexican port city of Manzanillo, capping off months spent adrift at sea with his dog until a surprise rescue by a Mexican fishing ship.
The castaway, 54-year-old Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, was spotted by a fishing boat owned by seafood group Grupomar with his hound, Bella, on a catamaran in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico, the company said Monday.
A few weeks into their journey, however, they become stranded after a rough storm damaged their catamaran and knocked out its communication equipment, preventing Shaddock from calling for help
The sailor and his pup originally set sail in April from the Mexican coastal city of La Paz bound for French Polynesia about 6,000 km away.
A few weeks into their journey, however, they become stranded after a rough storm damaged their catamaran and knocked out its communication equipment, preventing Shaddock from calling for help.
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They survived the ordeal by eating raw fish and drinking rain water, Grupomar said in a statement.
"I'm just so grateful. I'm alive," said Shaddock, sporting a bushy beard and long hair topped by a hat featuring the logo for "Tuny," a Grupomar tuna brand.
The crew of the Mexican tuna boat "Maria Delia" pose for photos with Bella, the dog of Australian Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, both of whom they rescued from an incapacitated catamaran in the Pacific Ocean, as they bring the pair to port in Manzanillo, Mexico, July 18, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)
He was welcomed ashore, where he said he was now feeling "great" despite having struggled with hunger while adrift.
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When asked how Bella was doing after the rescue, Shaddock said she was "amazing." The pup posed for photos with the "Tuny" crew.
"That dog is something else," Shaddock said, adding that he had found Bella in Mexico before they embarked on their fateful journey.