February 21, 2023
Heinz Wants to Buy Boat for Man Who Survived a Month at Sea with Just Ketchup and Seasonings
The Heinz ketchup company is searching for a man who survived nearly one month at sea with nothing but ketchup, seasonings, and rainwater.
Elvis Francois, 47, of Dominica was rescued by the Colombian Navy last month after spending 24 days lost in the Caribbean sea, Insider reported. Authorities were able to locate him after officials on a plane saw a “help” message written on his boat.
In December, Francois was making repairs on his boat near St. Martin and drifted off to sea due to the propelling currents, according to The Associated Press. He had no food on his boat and worked tirelessly to keep the vessel from sinking.
“It’s just a bottle of ketchup that was on the boat. Garlic powder, and Maggi,” Francois said in a video. “So, I mixed it up with some water.”
This man was lost at sea for 24 days. He survived on ketchup, seasoning, and rainwater. pic.twitter.com/ldGgdD778i
— DW News (@dwnews) January 21, 2023
He reportedly collected rainwater on a cloth to drink.
Now in the wake of his captivating survival story, Heinz is asking the public for help in locating “the ketchup boat guy” to gift him with a brand new boat.
“To whoever finds this message, We need your help tracking down an amazing man with an amazing story,” they captioned the post.
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“You may remember Elvis Francois as the brave sailor who survived on nothing but ketchup and spices while adrift at sea for 24 days,” they continued.
“Well, Heinz wants to celebrate his safe return home and help him buy a new boat…but we can’t seem to find him.”
Heinz said they reached out to the government of Dominica as well as the Colombian Navy to try and find the man, but haven’t been able to get in contact with him.
They’re hoping to gift Francois with a “new state-of-the-art boat,” that will be “equipped with full navigational technology to avoid another disaster in the future,” they told CBS News.