The suspense surrounding the disappearance of the 66-year-old Spanish businessman, who fell from a catamaran in the Ionian Sea and has been missing since August 18, continues unabated.
According to his wife’s account, the man had reportedly caught a tuna that had taken the bait. While trying to move it, he reportedly slipped on the fish’s blood and fell into the sea.
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Immediately, the 66-year-old—according to his wife—shouted at her to stop the boat. “Mentsou, Mentsou, turn off the engine,” he told her, as his wife recounted.
READ ALSO: Thriller in the Ionian Sea: Spanish businessman fell from a boat; his wife was left adrift on the unmanned sailboat for 3 days
However, the woman tried to react; yet, despite holding a boat operator’s license, she was unable to stop the catamaran, resulting in the boat continuing to drift away from the spot where the 66-year-old had fallen.
Towing the catamaran proved difficult
Captain Alexandros Triantos, who took charge of towing the catamaran to the Pylos marina, spoke to MEGA and described the difficulties involved in the entire process.
As he explained, he was notified by the Port Authority at approximately 8:00 a.m. that a woman was in danger aboard an unmanned sailboat, about 20 nautical miles off the coast of Sapienza.
“I rushed straight there. I left the people on another boat I own and set out immediately. Everything here is for the rescue, because life comes first above all else,” he said.
It took him about three hours to reach the spot, where he found the catamaran and the 66-year-old man’s wife.
“The woman was in shock”
“She was in shock on the boat, because my first concern was the woman. With the little English I know, she told me she was on the boat, and I immediately began towing it to a safe location,” he described.
The weather conditions made the operation even more difficult, as winds reached 4 to 5 on the Beaufort scale and the sea was very choppy. The tow to the Pylos marina took about six hours.
“I could tell she was anxious and confused. As soon as I moored the catamaran at the Pylos marina, the Port Authority arrived and began speaking with her. I wasn’t able to have much contact with her. She was anxious and disoriented,” the captain said.
Three days alone on the catamaran
The 66-year-old man’s wife reportedly was unable to react immediately after her husband fell overboard. As the couple’s son explained, the woman holds a recreational boat operator’s license; however, as he noted, “it’s different when you have to take control of such a large boat under these conditions.”
The woman tried to call for help, but there was no cell phone signal and no way to communicate. So she remained alone on the boat for three days, not knowing what had happened to her husband.
Although she had supplies, she was essentially cut off from the world and repeatedly tried to contact emergency services, to no avail. Finally, after three days, she managed to get a signal and contacted a family friend, who alerted the authorities and raised the alarm.
Emergency services subsequently located the catamaran and took control of it, while the search for the 66-year-old Spanish businessman continues.
Source: In.gr
