By Canadian Press

Australian man and his dog rescued by Mexican tuna boat after drifting 3 months in the Pacific Ocean

Jul 17, 2023 | 9:45 PM

MANZANILLO, Mexico (AP) — An Australian sailor who had been adrift at sea with his dog for three months has been rescued by a Mexican tuna boat in international waters, the fishing vessel’s owner said Monday.

Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, 54, was aboard his incapacitated catamaran Aloha Toa in the Pacific about 1200 miles (1900 kilometers) from land when the crew of the boat from the Grupomar fleet spotted them, the company said in a statement.

The company said Shaddock and his dog Bella were in a “precarious” state when found, lacking provisions and shelter. The tuna boat’s crew gave them medical attention, food and hydration, it said.

Grupomar did not provide specific details on what day Shaddock was rescued or when he had started his voyage.

The tuna boat, captained by Oscar Meza Oregón, was expected to arrive in the Pacific coast port of Manzanillo on Tuesday with Shaddock and Bella.

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Antonio Suárez Gutiérrez, Grupomar’s founder and president, said he was proud of his crew, praising them for their humanity in saving the life of someone in trouble.

Shaddock told Australia’s Nine News television that he and his dog had survived on raw fish and rain water after a storm damaged his vessel and wiped out its electronics.

“I’ve been through a very difficult ordeal at sea and I’m just needing rest and good food because I’ve been alone at sea a long time,” a thin and bearded Shaddock said in video broadcast by Nine on Sunday night Australian time.

“Otherwise, I’m in very good health,” Shaddock added.

The Sydney resident and his dog had sailed from the Mexican city of La Paz for French Polynesia in April, but the voyage ended within weeks, Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.

In photographs of the rescue provided by Grupomar to the AP, a smiling, bearded and thin Shaddock is seen with a blood pressure cuff around his arm, holding a box of pain medication inside the fishing boat’s cabin. In others, Bella is stretched out on the deck. The catamaran floated nearby without a visible sail.

The Associated Press