A Californian man, missing for over a month in the Pacific, has been found alive near Hawaii.
Kai Sato, 39, departed from Catalina Island on June 7, but after just two weeks, disaster struck. His yacht’s mast broke, he ran out of fuel, his phone was damaged, and he ended up adrift, far off his intended path.
As his chances of rescue dwindled, he felt despondent and described himself as a “sitting duck,” spending days crying.
He shared with Hawaii News Now, “I cried all week and just drifted south in misery. I felt like I was going to turn on the motor and choke and kill myself.”
Feeling helpless, he noted that the current was pulling him well off course.
However, after five days of contemplation, he decided to take action and started emergency repairs on his vessel using a PVC pipe and a kayak paddle.
To survive, he relied on leftover oatmeal, fish, and squid he managed to catch, even drinking condensed seawater from a bucket at times.
Sato spent nearly a month trying to get his boat back on course from California to Hawaii. Ultimately, he was dramatically rescued on Tuesday by a cargo ship heading to the island.
Footage he recorded onboard showed the damage to his yacht, including a broken mast and turbulent waves crashing around it.
The rescuers had to make two attempts to lower a ladder to bring him on board. After weeks of hardship, they provided him with clothes and food.
He expressed his relief, saying, “Oh my god, yeah, ecstatic, you know what I mean? I almost cried and looked so happy. And then they gave me fruit and water. Yeah, they were so good to me, they were.”
Currently, Sato is staying with family in Hawaii but plans to travel to the Philippines on a larger vessel.
