Tim Shaddock was once a man in a suit and tie who worked for a large technology company. Realizing that this lifestyle didn’t fit his way of thinking, he took his computer to the depths of nature, mountains and remote places of Asia. Then his life opened up to the sea, the same sea that wanted to destroy him. In 2020 his new steps took him to Mexico and he decided to head to French Polynesia from La Paz in Baja California Sur. Almost 2,000 kilometers from land and without communication, a storm tore off its sail, stopping its engine and leaving it adrift in the widest part of the Pacific. A tuna fisherman found him on July 12 and rescued him along with his dog Bella. Now, on the Colima coast, he remembers the 90 days he survived between sky and water, eating raw fish and some duck that landed on his catamaran.
The waves of the Pacific break the silence on the beach of Manzanillo, the capital of Colima. Shaddock (Sydney, Australia, 54 years old) has been there since last Tuesday and is staying in one of the hotels that dot the area to stabilize his health and ease his immigration situation. He doesn’t forget the three months he was left alone with his dog. The sailor has very blue eyes, an open cap and a thick beard. He just woke up from his nap. “I’m doing very well. I took care of myself here. I’m very grateful to Mexico and to all the people who saved my life. I’m better here than at sea,” he affirmed in an interview with this newspaper.
Manzanillo Beach, where Australian shipwrecked man Timothy Shaddock was captured, was rescued in the Pacific Ocean on July 12, 2023. Cesar Rodriguez
Opening up to telecommuting prompted Shaddock to relocate to the United States from his native Sydney as the Covid-19 virus began wreaking havoc around the world. The pandemic caused Australia to close its borders for more than a year, keeping thousands of Australians out (“I was one of those 20,000,” he says). His stay in the North American country was complicated by visa restrictions. And he decided to travel to Querétaro. From there he telecommuted for a while. He says he met Bella in the mountains of San Miguel Allende about three years ago. She was a small cattle dog: “She followed me everywhere. And I thought, “I can’t have a dog.” But Bella continued to follow him wherever he went.
After months of corseting on the Mexican border, he decided to change his momentum. He drove to Puerto Vallarta (Jalisco) in a car, which Bella jumped into. There he bought the Aloha Toa, the small catamaran that made his home: “When I first started living on the boat, it was very difficult to work remotely.”
He planned his voyage in the sea two years ago. “When I bought the boat, summer and hurricane season were just around the corner. I had to stay there [en Puerto Vallarta], and waiting to sail through the Sea of Cortez to La Paz”. In that first year he began to adapt the boat for future voyages. “I had to find a way to ensure that I was only using fuel for going in and out of port and sailing. [con vela] the rest of the time and the water”.
Phones, GPS and an Odyssey
The seawater leaves a scent of fresh fish throughout the port of Manzanillo. The site is one of the first photos the Australian saw upon his arrival on the coast last Tuesday. The sun is burning and people flee into the shade of the trees. René Tapia (Peche), 53, sweeps the floor protected by a long-sleeved polo shirt and cap. In the last few days he has heard from the Australian who was found almost 2,000 kilometers away. “Thank God it was possible to save him. It’s strange that it’s difficult for us here to get food for three months [en tierra], imagine…” Before he worked in the dry cleaners, he affirms that he was part of the team at Grupomar, the company that owns the María Delia. Until a giant tuna fell on his shoulder, throwing him into the sea and forcing him to quit his job. Peche says that during these trips of “20, 30 or 50 days” they also found cases like Shaddock’s: Sailors whose engines on their boats broke down.
This year, Shaddock decided to take it a step further and begin his journey across the vast ocean. He made changes and began the first open sea test and traveled to La Paz: “It’s the year I really say, ‘Okay, I colonized the Sea of Cortez.’ How would you do it in the Pacific? The journey showed him that he could not take much fuel and water with him. And he completed the modifications to the Aloha Toa: he installed solar panels to ensure the operation of his equipment, he built a water maker, he prepared food supplies, and he tried to lighten it to make the candle easier to use. In addition to all these preparations, he also brought several GPS devices and mobile phones. According to his report, this served as a backup for the pager: “They know that you cannot call them.” [con los teléfonos]but the GPS still works if you downloaded maps.” Despite these systems, the María Delia was the only ship that came close to the catamaran.
