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Aussie sailor and his dog survives two months alone at sea

An Australian sailor and his dog has survived two months alone at sea after a storm left them stranded in the Pacific Ocean.

Sydney resident, Tim Shaddock, 51, and his dog, Bella, were rescued from their disabled catamaran by a tuna trawler last week after two months adrift.

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According to 9News, Shaddock set off in April from La Paz, Mexico, on a 3,700-mile journey to French Polynesia, during which a storm erupted and damaged their vessel.

The storm knocked out the boat’s communications, and Shaddock and Bella were left adrift in the North Pacific.

Shaddock says they ate raw fish and drank rainwater to stay alive, and Shaddock hid under the boat’s canopy to avoid sunburn.

They were discovered off the coast of Mexico by a helicopter that was accompanying a tuna trawler.

The crew filmed the moment they came across Tim Shaddock and his dog. Footage of the rescue shows a very gaunt Shaddock saying he only had “fishing gear, survival gear” aboard the catamaran.

Reports say Shaddock was discovered with normal vital signs and didn’t suffer any major injuries. Bella was also found in good health.

“I have been through a very difficult ordeal at sea,” Shaddock told 9News. “I’m just needing rest and good food because I have been alone at sea a long time.”

Shaddock revealed he had a brush with death in the past and claimed in a 2013 blog post that he undertook a ‘fully raw’ diet to beat stage four bowel cancer.

 

 

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