According to CNN, in a rare and completely different story, we are happy to report that after being adrift at sea and lost for 66 days, Louis Jordan—an admittedly inexperienced sailor—has been rescued 200 miles off the coast of South Carolina by a German shipping freighter and the United States Coast Guard.
In late January of this year, Jordan launched his 35-foot sail boat from South Carolina into the Atlantic Ocean to fish. Even though he lacked proper experience, the 37-year-old man took his sailboat into the Gulf Stream which caused his craft to unexpectedly capsize. During the tumultuous event the mast broke as the boat capsized and Jordan broke his shoulder. He also either broke or lost everything he thought he needed for survival. “Everything I owned got broken—all my electronics, my GPS device,” Jordan said. Moreover, he was dead in the water and had no means to communicate or operate his boat.
Realizing that he was in a life and death situation, Jordan immediately decided that in order to survive he would need to maximize his resources and be very conscious of his situation. Rationing food and water, Jordan was able to wait out the shoulder injury until he was able to erect a crude mast and made some progress toward shore, but was unable to overcome the strong currents of the Gulf Stream. According to Jordan, before being rescued, his ship capsized two more times.
After he had consumed the last of his food and water that he brought with him, Jordan looked to other means to survive on the loneliest environment known to man. Desperate for water, Jordan attempted to collect rain water to drink.
“I had tried to collect (rain)water ... but every time the waves would splash into the boat,” Jordan recounted. “The waves would put saltwater into my freshwater and it tasted bad. Finally the conditions were right. I filled up my water tank, which is 25 gallons. I filled up a bucket.”
Aside from water scarcity, Jordan also overcame hunger. While the original purpose of the trip had been to fish, the fish weren’t cooperating and soon Jordan discovered that he was starving. Finally, he discovered that his dirty clothes attracted the fish when he attempted to wash them and he was able to easily scoop up the fish he needed with a hand net.
Miraculously, Jordan was able to survive through rationing his food, a bit of good luck, and, according to him, divine protection. Jordan didn’t have much on the boat after the first capsizing event, but did retain his Holy Bible. After returning to shore Jordan thanked God for his rescue. He mentioned that he grew spiritually while marooned, studying his bible, and now wants to dedicate his life to serving others and love.
