Dominica
Elvis lives! Castaway who survived thanks to ketchup gets new boat
Elvis Francois survived at sea for 24 days because he ate ketchup, among other things. Heinz was looking for the sailor to give him a new boat. Now there is a happy ending.
updated
47-year-old Elvis Francois tells of his adventurous 24 days at sea.
AFP
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A shipwrecked man has survived more than three weeks on the open sea.
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Elvis Francois probably only survived thanks to the ketchup on board, from which he lived.
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Now Heinz will give him a new boat.
A recently dated Ketchup manufacturer Heinz launched a search for Elvis Francois was able to locate the castaway. After the man was stranded at sea for 24 days and subsisted mainly on ketchup, ketchup makers turned to the internet for help locating the shipwrecked man to celebrate his return to the island nation of Dominica and give him a new boat.
“Let’s get Elvis a boat”
Francois knew of Heinz’s efforts to locate him but did not own a phone. A media outlet in Dominica called Emo News managed to track him down and verify his identity. A Facebook Live video of Francois speaking to Emo News about his love of travel was seen by a Heinz representative who offered to help him source a new boat. “We hopped in your DMs – let’s get Elvis his boat!” the rep commented.
Elvis Francois has been found.
Emu News
“I spoke to Heinz yesterday and they said they would trying to organize a boat for me», Francois tells the «Insider». The Kraft Heinz company confirms that they are in contact with Francois and are in the process of organizing a new boat for him. More information is expected to be announced on Monday.
Ship was blown away during repairs
Francois was enthusiastic about the potential new boat, saying that depending on its size, he could use it for fishing or for Caribbean tours. His odyssey began in Saint Martin in December 2022, when Elvis Francois’ boat accidentally drifted adrift while he was making repairs. Because he had no knowledge of navigation, he was completely disoriented on the open sea.
For 24 days, he survived by consuming ketchup mixed with garlic powder and bouillon cubes three times a day. Francois was finally rescued about 120 nautical miles northwest of La Guajira in northeastern Colombia on Jan. 16 after a plane spotted an “Help” sign on his boat, The Associated Press and CNN reported.