The islander had the word “help” (help in English) engraved on his helmet when he was found 120 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Bolívar in the department of La Guajira (north).
“On January 15 I saw a plane go by. I had a mirror and I began to send it some signals” with the reflection of the sun, “when I saw it go by twice, I realized that they had seen me,” Francois explained.
The Navy received the information from the aircraft and rescued the man with the help of a merchant ship.
The videos show a doctor listening to the survivor, while he ensures that he feels well.
In December of last year, François worked repairing a sailboat off a port on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, in the Netherlands Antilles.
In the midst of “adverse” weather conditions, man “was washed up into the open sea”according to a Navy bulletin.
“Without having any kind of knowledge in navigation, he was lost and disoriented at sea, his efforts to maneuver the boat and the equipment on board did not yield results”added the text.
François tried to make calls with his cell phone, but he had no signal.
“There was nothing more I could do than sit and wait (…) 24 days without land, with no one to talk to, without knowing what to do, or where I was. It was hard, at times I lost hope, I thought about my family “François confessed.
The Dominican was handed over to the immigration authorities to coordinate the return to his country.
Source: Ambito
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