The exact date when the journey began is not yet clear. “I guess it was April. April 1st. I lost the weather window [el momento de espera para que las condiciones climáticas sean adecuadas]. You have specific weather conditions that you must navigate. I had to save fuel and waited for the wind,” he explains. Shaddock wanted his trip not to coincide with the Pacific hurricane season, which began on May 15.
Shark Sushi
The Australian prepared a pantry before leaving: some rice, canned tuna and some other canned goods that didn’t need refrigeration. On the boat, he tried to coordinate eating with fishing. If one day he didn’t succeed, he resorted to cans. “My dog and I ate together and drank water together from a cup. She always ate with me. I ate a little and then gave her a little. If she had fish, we would cut up the fish and she would eat it with all the bones,” she recalls.
Australian shipwrecked man Timothy Shaddock.cesar rodriguez
Shaddock hunts and fishes in a variety of ways. He sinks the catamaran’s anchor in the water, takes a deep breath and, armed with a fishing harpoon, lowers himself down the rope. Wait patiently for a fish to come by and boom! You got lucky. The situation varies depending on the day: a duck lands on the boat and starts croaking. Bella appears to be speaking to him with her bark. The Australian quickly stands up, grabs the bird by the neck and slits its throat. Other times the reward is greater. Throw a line into the water and manage to catch a shark. He drags the animal to the stern of the boat and stabs it. “Right, shark sushi,” he jokes. At first he cooked the food with a small stove, but it soon broke. After being diagnosed with cancer in the ’90s, the Aussie started a raw vegan diet, which he transitioned over time. “I’ve always resorted to meat when I was too skinny, like I am now,” he says.
One of the storms crossing the Pacific destroyed the boat’s engine and sail. Shaddock attempted to fix the sail but was slammed into the mast several times while attempting to climb it. He preferred to lower it. He saw no way to fix the problem until he recovered.
On July 7, Hurricane Calvin began forming about 300 kilometers from Manzanillo. It began to lose steam (it reached gusts of 150 kilometers per hour) on its way to the Pacific Ocean. On July 12, about 200 kilometers off the coast of Colima, Shaddock was still close to the potentially deadly hurricane. “It’s a complicated situation. When the storm comes, your options are minimal. […] “There’s not much you can do on the boat,” he says.
Had luck. A helicopter flying past the site in search of the dark stains left by schools of fish in the sea saw the small white boat. And he notified the tuna fisherman María Delia. A small launch from the ship approached the Aloha Toa.
“He had to make a decision. Would she survive if she didn’t go with these people? Turns out that probably wasn’t the case,” recalls Shaddock now from the hotel. The sailor got on the boat but did not cry until he was seen alive and well on the ship María Delia.
“Bella,” the pup who grew strong
The crew found that the dog was healthier than the castaway who boarded the boat. Bella approached Genaro Rosales, one of the ship’s navigators, for the first few moments. Rosales, along with one of his companions, began tending to the wound the dog had in its armpit. But he felt more compassion for him. The Australian saw how he treated her: “He loved Bella and I was glad she went with him.” Rosales finally adopted her last week.
Timothy Shaddock with “Bella” on board his boat. sea group
Shaddock remembers Bella as the puppy he found in San Miguel Allende, who over time grew into a strong dog (“stronger than me,” more specifically). He admits Australia’s restrictions on importing dogs and cats – requiring them to undergo a minimum 10-day quarantine and requiring various tests – were part of the decision to give Bella away. “If it had been easy to bring her to Australia I might have thought of keeping her. But Australia is an island continent and there is no such thing as rabies. [principal razón por la que el país impone restricciones a estos animales] Nothing like that. He was at sea with me for three months. That’s enough quarantine. He wanted her to be happy. I didn’t want to do all those things to her,” she says.
From his hotel you can see the waves of the Pacific Ocean breaking on the shore. From time to time the horns of the ships hovering on the horizon sound.
Will you sail again?
“I think I’ll go sailing in the future, although probably on a bigger ship.” Maybe on a cruise, sitting on my couch, eating my food and with the air conditioning on,” he jokes.
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