To most people, it is unimaginable to pass a day without our cell phones and the comforts of modern-day life.
Most of us would probably be found blowing our nose with poison ivy while devouring the deadliest of mushrooms if we were ever trapped in an unknown environment.
The story of these real-life castaways blows us away with their strength in overcoming the odds of staying on an uninhabitable island.
Alexander Selkirk
Survived: 4 years and 4 months
Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe as well as Gulliver’s Travels was inspired by the story of Alexander Selkirk, the Scottish sailor who spent four years as a castaway.
Due to some dispute on the ship, Selkirk was left on the island of Juan Fernandez.
At first, he remained where he felt safer along the shoreline. While waiting for someone to come to his rescue, the desperate castaway survived on oysters, shellfish and anything he could catch.
After being rescued, his story became a sensation and Selkirk continued his life as a sailor.
Douglas Robertson & Family
Survived: 38 Days
Accompanied by his wife, daughter, son, and twin sons, Douglas Robertson was an experienced sailor from Scotland who purchased Lucette, the family boat.
While sailing to the Galapagos Islands from Panama their boat was sunk by a pod of killer whales.
The family showcased remarkable survival skills as they collected rain droplets for drinking water, caught turtles and flying fish for food and sailed their way towards Central America to be rescued. O
Saved on their 38th day, Robertson had documented their adventure which inspired his book Survive the Savage Sea.
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Gerald Kingsland & Lucy Irvine
Survived: 1 year
How many of us would like to live on an island with a fellow companion for a year as a self-imposed castaway?
In 1980 British writer/adventurer Gerald Kingsland put an ad in Time Out Magazine for a female companion and a 24-year-old Lucy Irvine accompanied him and the two set out to Tuin Island in the Torres Strait.
Upon their return to civilization after a year, Kingsland and Irvine wrote separate accounts of their adventure. Irvine published Castaway in 1983 (the story which inspired the Robert Zemicks blockbuster hit film). Kingsland’s book The Islander was published in 1984.
Ernest Shackleton & Crew
Survived: 105 days
The famous explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 28 men left England on August 8, 1914, to fulfill his dream of crossing the South Polar continent from sea to sea.
Trapped in ice, Shackleton and his men found themselves marooned in the Antarctic for five months. They lived on top of floating ice, fed on seals and kept warm by playing hockey and dog-sledge racing.
2 years later, Shackleton and 5 of his men set off in three small lifeboats they had recovered, to find help on Elephant Island.
They were rescued and apart from a few missing toes, there wasn’t much damage.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature Image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: Better India, India Today, Boater Exam
Find the blogger: @Drishti Shroff
This post is tagged under: Robinson Crusoe, Castaway, Real-life Incidents, Ernest Shakleton, Gerald Kingsland, Lucy Irvine, Douglas Roberston And Family, Alexander Selkirk, Brutal, Island, Horror, Alone, Uninhabitable Island, Damage, Life, Change
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, copyright over any of the images used, these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly mail us.
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