In April, Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock ventured out from Mexico’s Baja Peninsula to traverse the Pacific Ocean toward French Polynesia. Just a few weeks into the vast 3,700 mile voyage, his catamaran was damaged due to inclement conditions.

The last time he beheld land was in the beginning of May, when during a full moon he left the Sea of Cortez to the Pacific. Fortunately, the personnel of the Maria Delia detected him through their helicopter last week and he was rescued.

My condition has improved. The captain and fishermen who rescued me deserve all of my gratitude, as I was certain I would not survive.

He declared he was well-prepared, yet a storm put his electronics out of commission and abolished his capacity to cook, leading him and Bella to subsist on raw fish.

Numerous days were laden with hardship and adversity, yet some filled with joy and positivity; however, the energy and exhaustion posed the most difficult challenge.

When asked why he decided to journey, he was initially stumped. Not certain of the answer, yet I am captivated by sailing and hold the seafaring folks in great esteem. It is them that connect us altogether. The ocean is a part of us. We are the ocean.

He filled his free time focusing on repairs and managed to stay upbeat by getting into the water to merrily relish the joy of being there. He detailed how he and the pup came upon each other, commented, “Bella kind of stumbled across me while I was in the heart of Mexico. She's Mexican-born and wouldn't let me out of her sight. I tried to have her settle down in a new place 3 times, yet each time, she would inconspicuously tag along and join me out on the sea. She's much bolder than me, no question about that.”

When the tuna boat's helicopter noticed his catamaran around 1,200 miles away from land, it marked the initial indication of people he had bumped into in three months, he related. The pilot pitched him a beverage and flew away, and later returned with a speedboat from the Maria Delia.

Shaddock returned to Australia, sorely having to part with Bella. Fortunately, a member of the personnel who had aided his rescue kindly offered her a new home. He felt deeply thankful that she had also made it through.