U.S. sailor Louis Jordan was reported missing by his family after failing to hear from him since he set sail on Jan. 23. He was eventually found and rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. Officials noted that Jordan appeared to be in fairly good condition.
The 37-year-old sailor said he survived his 66 days of being lost at sea by rationing his water supply and praying for help. He would limit his water to one pint a day and would eat raw fish, he said.
"Every day I was like, 'Please God, send me some rain, send me some water," said Jordan.
Records show Jordan set sail on Jan. 23 out of the Bucksport Plantation Marina in Conway in South Carolina, where he lived on a docked sailboat. His mother, Norma Davis of Jacksonville in North Carolina, recalled Jordan was "going into the open water to sail and do some fishing."
"We expected him to come back and he did not return," said Davis.
On Jan. 29, Frank Jordan, Louis' father, started to notify the Coast Guard in Miami that it had been a week since he last saw or heard from his son. Another week passed, but his son was still missing.
After 66 days of being lost at sea, Jordan was spotted on his 35-foot sailboat by the crew of a German-flagged container ship. His location was about 200 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras. He was taken to a hospital in Norfolk in Virginia by a Coast Guard helicopter crew.
"He walked over to me as soon as I landed on deck and had a small smile on his face," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyle McCollum. "My initial impression of him was he was in pretty good health. We were expecting worse with blisters and severe sunburn and dehydration."
Jordan said he was traveling north when his sailboat was hit by bad weather. A wave crashed into his window, filling his boat with water.
Initial reports said that he had shoulder injury and showed signs of dehydration, but Jordan arrived at the hospital in good condition. He decided later on that further treatment was no longer necessary.
