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Subscribe to RSSA fisherman who was found alive after drifting in the Pacific Ocean for nearly four months had one request, according to a report on Friday: Get me a "smoke."
Agence France-Presse, citing the Marshall Islands fishing vessel that found the fisherman, said the man was healthy but a friend who had set sail with him on May 28 had died.
The rescued fisherman was named Toakai Teitoi, AFP quoted fisheries observer Ali Ezekiah as saying in a radio message from the rescue vessel to an onshore agent. He was reportedly from Kiribati, an island nation in the Central Pacific.
Teitoi was found by the Marshall Islands fishing vessel Marshalls 203 on Sept. 11, northeast of the tiny island nation of Nauru, AFP reported.
"When the crew brought him on to the fishing boat and asked him what he wanted, the first thing he said was 'smoke,'" or a cigarette, AFP quoted Ezekiah as saying.
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The vessel was due to dock in Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands, this weekend, the news agency said.
Teitoi told his rescuers that his 45-foot boat had suffered engine trouble, AFP reported. He survived by eating fish and drinking rainwater, but his friend died on July 4, according to the report.
It was not immediately clear from where Teitoi set sail. Majuro is more than 400 miles from Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati.
According to the BBC, the Guinness Book of World Records says the record for drifting at sea is held by two fishermen, also from Kiribati, who drifted for 177 days in 1992 before finally landing in Samoa.
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Leave a Comment:
so sorry sir, this a non smoking vessel... want off?
and by the way... you're healthy, fat and fit.... say again how your mate passed...?
Hehe yea, kind of reminds me of a Bugs Bunny episode where two guys are adrift and they start visualizing each other as their favorite foods.
Yea, I'm guessing he ate him too. You know the time honored ritual of sailors at sea "casting lots!"
Well, if he did not eat his mate, none of them would have survived... so, good for him.
Turns out his mates name was was Stu and and his nic name was Fish....
His shipmate's name was Fishun Drincunwata
All that time stranded at sea without cigarettes and he still can't quit smoking????
Survival of the fittest and he ain't doing so well. To get himself in that predicament in the first place and then to want a cigarette first.
Just smokes? That's it? No cold beer or some good p*ssy? He's probably still halucinating...
One would think if he went 4 months without a smoke, he kicked the habit.
First time I ever heard of cigarette's keeping someone alive. I think if I was @ sea for that long with all that time to think, I'd be getting me a girl when we docked. No wait, make that 2 girls.
WILSON!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sorry Wilson!!!! Oh Well...God i could use a cigarette....
No way in hell I'm ever getting on a boat without a plan of action in case the motor goes out. Surely there must be a safety step they overlooked, right? Oh, and sorry for calling you Shirley.
SSB radio or satellite phone are two possible solutions.
Men get lost on the sea all the time. Very unforgiving environment. I do some coastal sailing and always carry EPIRB, the distress radio beacon transmitter, along with all the other normal safety gear. Thank God I never had to use it but it is comforting to have it with you just in case.
If you haven't smoked in 4 months, (or whenever your smokes ran out) then it would be a good time to quit! but then again, i dont know what its like to be adrift all alone for 4 months either.
So did he get a smoke or not?! The story doesn't say either way. Nice way to suck me in with the headline and then not deliver. You Bastards!!
P.C. dictates that we not know that he was healthy, got a smoke, and he dug it.
Besides, nothing rounds off having your shipmate over for dinner than a smoke
a smoke....a smoke is the first thing you asked for...
must have been yanking that monkey just prior to getting found...
only reason i can think of for wanting a smoke afterwards....
so you know all about that eh?.................................:)
Q. Do you smoke after intercourse?
A. I don't know .... I've never looked.
Personally, after four months, I'd be asking for something ELSE that is already "smokin"...if you get my "drift"!
