Swipe for next article A sailor left stranded in the Pacific Ocean for more than a month after a trip to Hawaii turned into a nightmare has revealed how he…
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Source: The Independent
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A sailor left stranded in the [Pacific Ocean](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/mexico-miami-pacific-national-hurricane-center-hawaii-b3021836.html) for more than a month after a trip to Hawaii turned into a nightmare has revealed how he survived.
Kai Sato set off from [Catalina Island](https://www.independent.co.uk/us/travel/vacation-islands-north-america-beaches-mountains-b2778400.html) off the [California](https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/north-america/usa/california/best-california-cities-b2554584.html) coast on June 7, hoping to sail across the [Pacific](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/pacific-ocean) for the first time solo.
But two weeks into his 2,500 mile journey, his boat’s mast snapped. When he ran out of gas trying to get back to shore and his phone died, the 39 year-old was left drifting in despair at the mercy of the elements.
“I cried for a whole week, just drifting south, like miserable,” Sato told [_Hawaii News Now._](https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/07/25/solo-sail-gone-wrong-california-man-survives-month-sea-drifting-hawaii/)“I was literally like a sitting duck, just getting taken south by the current going way off course.”
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A sailor adrift on the Pacific Ocean survived eating scraps of food, including oatmeal, squid and fish(Hawaii News Now)
When all hope seemed lost, Sato told the outlet that he eventually came up with a plan to jerry-rig the sails, using kayak paddles and PVC pipes.