Boater Hit By Giant Wave Survives Four Days on Raft

Jay Patel and his Belgian colleague took to the inflatable raft after their 44-foot motorboat, Umbalika, was sunk by a 20-foot wave before they could make a mayday call.

The two survived on bottled water and dried biscuits until the sailor’s concerned wife, in London, called the coastguard.

A massive search operation involving ships, helicopters and aircraft finally spotted the men four miles from the island of Sa Dragonera, off the west coast of Majorca. Patel’s colleague, identified only as Philippe, also lives in London.

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) spokeswoman said yesterday that the men were traveling from Palma, Majorca, to Tarragona in mainland Spain when their boat was hit by the wave and promptly sank.

Coastguards had no idea that the two sailors were in distress until Patel’s wife 911 on Nov. 13.

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