The story of the couple who managed to survive 66 days adrift at sea, among shark attacks and eating raw fish
In one of the most fascinating survival stories of recent decades, a couple whose yacht was struck and sunk by a group of killer whales off the coast of Costa Rica survived 66 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean in a rubber raft, with the husband and wife finally saved by a device with the most appropriate name: “Survivor,” People magazine reports.
William and Simone Butler had been three weeks into a circumnavigation of the globe in their 40-foot yacht when they were sunk by whales about 1,930 kilometers off the coast on June 15, 1989.
The two quickly managed to grab food, fishing gear and a pump of about 3.2 kilograms, called Survivor-35 – a hand-operated pump that turns salt water into fresh water – before climbing into a rubber raft.
Their quick reaction proved essential as they would remain stuck in the raft for 66 days, adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
How the two survived two months adrift
For more than two months, they survived mainly on raw fish and “three precious liters of drinking water that William, then 60, obtained daily from the Survivor pump,” People magazine reported at the time. The American magazine has now resumed the story of the two in the conditions that William recently died, a few years after his wife.
At the end of their 66-day ordeal in 1989, William and Simone, then 52, were rescued by the Costa Rican Coast Guard and taken to a hospital in the coastal town of Golfito.
Against all odds, the two were in relatively good condition, save for dehydration and severe sunburn. From his hospital bed, William told reporters that they caught fish daily, stating: “I forced myself to eat almost 0.9 kilograms of raw fish a day and I forced my wife to eat too.”
Even with this food intake, both William and Simone lost about 23 pounds each during the trial.
The man took a break from sea adventures after the whole ordeal
After recovering, the couple returned to the United States, and William told reporters: “It's hard to believe that seven days ago we were still adrift, trying to get to shore. It's really hard to discuss the situation.”
The pair said they fended off shark attacks during the ordeal and were later approached about turning their story into a book or film.
In the end, however, they were rather keen to stay on land. “We're going to rest – and stay away from the ocean for a while, going to the mountains, to the plains,” William said at the time.
Even William's obituary recalled his adventures at sea, which began at the age of 14, when he “commanded his first crossing in ocean waters, from Havana to Varadero, in a snipe of about 15 feet.”
“Bill went on to captain countless voyages, including treasure hunts, fishing, three transatlantic crossings, rounding Cape Horn and an attempt to circumnavigate the globe, which ended when his sailboat, Siboneywas sunk by whales,” the obituary reads.
“Throughout his years of sailing, Bill logged more than 74,000 nautical miles with his children, grandchildren and numerous crew aboard his two great maritime passions, Siboney and New Chance.”
