Missing sailor rescued after 66 days at sea

Saturday, April 4, 2015, 5:07 AM - A sailor missing at sea for 66 days has been rescued and taken ashore.

37-year-old Louis Jordan and his boat Angel had been missing since January 23 when a cargo ship spotted him 320 km east of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. They took him aboard, and the U.S. Coast Guard airlifted him to safety in Norfolk, Virginia.

The USCG says a debrief is planned for Jordan, who has been reunited with his family and walked under his own power into hospital when he was back on solid ground.

It seems his boat flipped during bad weather one night, causing him to lose most of his supplies, including his stove, along with most of his supplies. He was forced to survive on rainwater while using his laundry to catch passing fish.

LISTEN: Louis Jordan's first phone call with his father, Frank

"I rationed my water to where I had drunk about a pint a day. For such a long a time I was so thirsty," He told WAVY. "And I was almost out of water, and everyday I was like please God send me some rain, send me some water. Begging God, please. And finally right before I ran out of water, finally the conditions were perfect."

Jordan says he struggled to attract the attention of the container ship that ultimately took him aboard, only being noticed when he waved his arms.

After being reunited with his family, he was treated at the hospital for dehydration, but soon released.

"I was worried about them more than anything else,” he told ABC. "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."

SOURCES: US Coast Guard | WAVY | ABC

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