Three fishermen from Ba who were reported missing at sea were found, according to an article published by The Fiji Times on May 24, 1997.
Patrick Gerrish, Shalen Narayan and Bisun Prasad were rescued by a Feeders Fiji Ltd fishing vessel 27 miles northwest of Viwa in Yasawa.
Tired looking and “very relived”, the three were still recovering from their ordeal when interviewed by this newspaper.
“We had lost all hope, and we hardly talked while on the boat except to pray,” Mr Gerrish said.
“When we spotted the fishing boat, we started waving and we continued to wave, even when they were right in front of us. That’s how relieved we were, especially after drifting for seven or eight days with no sign of life anywhere.”
The trio, of Varoko, had left Ba for the Yasawas equipped with three days’ supplies. He said they survived on rice and water and were running out of food when they were found.
“We can’t thank them (crew of Feeders vessel) enough. We had thrown away about $600 worth of fish on the first day so that we could use the ice. By the time we were found, there was very little water left,” Mr Gerrish said.
They were travelling in a 26-foot long half-cabin vessel driven by a 40-horsepower Yamaha engine which had developed mechanical problems.
The captain of the Feeders fishing vessel, Cama Rogo, said they were reeling in their lines when they noticed the boat.
“We thought they were stealing our fish, but the way they were waving reminded me of the news item of some missing fishermen,” Mr Rogo said.
“As soon as they were on board, we fed them. They were fortunate we were fishing close to the shore because of bad weather.”
