A California sailor, Kai Sato, survived a harrowing series of disasters after spending a month adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
The 39-year-old left Catalina Island on June 7 hoping for his first solo sail to Hawaii. However, after just two weeks, his journey met with disaster when his boat’s mast snapped, leaving him crippled.
He tried to reach shore but quickly ran out of fuel. On top of that, his phone died, cutting him off from communication.
As he drifted helplessly outside major shipping lanes, he mentioned that he “cried for a whole week”, describing himself as “a sitting duck: being carried south by the current.
For continuously contemplating his faith for five consecutive days, he “felt like he just tried to turn my motor on and just suffocate, to kill myself.”
But in that moment he decided to fight back. With the help of PVC pipes and kayak paddles, he constructs makeshift repairs, slowly manoeuvring his damaged boat back toward the shipping route.
With his survival becoming increasingly desperate, he ran out of fresh water on July 11. To stay alive, he collected seawater in buckets and gathered the condensate with plastic bags as it evaporated. He fed on the remaining oatmeal and the fish and squids which got caught in his boat.
One month later, Sato managed to steer himself into the path of traffic between California and Hawaii. On July 21, he was discovered by the container ship Pasha Hawaii. With two attempts, they brought him aboard using the rope ladder.
Describing his emotions, Sato said: “You know what I mean? Like I was crying and so happy.”
Despite being struck in the ocean for over a month, Sato now plans for another voyage, with a larger boat trip to the Philippines.
2026-07-27 19:56:00
