Louis Jordan: How He Survived 66 Days at Sea
For two months, his ability to survive was tested: He was alone, injured and hungry. And then, finally, he was rescued.
After Louis Jordan embarked on a fishing trip fromSouth Carolina in January, he said, his sailboat capsized. Jordan said he broke his collarbone and his boat drifted away from the coast.
On Thursday, after 66 days at sea, Jordan was picked up by the Coast Guard 200 miles off theNorth Carolina coast. Jordan was hospitalized with a shoulder injury and dehydration, but he refused treatment and was released early Friday morning, according to the Associated Press, citing the hospital.
So how did the 37-year-old survive?
What supplies did he have?
When his boat flipped over, Jordan lost most of his equipment, including his captain's log, GPS devices and rice, he said in an interview with ABC News.
"We don't know where he capsized," said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss, according to the AP, adding that the Coast Guard will need to talk to him at length to learn more.
What did he eat?
For Jordan, a key to survival was pancakes. He made two or three of the breakfast staple each day with flour fried in oil.
He also caught fish. To drink, Jordan relied on rainwater, which he said tasted like coconut milk.
Jordan claimed to have rationed his water to about one pint per day, the AP reported.
His father, Frank Jordan, told CNN Thursday he wasn't too worried about his son going without food because he had fasted before.
However, he told reporters today, "Sometimes I cried so much that I thought there just wasn't anything left.
"After about two months I just ... started to think, 'It's over, I lost my son,'" he added.
How did his faith help?
Jordan said he regularly prayed and read his Bible while at sea.
"He told me on the phone that he was praying the whole time," Frank Jordan said to CNN. "I believe that sustained him."
The ordeal gave him perspective, Jordan said, adding that he'd like to have children one day.
Jordan said he was more worried about his family and friends than himself.
"Their poor hurt feelings: If I’m ever going to show up again or not, not knowing if I abandoned them, that’s really worrying," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
