Australian sailor, Tim Shaddock, who survived a vain two months in the Pacific Ocean with an “amazing” talking dog

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by Nicholas McIntyre

July 19, 2023 | 3:08 a.m

The Australian man, who spent more than two months at sea, spoke to his dog as his storm-wrecked boat drifted more than 1,000 miles from shore, as he set foot on land for the first time on Tuesday.

Tim Shaddock, 51, who was rescued by a Mexican tuna boat this weekend along with his dog Bella, said he was doing much better than he was a week ago.

“I feel much better than I’ve been,” Shaddock told reporters as he got off the boat in the port of Manzanilla, a city about 210 miles west of Mexico City.

Shaddock’s journey began in April when the Sydney, Australia resident set off from La Paz, Mexico and attempted to sail across the Pacific Ocean to French Polynesia.

However, Shaddock’s raft was damaged by a storm about a month into the voyage.

One of the victims of the storm was the boat’s electronic system, which turned the white boat into a mere expensive catamaran.

Shaddock was rescued when a helicopter spotted his boat 1,200 miles offshore and alerted a seizure boat, the “Maria Delia”.

To the captain and this fishing company that saved my life I mean what do you say? I am so grateful, I am alive. Shaddock said.

Shaddock said he struggled with fatigue and spent his time swimming in the water and fixing things on the boat.

He added, “I feel really good, I’ve been struggling because I know your health has been really bad for a while, I was so hungry I didn’t think I’d make it through the storm but now I’m doing really well.”

Shaddock managed to survive from the supplies he had already packed for the voyage with the fish he caught.

“I’ve done a lot of hunting,” said Shaddock. “I took a lot of things with me very well, I mean I lost my cooking along the way so there was plenty of tuna sushi, but it was enough. I’m still very skinny, by the time I came to the fishing boat I was eating way too much.”

The Australian’s journey is made easier with the help of his stowaway, Bella the dog, whom he adopted after the two met in Mexico before the trip.

“She’s amazing, this dog is something else, I’m a little biased but yeah,” said Shaddock. “Bella seems to have found me in the middle of Mexico, she’s Mexican, she’s the soul of the middle country and she won’t let me go.

“I tried to find her a home maybe three times and she kept following me into the water. She is such a beautiful animal and I am thankful she is alive.”

“She’s braver than me, that’s for sure.”

Grupomar, owner of the boat that rescued Shadock, said the Maria Delia was likely destined for retirement but had a “wonderful, life-saving farewell”.

Although he still loves being alone in the ocean, Shaddock doesn’t see himself sailing anytime soon and is looking forward to returning to Australia in the coming weeks.

“I’ll always be in the water, I don’t know how far I’ll be in the ocean again, I just love nature.”

As for Bella, Shaddock left the dog behind with Gennaro Rosales, a member of the Maria Delia crew, who took the dog in on the condition that the dog receive good care, According to the Associated Press.

When photos of his rescue first surfaced, Shaddock was compared to Tom Hanks’ Chuck Noland character in “Cast Away”, appearing emaciated and scruffy with an unkempt beard.

Although his appearance is not the same as before his flight, Chaddock’s health is said to be stable with “normal vital signs,” according to the doctor who examined him. on the boat, he told 9News.