Australian sailor adrift in middle of Pacific Ocean with dog for three months rescued by Mexican tuna boat

An Australian sailor who was adrift at sea with his dog for three months has been rescued by a Mexican tuna boat in international waters, the fishing vessel’s owner said.

Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, 54, was on his stricken catamaran Aloha Toa in the Pacific about 1,200 miles from land when the crew of the boat from the Grupomar fleet spotted them, the company said in a statement.

Mr Shaddock and his dog Bella were in a “precarious” state when found, lacking provisions and shelter, the firm said.

The tuna boat’s crew gave them medical attention, food and hydration, it added.

Grupomar did not say exactly when Mr Shaddock started his voyage or when he was rescued.

The tuna boat, captained by Oscar Meza Oregon, was expected to arrive in the Pacific coast port of Manzanillo on Tuesday with Mr Shaddock and Bella.

Antonio Suarez Gutierrez, Grupomar’s founder and president, said he was proud of his crew, praising them for their humanity in saving the life of someone in trouble.

Mr Shaddock told Australia’s Nine News television that he and his dog survived on raw fish and rainwater after a storm damaged his vessel and wiped out its electronics.

“I’ve been through a very difficult ordeal at sea and I’m just needing rest and good food because I’ve been alone at sea a long time,” a thin and bearded Mr Shaddock said in video broadcast by Nine on Sunday night Australian time.

“Otherwise, I’m in very good health,” he added.

The Sydney resident and his dog sailed from the Mexican city of La Paz for French Polynesia in April but the voyage ended within weeks, Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.

In photographs of the rescue, Mr Shaddock is seen with a blood pressure cuff around his arm, holding a box of pain medication inside the fishing boat’s cabin.

In others, Bella is stretched out on the deck.