Kai Sato, 39, left Catalina Island on June 7 and lost his mast about two weeks into the voyage, leaving him adrift after running out of fuel and losing phone contact. After a week of despair he jury-rigged repairs with PVC pipe and kayak paddles and survived on oatmeal, fish, squid and collected condensation. Nearly a month later the container ship Pasha Hawaii spotted his damaged boat and rescued him after two attempts to lower a rope ladder. Sato is recovering with a relative in Hawaii and plans to sail to the Philippines in a larger vessel.
California Sailor Found Alive After Nearly a Month Adrift Off Hawaii
A California man who went missing in the Pacific Ocean for nearly a month has been rescued after drifting off Hawaii. Kai Sato, 39, departed Catalina Island on June 7 and was found alive by the crew of the container ship Pasha Hawaii after his small sailboat suffered catastrophic damage.
Stranded After Mast Failure
About two weeks into his voyage Sato's mast snapped, he ran out of fuel and his phone died, leaving him adrift and carried away from established shipping lanes by ocean currents. With no way to call for help, he spent days feeling hopeless and isolated.
"I cried for a whole week, just drifting south, like miserable," Sato told Hawaii News Now. "I felt like a sitting duck, just getting taken south by the current going way off course."
Improvisation and Survival
On the fifth day he forced himself to act. Using PVC pipe and kayak paddles, he improvised repairs to regain a measure of control over the disabled vessel. He survived on leftover oatmeal and the occasional fish and squid that came aboard, and collected condensation in a bucket to drink. "I was just licking that to survive," he said.
Rescue and Recovery
Nearly a month after leaving California, Sato drifted back toward a shipping lane where he was spotted by the crew of the Pasha Hawaii. Sailors had to lower a rope ladder twice before they could bring him safely aboard. Once on board he was given food, water and clothing and described feeling overwhelmed with relief.
"Oh my God, yeah, like ecstatic, you know what I mean? Like I was like crying and like so happy," Sato said of his rescue. "They got me fruit and water, and yeah, they were so good to me, those guys."
Sato is now staying with a relative in Hawaii and says he intends to continue sailing in the future, but from a larger, better-equipped vessel bound for the Philippines.
A California man who went missing in the Pacific Ocean for over a month has been found alive drifting off Hawaii. Hawaii News Now
Kai Sato, 39, left Catalina Island on June 7 but two weeks later the mast on his sailboat snapped, he ran out of gas and his phone died, leaving him floating helplessly outside of shipping lanes. Kai Sato
He said he was left crying for days as he gave up and felt "like a sitting duck" as the waves pushed him further from any chance of being rescued. Hawaii News Now
He said he felt like a "like a sitting duck, just getting taken south by the current going way off course." Kai Sato
After five days of thinking, he snapped into action and began makeshift repairs to the boat with PVC pipes and kayak paddles. Kai Sato
It took the sailors two attempts to lower a rope ladder to save Sato, where he was given clothes and food after weeks living off anything he could find. Hawaii News Now
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