Shipwrecked sailor Luke Mainwaring, who has been drifting alone in the South Pacific for the past 67 days, is self-isolating in accordance with World Health Organisation guidance aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Mainwaring, 47, was four hundred miles out of Opua enroute to Fiji when his boat was dismasted in a severe storm. Unable to cut the rig away in time, the broken mast punched a hole in the fibreglass hull below the waterline and the Vacant Gaze, which was carrying neither a locator beacon nor a supply of face masks, sank in minutes.
“The advice is that you should only ever step up into a liferaft. Nobody said anything about grabbing the hand sanitizer as you go.”
The liferaft is equipped with only a hand-cranked VHF radio, fishing line, basic first aid kit, plastic sextant, heliograph and a pack of flares. This hasn’t prevented Mainwaring from improvising a sign he can display to any passing vessels, warning them to keep clear.
“And if that fails I can always zip up the raft canopy and remain inside.”
In addition to contending with heat and boredom, Mainwaring has extensive saltwater sores from the constant hand washing he is required to practice. Adding to the psychological pressure, wind and current aren’t in his favour and he has now drifted well outside the usual shipping lanes, with only a vanishingly slim chance of rescue.
“In this situation you simply have to make contact with any ship you see, and on day 50 I managed to sight a Japanese freighter. You can imagine my immense relief when the Nissan Maru changed course towards me. Their radio officer spoke only marginal English so it was touch and go explaining how grateful I was to be rescued and why they mustn’t come near me.”
“As it was the Nissan Maru turned to starboard at the last moment and they never came closer than twenty metres.”
“Just as well because all the crew were lining the rails to wave and I could see none of them were wearing face masks.”
Mainwaring used his last container of water ten days later and with no rain forecast is almost certain to die of dehydration in the next few days. He is believed to be free of coronavirus.