lavarthebeast Posted September 26, 2002 Share Posted September 26, 2002 I'm always skeptical on anything from the media due to personal experience, but this is an interesting read. 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 Wednesday'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.'' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted September 26, 2002 Share Posted September 26, 2002 ummmmm....nothin better than some spit roasted seagull....think I'll head on over to the beer thread and get me something to go along with it. is seagull considered a white or dark meat? anybody than eats seagull has definitely embraced their survival instinct (although I have eaten an entire rabbit -eyes and all - after 4 days without food). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavarthebeast Posted September 26, 2002 Author Share Posted September 26, 2002 After reading this over a bit, I think it is probably a well-planned hoax. His planned trip was just 25 miles for about three hours.....and yet he had food that lasted for a whole week? Interesting. The average sailor who goes sailing for three hours would take just a jar of peanuts and a six pack of beer, plus a gallon of drinking water, possibly a girlfriend, too...but not one whole week worth of food. Did anyone ever check if there was indeed a storm out of San Diego on that same day that he said he set sail? If he drifted in the Pacific for three months, he should have ended somewhere in the middle of the Pacific, perhaps in the Marianas, or down south to Papua New Guinea.....NOT just off Costa Rica! This guy was probably just drifting close to the shores of the Americas and the only sad thing was that he refused to go back home. Lost 40 lbs? After three months, really, he should have lost at least 140 lbs. It's convenient that the article leaves out any facts regarding his weight before setting sail... He might have actually gained 40 lbs doing nothing but bashing turtles and smashing birds' skulls and stroking the monkey. A grill on board a daysailer? Me thinks this man was well-prepared. His plan was to avoid digging too far into the pacific where it would be much more difficult for him to be spotted and rescued. He made sure he was close enough to land and within the shipping route. He probably spent much of his time counting the ships that sailed by, apart from sleeping and reading Penthouse mags. This is no survival story. Just another lazy man who wants to make big bucks trying to fool people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nighthawk Posted September 26, 2002 Share Posted September 26, 2002 This guy actually lived on his boat which is why he had enough food for a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted September 26, 2002 Share Posted September 26, 2002 I dunno about it being a hoax if he had a jury-rigged mast and then sunk the boat after he was rescued ... sinking your own boat like that is a pretty big financial hit to take and an awfully big risk to take that you'll make money out of it in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted September 26, 2002 Share Posted September 26, 2002 The Navy deemed the vessel unseaworthy and sank it after the rescued guy gave his ok. Of course, they probably would have sank it anyways. I dunno how this could be anything other than a true story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted September 26, 2002 Share Posted September 26, 2002 lavar, are you serious thinking this is a hoax? I guess you won't believe me when I tell you that we landed on the moon! :laugh: I live out here, and it's a true story, and an amazing one at that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brave Posted September 26, 2002 Share Posted September 26, 2002 The average sailor who goes sailing for three hours would take just a jar of peanuts and a six pack of beer, plus a gallon of drinking water, possibly a girlfriend, too...but not one whole week worth of food. If you're stuck out at sea with nothing else that might make a pretty good week's worth of food and drink. Not that I have any experience with that, mind you, but ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuckinIA Posted September 27, 2002 Share Posted September 27, 2002 Well I suppose you think these poor souls were just pulling some hoax as well. Shame on you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brave Posted September 27, 2002 Share Posted September 27, 2002 Impeccably dressed and quite happy for castaways ... don't you think? I'm suspicious. :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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