RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesSailor Kai Sato used an ingenious way to find drinking water after he was left drifting in the ocean without fuel or a working phone
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A sailor left stranded in the Pacific Ocean for more than a month after a trip to Hawaii turned into a nightmare has revealed how he survived.
Kai Sato set off from Catalina Island off the California coast on June 7, hoping to sail across the Pacific for the first time solo.
But two weeks into his 2,500 mile journey, his boat’s mast snapped. When he ran out of gas trying to get back to shore and his phone died, the 39 year-old was left drifting in despair at the mercy of the elements.
“I cried for a whole week, just drifting south, like miserable,” Sato told Hawaii News Now. “I was literally like a sitting duck, just getting taken south by the current going way off course.”
When all hope seemed lost, Sato told the outlet that he eventually came up with a plan to temporarily fix the sails, using kayak paddles and PVC pipes.
Even with the patched-up boat it would take him another month to reach the shipping lane between California and Hawaii , in the hope of finding rescue.
According to Healthline , a person can survive for up to 21 days without food, although some reportedly have been able to live for two to three months.
To survive, Sato told Hawaii News Now he ate oatmeal, as well as fish or squid that landed in his vessel.
After running out of drinkable water on July 11, he filled buckets with seawater and placed plastic bags over the top of them to collect the condensation.
“I was just licking that to survive,” Sato told the outlet.
Finally, last Tuesday, the intrepid adventurer said he gained the attention of a Pasha Hawaii ship who rescued him. The crew threw down a rope and he managed to climb aboard their ship. Sato told Hawaii News Now he was “ecstatic” after he was finally found.
“I was like crying and like so happy, and then they got me fruit and water, and yeah, they were so good to me, those guys,” he added.
His generous benefactors gave Sato clothes and food after he was forced to live off scraps for weeks. The Pasha Hawaii crew posed for a picture with their newest member, seen beaming in a phone shared with the local news outlet.
Sato added that he is now staying with a relative, but is planning his next adventure already. Despite the setbacks of his Hawaii trip he hopes to sail next to the Philippines , some 7,500 miles away from Catalina Island.
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