Man Rescued After Daring Pacific Solo Sail Turns Into 45-Day Fight For Survival

An American man was rescued last week after a solo sailing accident left him lost in the Pacific Ocean for 45 days.  

Californian Kaichi “Kai” Sato, 39, embarked off Catalina Island near California’s coast on June 7. He was attempting to complete his first solo sail across the Pacific Ocean, The New York Post reported. However, his journey took a turn for the worse when his mast snapped in half just two weeks into the solo sail.

“I cried for a whole week, just drifting south, like miserable,” Sato told Hawaii News Now. “I felt like I was going to just try to turn my motor on and just suffocate, to kill myself.”

To add to his misery, his motor ran out of gas when he tried to power through to the shore, leaving him completely at the mercy of the winds and waves.

“I was literally like a sitting duck, just getting taken south by the current going way off course,” said Sato.

After five days of contemplation and reflection on his misfortune, he decided to do whatever was necessary to survive. Sato began by repairing the sails as best he could with PVC pipes and kayak paddles. For food, Sato said he ate leftover oatmeal, along with fish and squid that landed on his boat. He also collected seawater in buckets and covered them with plastic bags, which he used to collect condensation that he could lick off the bags.

Sato also attributed his spiritual discipline to the success of his voyage, saying he meditated and spoke to the water and the wind. As he fought to survive, Sato reflected on his uncle, a mentor who sailed with him from California to Hawaii when Sato was a young boy.

Sato spent a month at sea before he made his way back to his original route from California to Hawaii, and was soon spotted by a Pasha Hawaii container ship called the “M/V George III” on July 21.

Sato reported that he was “ecstatic” after being rescued, and added, “I was like crying and like so happy, and then they got me fruit and water, and yeah, they were so good to me, those guys.”

According to a statement from Captain Eric Veloni, the ship’s crew found him 900 miles from the coast of Hawaii and provided Sato with a BBQ meal after recovering him.

The California man said he plans to stay with a relative in Hawaii and then sail for the Philippines, this time on a bigger boat with other passengers.