Life is supposed to be about our journey through it, rather than our destination.
But when our goal is simply to get home safely, that might be an exception.
Australian sailor Tim Shaddock and his dog, Bella, set sail from La Paz, Mexico, back in April and were on a course to French Polynesia more than 3,700 miles away.
Due to a terrible storm, though, Shaddock's plans were blown away when his catamaran fishing boat was severely damaged and his communications went completely offline with no way to repair them offshore.
Shaddock and his companion spent the majority of the next three months adrift on the broken-down vessel, surviving off of rainwater, which provided them with a source of fresh water, and raw fish. Shaddock also protected the two of them from harmful sun rays using what he could from the boat's remaining canopy, as well as wearing multiple hats.
Thanks to a tuna crawler that was passing through the area, accompanied by a helicopter, Shaddock and Bella were discovered off the coast of Mexico.
The pair was found to be "in very good health," though Shaddock is looking forward to a long bought of rest and company after being alone on a boat for so long. Bella, especially, was doing well, as Shaddock had made sure she remained well-fed.
Sea survival expert Professor Mike Tipton weighed in on the situation, pointing out the many things Shaddock had done right.
The most important things, Tipton pointed out, were sourcing fresh water and staying out of the sun, both of which Shaddock had managed to do in part.
He also cited the importance of luck and skill, both of which Tipton believed Shaddock possessed.
But Tipton also pointed out how mentally taxing this likely was for Shaddock.
"Just knowing that it needed to rain in order to survive, and not knowing any weather forecast, is in itself pretty stressful."
"And so you're living very much from day to day, and you have to have a very positive mental attitude in order to get through this kind of ordeal and not give up."
"He had his dog with him (Bella), which may have helped tremendously in terms of not being completely isolated, so I think that may have well made a difference."
"But also, having a plan, having a plan day by day, rationing yourself in terms of water and food, you know, living day by day is really the secret to surviving on the seas."
You can watch the video here:
“Luck and skill’: Sailor and dog survive three months lost at sea | 9 News Australiawww.youtube.com
Twitter was left inspired by the story and grateful Shaddock and Bella were well.
Despite the good news, Shaddock does not appear interested to go back on board anytime soon.
"I have been through a very difficult ordeal at sea. I'm just needing rest and good food because I have been alone at sea a long time."
Shaddock was also grateful that Bella had survived the journey and stated she was "a lot braver" than he was.
Only time will tell if Shaddock will eventually share more of his story on the sea with Bella, but in the meantime, everyone is grateful the pair made it home safely, and now they have all the time to rest at their destination.
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
