Man who survived three months adrift at sea returns home Associated Press Published Sep 25, 2002 LOS ANGELES -- A man who survived three months adrift in the Pacific Ocean by collecting rainwater in a bucket and roasting the sea birds that landed on his sailboat thanked the crew of the U.S. warship that rescued him. Richard Van Pham, 62, of Long Beach returned to California on Tuesday. He was held temporarily by U.S. immigration officials, then released after officials verified he was a legal, permanent resident. He had lost about 40 pounds but was in good condition when he was found aboard his damaged sailboat a week ago by the San Diego-based frigate McClusky, Navy officials said. "If you travel at sea, you take what you find,'' Pham said in today's editions of the Los Angeles Times. "If you are scared, you will die.'' Van Pham set sail from Long Beach in his 26-foot sailboat, Sea Breeze, bound for Santa Catalina Island, some 25 miles offshore. En route, a storm broke his mast and his outboard motor and two-way radio also failed. On Sept. 17, his boat was spotted from a plane 275 miles southwest of Costa Rica, about 2,500 miles away from his original destination. When the McClusky neared, its crew saw it jury-rigged sail flapped from a splintered mast and a man cooking a seabird on a makeshift grill. The ship's corpsman, Petty Officer 1st Class A.J. Davis, said Van Pham described bashing a sea turtle with a bat as it swam near his boat and then cooking part of the meat while using the remainder as bait for seabirds. Capt. Terry Bragg, commander of Destroyer Squadron One in San Diego, which oversees the McClusky, said he had never heard a story of survival like Van Pham's. "It's a three-hour cruise gone bad,'' Bragg said. "It's like a cross between Gilligan's Island and Robinson Crusoe.'' Van Pham had used a small grill on board his boat to cook seabirds and turtle meat after he ran out of food a week into the ordeal. To keep the grill going, he began disassembling parts of the boat for fuel, Bragg said. Each day he drifted at sea, Van Pham said, he looked for any sign of life, any sign of land. "I see nothing,'' he said. "Then one day, I see a plane. I know I'm close to people. They tip their wings to say hello. Two hours later, a ship comes to my boat. I am very, very happy.'' Van Pham was dropped off Sunday in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, when the McClusky visited port. The ship's crew collected about $800 to pay for his plane trip home. Navy officials said the most poignant moment came when Van Pham left the Sea Breeze. Unable to fix the sailboat, Van Pham approved having crew members set fire to the Sea Breeze. It sank in 8,700 feet of water. "He waved goodbye to his sailboat,'' said Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Slaight. "He was upset ... and said he was going to miss it.''
Thats exactly what was on my mind when the title of this post came across to me. When he left still emotionally attached to the boat it sounded like the Tom Hanks movie "Castaway" when he became emotionally attached to the ball. The feel good story of the day.
How many people are there out there lost-at-sea? http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/South/10/04/sea.rescue.ap/index.html <I>CHARLESTON, South Carolina (AP) -- A Florida man who was lost at sea for more than two months was rescued 40 miles off the coast, officials said. The Coast Guard reached Terry Watson, 43, around 7 p.m. Thursday. Emaciated and weak, Watson was suffering from dehydration, delusion and shock, officials said. "I died a month ago," Watson told The Post and Courier after he was assisted off a Coast Guard rescue boat. Watson and his 23-foot sailboat called the Psedorca were found 42 miles southeast of Little River Inlet, which is located near the North Carolina-South Carolina border, the Coast Guard said. Authorities say Watson was last spotted in Miami on July 19. The captain of another boat said he was traveling with Watson around the Florida Keys and reported the boat missing July 23. A search of more than 8,000 square miles turned up nothing. Officials aren't sure how Watson survived. He apparently used his broken mast to rig a shelter, but Coast Guard crewmen said they had not been able to talk with Watson long enough to determine how long he has been without food and water. A charter fishing boat captain found Watson and his ship at 1:25 p.m. Thursday and radioed the Coast Guard for help, authorities said. A helicopter dropped a rescue swimmer near the boat, but Watson refused to leave his vessel. "The helicopter apparently scared him, and he was not in good physical condition. He could barely move," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Carr. The Coast Guard then sent a rescue boat from Georgetown. When it arrived, Watson again refused to leave his boat, Carr said. Though the crew was prepared to use force to remove him to safety, they eventually persuaded Watson to come aboard Thursday evening, Carr said. He arrived at the Winyah Bay Coast Guard Station wearing a black and red life vest, a thermal underwear shirt, tattered green pants and brown hiking boots. At times he appeared disoriented, giving a rambling answers to questions. Other times, he appeared more coherent, the newspaper reported. "The Coast Guard is very nice," Watson said. "I just need some food. I'll be all right. I wouldn't mind having some chocolate pudding." Watson was taken to Georgetown Memorial Hospital for observation. </I>
