need to know
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In 1989, a couple embarked on a yachting adventure
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William and Simone Butler’s ship sank 1,200 miles off the coast of Costa Rica
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From there, they boarded a life raft and survived 66 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean
It’s a fairly familiar story to anyone who has followed orca activity in recent years: A couple’s yacht was shipwrecked off the coast of Costa Rica when it was surrounded by a pod of whales and sank. But what happened next was completely different. The two drifted in the Pacific Ocean on a rubber raft for 66 days and were rescued by a tiny device called “Survivor”.
On June 15, 1989, William and Simone Butler attempted to circumnavigate the globe in their 40-foot yacht, about 1,200 miles off the coast, when it was sunk by a whale three weeks into the voyage.
The two scrambled for food, fishing gear and a 7-pounder. Before entering the rubber raft, a hand pump called “Survivor-35” is used to convert salt water into fresh water.
AP Photo/Ezequiel Becerra
William and Simon Butler
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This quick thinking proved indispensable as the pair would be trapped on a raft drifting across the Pacific for 66 days.
For more than two months, they subsisted mainly on raw fish and “the precious three liters of drinking water” squeezed out of survivors by “William, who was 60 at the time” at the time, People reported at the time.
After a 66-day ordeal, William and Simone, then 52, were rescued by the Costa Rican Coast Guard and taken to a hospital in the coastal city of Golfito.
Despite the difficulties, both men were in relatively good health (aside from dehydration and severe sunburn). William told reporters from his hospital bed that they caught fish every day. He said: “I force myself to eat nearly 2 pounds of raw fish every day, and I force my wife to eat too.”
Even with the fish, William and Simon reportedly lost 50 pounds. Every one during the 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 drifting, trying to land. It’s really, really hard to discuss this situation.”
The couple said they fended off shark attacks and fish attacks during the ordeal and have been contacted to turn their story into a book or film.
But afterwards, they were more content to keep their feet on the ground. According to “People”, William said at the time: “We are going to take a break, leave the ocean, and go to the mountains and grasslands.”
According to the obituary, William died in June 2024, and his wife also died a few years ago.
Even his obituary recounted his sailing adventures that began at the age of 14, when “he made his first blue water voyage from Havana to Varadero on his 15-foot Snipe.”
“Bill went on to captain numerous voyages, including treasure hunts, fishing, three transatlantic voyages, around Cape Horn, and an attempt to circumnavigate the globe in which his sailing ship, the Sibony, was sunk by a whale,” the obituary read.
“During Bill’s sailing career, he sailed more than 74,000 nautical miles aboard his two sea mistresses, Siboney and New Chance, with his children, grandchildren and numerous crew members.”
Read the original article on People
