Levi Nanjikana and Junior Colony, residents of the Solomon Islands in the western Pacific Ocean, boarded a small motorboat on September 3. They planned to sail from Mono Island to the town of Nuru on the island of New Georgia, two hundred miles away. Nanjikana later said that they had already taken a trip before, “so that must have been good” Watchman.

It turned out differently than expected: in the Solomon Sea, which separates the archipelago from Papua New Guinea, they experienced a severe storm. Due to heavy rains and strong winds, they could no longer orient themselves on the coast. “The bad weather made things bad, but it got really scary when our GPS went down,” Nanjikana said.

The men at sea survived on the oranges they brought with them on the voyage and on the coconuts they caught from the sea. They collected rainwater with a cloth to drink. Just 29 days later, last Saturday, a fisherman saved them. It turns out that they arrived off the coast of Papua New Guinea, about 400 kilometers from their starting point. “We had no idea where we were drifting, but we didn’t expect to end up in another country.”

The men were in such bad shape upon arrival that they had to be removed from their boat. The local health clinic examined the two and they are now somewhat recovered. A local man, Joe Kolealo, takes them temporarily. The Solomon Islands Department of Foreign Affairs is in contact with the men to ensure that they return home safely soon.

Meanwhile, Nanjikana says he also sees positive aspects of the adventure, such as the forced shutdown of all news about the coronavirus pandemic. “I had no idea what was going on in the rest of the world. Looking forward to coming home again, but this was great break everything.”

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