A 47-year-old man, stranded in the Caribbean Sea for 24 days, was rescued by the Colombian Navy. Elvis Francois, a native of the island nation of Dominica, was repairing his boat near the Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin in December when adverse weather conditions pulled his boat out to sea.
“Twenty four days — no land, nobody to talk to. Don’t know what to do, don’t know where you are. It was rough. At a certain time, I lost all hope. I think about my family,” said Mr. Francois.
In a video released by Colombian authorities, Francois described his unique diet while stranded at sea.
The Colombian army released a video in which Francois said, “I had no food. It was just a bottle of ketchup that was on the boat, garlic powder and Maggi (stock cubes) so I mixed it up with some water.”
Francois after being rescued was transferred to Cartagena where he received medical care and was later handed over to immigration authorities for his return home, Colombian officials said.
Far be it for me to ruin a good rescue story, but he looks pretty damn good for spending 24 days on the water. And I’d really like someone to figure out the salt content of not only the ketchup but the garlic and soup stock. Eating that much salt for three weeks should have put him in a coma.
The resulting increase in fluid intake can cause you to urinate more than usual. On the other hand, failing to consume fluids after eating high amounts of salt may cause your body’s sodium levels to rise above a safe level, resulting in a condition known as hypernatremia.
Hypernatremia can cause water to leach out of your cells and into your blood, in an attempt to dilute the excess sodium. If left untreated, this fluid shift can result in confusion, seizures, coma, and even death.
And how sure are we that an experienced sailor — experienced enough to fix his own boat — would allow his craft to get taken out to sea and then not be able to figure out how to get back?
If, despite everything, Mr. Francois was able to persevere and overcome, more power to him. But if this is some kind of scam, the Colombian immigration authorities may want to look into his story before sending him home.
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