Sailor missing 66 days recalls journey
PORTSMOUTH, VA (ABC News) — Louis Jordan had lots of time to think, to reflect, to pray, to hope, to struggle, to wonder whether his life was going to end.
The 37-year-old sailor embarked on a fishing trip on Jan. 23. But after his ship, “The Angel,” capsized, Jordan drifted further and further from the shoreline, eventually being rescued 200 miles off of North Carolina’s coast. He was missing for 66 days, but speaking to ABC News following his rescue, he said the journey felt more like 100 days. His captain’s log was lost in the water, along with his books, rice and most of his supplies.
“My boat got flipped and did a 180 on me while I was sleeping at night, and I was flying through the air and somersaulting and all my junk and all my equipment, all my GPS devices and everything, even my stove dislodged and it was all flying with me, all rolling around,” he said.
Jordan said he suffered a broken collarbone when his boat flipped over.
He survived on gumption, problem-solving and pancakes — two or three each day, flour fried in oil. Jordan was able to capture rainwater, too — when it rains in the ocean, the rainwater tastes like coconut milk, he said. He also used his laundry to trap fish, which proved to be more successful than his net.
“Every ounce of energy, there was food. And I was limited on food,” he told ABC News.
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