Australian sailor adrift for over two months makes it safely back to dry land with dog

An Australian sailor who was rescued with his dog after more than two months unanchored in the Pacific Ocean arrived in Mexico on Tuesday. "I am so grateful. I'm alive," he said.

Tim Shaddock, who survived on raw fish and rainwater for weeks on his boat with dog 'Bella', was rescued by a tuna vessel.

Hearrived at the Mexican port of Manzanillo on Tuesday, looking thin and feeble.

"To the captain and this fishing company that saved my life, I mean, what do you say? I'm just so grateful," news agency AFP quoted Shaddock as saying.

"I'm alive... I really didn't think I'd make it, you know? So thank you, thank you so much."

Shaddock, who as per Grupomar is 54 years old, had set off from Mexico's seaside city of La Paz in the month of April with his dog. He had planned to sail about 6,000 kilometres (3,700 miles) before dropping anchor in tropical French Polynesia.

But soon after they set off, they found themselves deserted after rough seas destroyed the vessel, which he described as a French Polynesian traditional boat named "Aloha Toa," and knocked out its electronics.

On Tuesday, Shaddock told reporters he was "feeling alright. A little better than I was."

He said his health was "pretty bad for a while, I was pretty hungry."

On being asked by reporters, Shaddock said that he did a lot of fishing during the voyage, especially after his provisions ran out.

However, he lost his cooking utensils, "so it was a lot of chewing of 'sushi'," he jokingly remarked and indicated how "skinny" he had become.

Shaddock recounted there were "many, many, many bad days" at sea, but also good ones.

"The fatigue is the hardest part, you're always fixing something," he said of the ordeal.

"I would try and find the happiness inside myself, and I found that a lot alone at sea. I would go in the water too, and just enjoy being in the water."

Shaddock praisesdog Bella

Shaddock appreciated his dog Bella, who he said he had found in Mexico.

"She just kept following me onto the water," he said of adopting the dog after several failed attempts to get her another home.

"She's amazing. That dog is something else," he laughed. "I'm just grateful she's alive. She is a lot braver than I am."

He then said he was looking forward to meeting his family and friends and getting back to his home safely.

He would "probably not" head out to sea again in the near future, he admitted.

"I'll always be in the water," he said, though "I don't know how far out in the ocean I'll be."

For Grupomar boss Antonio Suarez, the rescue was proof that 'life is beautiful'.

"We were responsible for saving the life of a human being and the little dog that accompanied him," he told reporters.

"We have medical services on our vessels. He fell into good hands."

(With inputs from agencies)

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