Could you survive on a diet of coconut and rats for 33 days?

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Source: Jonas Dücker on Unsplash 

US Coast Guard rescues three Cubans stranded on desert island for 33 days 

  • Two men and a woman swam to Anguilla Cay after boat capsized
  • Unclear if Cubans were trying to reach United States

The US Coast Guard rescued three Cuban nationals stranded on a desert island for roughly five weeks, after officers saw the group waving a makeshift flag to gain their attention. 

The group, including two men and a woman, had been living on an uninhabited Bahamian island, Anguilla Cay, for 33 days after their boat capsized. 

The US Coast Guard found them while flying a routine mission from the Florida Keys, and told the Florida Sun Sentinel the group lived off coconuts, conch and rats while on the island. 

“We were alerted to them by the flags that they actually had in addition to a large cross that they put out there for themselves,” helicopter pilot Mike Allert told the Miami TV station WPLG. 

The pilot said he then decided to fly back around Anguilla Cay to investigate and a crew returned to the island later on Monday to drop water, food and a radio. 

A helicopter crew returned on Tuesday to pick them up.



Coast Guard officials said the group told them their boat capsized in rough waters and they were able to swim to the island. 

“Being out in those harsh elements for a long period of time, they were very happy to see us,” Allert told ABC’s Good Morning America. 

It was not immediately clear whether they were migrants attempting to come to the United States or if they were just lost at sea, Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Murray told the South Florida SunSentinel. 

They were taken to the Lower Keys medical center, where none appeared to have serious injuries. 

The group had also built themselves a temporary shelter, a Coast Guard official said. 

“I cannot recall a time that we saved people who were stranded for over a month on an island. That is a new one for me.”

Source: Guardian 

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Comments

Sir Joseph said…
Hi Graham,

Two Cuban men and a Cuban woman stranded on a desert island after their boat capsized. They were for five weeks feeding off coconuts, conchs and rats. Is what there was. Getting conchs and coconuts is easy, but catching rats is very difficult, I wonder how they did it. Anyway, they survived, what it´s the most important thing and their story ended happily.

There are a lot of cases of shipwrecks and the history is full of different stories like the Titanic, the most famous shipwreck. However, the biggest shipwreck of the history took place in 1945, during the Second World War, when a Russian Submarine sank the German transatlantic Wilhelm Gustloff which it took refugees and children. It caused about 9.000 deads.

It´s true that, generally speaking, a survivor loses everything and he touches, but it didn´t bring tears to eyes in ancient cultures such as the Barbarians sacrificed survivors to God, I suppose they had their heart of stone

See you.
Saturday, 20 March, 2021
Graham said…
Good afternoon Joe,

I can't remember having heard of the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff. Yet another dreadful consequence of war.

I doubt I would be able to survive many days on a desert island. I know that I would not be able to kill and eat rats; neither would I eat conchs. I wonder how long I could survive just on coconuts.


Two Cuban men and a Cuban woman were stranded on a desert island after their boat capsized. For four or five weeks they fed on coconuts, conchs and rats. It is all there was. Getting conchs and coconuts is easy, but catching rats is very difficult, I wonder how they did it. Anyway, they survived; which is the most important thing and their story ended happily. (Two mistakes with it + is Grrrrr!

There are a lot of cases of shipwrecks and history is full of different stories like the Titanic, the most famous shipwreck. However, the biggest shipwreck in history took place in 1945, during the Second World War, when a Russian Submarine sank the German transatlantic Wilhelm Gustloff, which had refugees including children on board. It caused about 9,000 deaths.

It´s true that, generally speaking, a survivor loses everything and his story is moving, but it didn't bring tears to eyes in ancient cultures such as the Barbarians, who sacrificed survivors to God, I suppose they had hearts of stone.
Monday, 22 March, 2021
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