Man Rescued After 66 Days Missing At Sea
A man has been rescued off the US coast more than two months after he was reported missing at sea.
Louis Jordan, 37, was spotted sitting on the upturned hull of his stricken sailboat, a 35ft vessel called Angel, about 200 miles (321 km) off the North Carolina coast.
He was taken aboard the German-registered Houston Express before being hoisted to safety and on to a Virginia hospital by the US Coastguard.
Mr Jordan, reported missing on 29 January, said he survived by rationing his water and energy and praying for help.
Some have expressed scepticism about his story, pointing out he showed no signs of sunburn, dehydration or other ailments.
Despite reports of a shoulder injury and dehydration, he arrived at hospital in good condition and walked away a few hours later.
Mr Jordan told his family that during his ordeal he had managed to catch fish with his hands and drink rainwater.
"Every day I was like, 'Please God, send me some rain, send me some water,'" he told WAVY-TV.
He said he didn't know why the boat had broken down, but that he had not been able to fix it and sail back.
Mr Jordan departed from Conway, South Carolina, in January to "go out and catch some fish", but somehow ended up far off course.
He said he had worried every day that his parents were crying and believed he was dead.
His father, Frank, said: "I thought I lost you."
But he told CNN he had not given up hope Louis would be found alive.
His son's strong constitution and religious beliefs had kept him alive, despite his inexperience as a sailor, he added.
"He told me on the phone that he was praying the whole time, so I believe that sustained him a great deal," said Mr Jordan Snr.
In January last year Jose Salvador Alvarenga, a native of El Salvador who set out from Mexico on a fishing trip, endured 13 months before he was rescued more than 6,000 miles away near the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific.
