Australian castaway rescued off Mexico coast says he survived ‘a lot of sushi’ and admits ‘I didn’t think I would make it’ in first interview after three months stranded at sea with his dog

An Australian sailor who was rescued by a Mexican tuna boat after drifting at sea with his dog Bella for three months is “grateful” to be alive after setting foot on dry land for the first time since his ordeal.

Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, 54, revealed he survived on “a lot of sushi” after he disembarked the fishing boat that rescued him, the Maria Delia, in the Mexican town of Manzanillo on Tuesday.

‘I’m feeling good. I feel a lot better than I was, I tell you,” Shaddock, smiling, bearded and thin, told reporters on the wharf in the port city, about 210 miles west of Mexico City.

“I am immensely grateful to the captain and fishing company that saved my life. I’m alive and I didn’t think I’d make it,” said Shaddock, adding that he and his “wonderful” dog, Bella, are doing well.

The Sydney man’s catamaran set sail from the Mexican city of La Paz for tropical French Polynesia in April, only to be crippled by bad weather during the 3,700-mile journey.

He said the last time he saw land was in early May when he left the Sea of ​​Cortez and headed into the Pacific Ocean. There was a full moon.

Shaddock described himself as a quiet person who likes to be alone on the ocean. When asked why he left Mexico’s Baja Peninsula to cross the Pacific Ocean, Shaddock struggled to provide an explanation.

“I’m not sure I have the answer to that, but I really like sailing and I like the people of the sea,” he said. ‘It is the people of the sea who ensure that we all come together. The ocean is within us. We are the ocean.’

Shaddock said he was well supplied, but a storm knocked out his electronics and cooking ability. He and Bella survived on raw fish.

“It was a lot of chewing on ‘sushi,'” he joked, pointing out how “thin” he’d gotten.

Shaddock said there were “many, many, many bad days” at sea, but also good ones.

“The energy, the fatigue is the hardest part,” he said. He passed the time fixing things and stayed positive by getting in the water to “just enjoy being in the water.”

“I would try to find happiness within myself, and I found that a lot alone at sea. I would also go into the water, just enjoy being in the water.’

“There were many, many, many bad days and many good days,” he said.

Shaddock said he was well supplied, but a storm knocked out his electronics and cooking ability. He and Bella survived on raw fish

Shaddock and his dog Bella are seen boarding the fishing boat that rescued them at sea

Rescue workers arrive at Shaddock’s crippled catamaran, where the sailor had been adrift for three months after a storm knocked her out of action

Shaddock said the tuna boat became his land and Bella was an instant hit with the crew. The dog is seen playing on the deck after rescue

When the tuna boat helicopter spotted Shaddock’s catamaran about 1,200 miles from land, it was the first sign of humans he’d seen in three months, Shaddock said.

The pilot threw him a drink and then flew off, returning later on a speedboat from the María Delia, he said.

Grupomar, which manages the fishing fleet, did not specify when the rescue took place.

But it said in a statement that Shaddock and his dog were in a “precarious” condition when they were found, without facilities and shelter, and that the tuna boat crew was providing them with medical attention, food and hydration.

Shaddock said the tuna boat became his land and Bella was an instant hit with the crew. He also explained how he and the dog met.

“Bella found me more or less in the middle of Mexico. She’s Mexican,” he said. “She’s the spirit of the middle of the country and she wouldn’t let me go. I tried to find her a home three times and she kept following me out onto the water. She’s a lot braver than I am, that’s for sure.’

Australian sailor Tim Shaddock smiles after arriving in Manzanillo harbor on Tuesday

The crew of the Mexican tuna boat “Maria Delia” pose for photos with Australian Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock’s dog Bella, whom they both rescued at sea

A fishing boat crew member will adopt Bella from Shaddock provided he takes good care of the dog

Maybe that’s why Bella didn’t leave the boat until Shaddock drove off on Tuesday.

He had already chosen Genaro Rosales, a crew member from Mazatlan, to adopt her on the condition that he take good care of the dog.

Shaddock said he is going back to Australia soon and is looking forward to seeing his family.

Antonio Suarez, president of Grupomar, said this could be the last voyage of the María Delia, as he is modernizing the company’s fleet and the boat is the smallest and is more than 50 years old.

If so, it would be a “beautiful farewell, saving lives,” Suarez said.