Record held by fellow countrymen, sounds like a national pastime.
how about a new pair of underware.
um, he is a commander so he went commando. BJ is a better answer
John Doe, you would most likely ask for a dictionary or spell checker!
so...as these two are fishermen and sushi is thought to be a delicacy , how did one die?.
exposure? if so to what? could it have been a _______— or swim situation?..............................:)
this guy needs a new partner.....any takers?.......................:)
How in the world in this day and age do you go out to sea without at least an emergency locator beacon? They are inexpensive have a long battery and operating life and when used send out an automatic distress call on all emergency channels. This includes the location of the unit for resuce ships to find easily.
For Gods sake man, this poor guy is probably a sustenance fisherman from Kiribati. What is "inexpensive" to you could be a small fortune to him.
Mike: With a 45 foot boat I think not. I cannot afford a 45 foot fishing boat and I do make good money!
It was probably a boat built on the beach or even what amounts to a planked canoe. I've seen lots of them at sea. not something your usual armchair sailor would even think of going out on. I doubt this guy makes more in a year what many of us make in a week or less. By the way RetiredSFC, I'm willing to bet the guy doesn't even know what "retired" means...
People that haven't looked at a chart or haven't seen the vessels that subsistence fisherman in 3rd world countries use to catch dinner and make a living should refreain from parading their ignorance by posting on stories like this. An emergency beacon even if the fisherman could afford it is probably not even available anywhere in the islands where these folks live. Rescue ships aren't even available in that area.
luckily when i go fishing I'm smart enough to bring all the necessary supplies, you know.....smokes...lots of beer... and of course a woman, after all what else you got to do when the fish ain't biting?..................:)
Fisherman: [dryly] No smoking!? That's what they said the last 3 times. What kind of sailors are you? Throw me back. Damned tourists.
double post
Hope this guy speaks English so we can get an "I survived" episode out of this one...
I agree, but they can always film it with subtitles, so speaking English isn't necessary - just translation. Would make an interesting "I Shouldn't Be Alive" episode!
"Still no sign of land...how long is it?" "That's a rather personal question, sir!"
"You stupid git...I meant how long we've been in the lifeboat! You've spoilt the atmosphere now!"
I'm gonna need a smoke, and can I check my email on this thing?
Further proof of how addicting ciggarets are
You don't sound happy. you sound kind of angry, dude.
oh, and thanks for pointing out someone's faults before you congratulate them on still being alive after a struggle at sea.
I get the feeling that if you had any say in it, you would have wished that either the cigarette or the sea would be this unhappy man's ultimate demise.
That way you wouldn't have to think of the prospect of anyone not being just like you. So Happy, so healthy.
pound sand, bigot.
Some people really, really enjoy smoking, despite knowing the risks - alcoholic beverage consumption, dude, is the same.
How sad that you seem to think you need to preach to those who adopt 'evil' ways, in lieu of any sign of relief that he's actually survived.
Yeah Smoker guy ! I'll send you a CARTON!
If the darn smokers could put their butts where they belong, maybe he wouldn't be so angry, DUDE
I'd drift four months at sea for a Camel.
I find the 3 dates interesting...
- Set sail on Memorial Day
- Friend died 4th of July
- Found September 11th
Of course I realize all of these dates are significant only to the U.S., just found them odd. Their boat was 45ft in length (45ft = 4+5=9) and there were 2 of them aboard (2 men = 1+1) so one could say it is odd they/he was found on 9/11. Yes, I realize I have too much free time.
Can I bid on the tin foil concession at your next meeting?
How does the saying go? Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.....
No, it goes like this.
"Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he sits in a boat and drinks beer all day"
And has his shipmate for dessert
Im glad I dont smoke. I would have said, need bj
man he's stupid, he could have used that as an opportunity to quit smoking. It took me ten tries to finally kick it. It is TOUGH, man. After about 4 months it starts to get a little easier, but it could take a year maybe two to finally not think about cigarettes. But all it takes is one or two, and you're back in there again full force.
no, nicotine isn't addictive.
not steak, cold drink, sex... cigarette. this guy knows how to live!