Photo: Instagram / Heinz
Everything is better with ketchup, but in this particular instance, ketchup was the only thing to be had. Heinz is pledging to buy a new boat for an unlucky sailor whose story went viral after he drifted out to sea.
The connection between the sailor and the world-famous company is that the former survived on the latter’s most famous product, when it became his only survival food, after he drifted out to sea by accident.
In January this year, the Colombian Navy revealed the details of a successful search and rescue operation, and the story immediately went viral. At its center was a 47-year-old man from the Dominican Republic, who had drifted out to sea while working on his boat off the coast of St. Maarten in the Caribbean Sea one month prior and had been lost for 24 days.
The weather turned, and the sailor found himself carried out to sea, with no real possibility of even trying to get back, since his sailboat was damaged. As the current took him farther out, he lost contact with his friends and family, and was left with no other option but to spell out HELP on the hull of his watercraft and hope – and wait – for it to come.
It did come after a while, and the sailor, identified as Elvis Francois, later revealed that he had survived on Heinz ketchup, garlic powder, and some Maggi soup. He also used ketchup for his SOS signal.
Elvis drifted 120 nautical miles out to sea and was lost for 24 whole days. When rescuers found him, he was shaken, weakened, and confused, but in good health. He was also honest with his rescuers, admitting that he wasn’t a skilled sailor; if there was ever a chance to do something to prevent the sailboat from drifting so far out, he lost it in the confusion.
The twist in the story is that Heinz is desperately trying to locate Elvis. The company wants to buy him a brand-new, state-of-the-art boat, one with “full navigational technology” so nothing like this ever happens to him again. The problem is that they can’t find him, so they’re leaving the seemingly-impossible task to the Internet.
One week ago, Heinz went public with their appeal for help in tracking down the “ketchup boat guy” so he could get him his brand new boat. Days later, they admitted defeat, by saying that their campaign had taken them on several dead-ends with Elvis impersonators and fruitless talks with the Dominican government and the Colombian Navy. They’re hoping the internauts can do the work instead and track down Elvis, as it has happened on other but non-related high-profile cases.
Heinz calls Elvis an “amazing” man with an “amazing” story and a brave sailor, if not the most competent one. For his determination to survive, he deserves another shot at perfecting his sailing skills, and a new boat will play into that.
In January this year, the Colombian Navy revealed the details of a successful search and rescue operation, and the story immediately went viral. At its center was a 47-year-old man from the Dominican Republic, who had drifted out to sea while working on his boat off the coast of St. Maarten in the Caribbean Sea one month prior and had been lost for 24 days.
The weather turned, and the sailor found himself carried out to sea, with no real possibility of even trying to get back, since his sailboat was damaged. As the current took him farther out, he lost contact with his friends and family, and was left with no other option but to spell out HELP on the hull of his watercraft and hope – and wait – for it to come.
It did come after a while, and the sailor, identified as Elvis Francois, later revealed that he had survived on Heinz ketchup, garlic powder, and some Maggi soup. He also used ketchup for his SOS signal.
Elvis drifted 120 nautical miles out to sea and was lost for 24 whole days. When rescuers found him, he was shaken, weakened, and confused, but in good health. He was also honest with his rescuers, admitting that he wasn’t a skilled sailor; if there was ever a chance to do something to prevent the sailboat from drifting so far out, he lost it in the confusion.
The twist in the story is that Heinz is desperately trying to locate Elvis. The company wants to buy him a brand-new, state-of-the-art boat, one with “full navigational technology” so nothing like this ever happens to him again. The problem is that they can’t find him, so they’re leaving the seemingly-impossible task to the Internet.
One week ago, Heinz went public with their appeal for help in tracking down the “ketchup boat guy” so he could get him his brand new boat. Days later, they admitted defeat, by saying that their campaign had taken them on several dead-ends with Elvis impersonators and fruitless talks with the Dominican government and the Colombian Navy. They’re hoping the internauts can do the work instead and track down Elvis, as it has happened on other but non-related high-profile cases.
Heinz calls Elvis an “amazing” man with an “amazing” story and a brave sailor, if not the most competent one. For his determination to survive, he deserves another shot at perfecting his sailing skills, and a new boat will play into that.
La @ArmadaColombia, en articulación con la @Dimarcolombia, @SENANPanama y el gremio marítimo, rescatamos un extranjero a 120 millas náuticas al noroeste de #PuertoBolívar - Guajira, luego de quedar a la deriva desde diciembre de 2022.#ProtegemosLaVida
— Armada de Colombia (@ArmadaColombia) January 18, 2023
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