Top Photo: Shaddock and Bella enjoy the hospitality of the Mexican tuna boat that rescued them! Photo credit: Image: Facebook

After surviving cancer, an ambitious sailor from Australia survived two months ADRIFT on the open ocean before being rescued on July 12.

Timothy Shaddock, 54, wanted to sail across an ocean. He went to Mexico and bought a boat called a catamaran. And a brown and black dog that he named Bella befriended him.

In late April, the two set sail from La Paz, Mexico, Shaddock recalled. He hoped to sail southwest across the Pacific Ocean to French Polynesia about 4,200 miles away!

But a few weeks into the voyage, a wicked storm hit, tearing off his sail, killing the boat’s motor and knocking out its electronics. The two were just a speck floating on a vast ocean, and he couldn’t even radio for help. They were 1,200 miles away from the nearest land!

“The health was pretty bad for a while,” Shaddock shared. “I was pretty hungry, and I didn’t think I’d make it through the storm.” Since drinking seawater will make you sick, Shaddock had to carefully collect rainwater for he and Bella to drink. For food, he managed to catch enough fish for both of them, which they had to eat sushi style (raw) because his galley was also knocked out by the storm. Still, he continued to lose weight.

Lucky for them, a helicopter from a Mexican tuna fishing boat spotted the catamaran with Shaddock and Bella on board.

A small boat transported the two to the much larger tuna boat, both were checked over and cared for.

“I’m just so grateful. I’m alive, and I really did not think I’d make it,” Shaddock said in a press conference on the dock. “So thank you. Thank you so much…I feel really good!”

Water Concerns Halt Building Permits In Phoenix

Earlier this summer, the Arizona Department of Water Resources made a decision that will IMPACT new housing construction across Phoenix—a city that has regularly topped the list of fastest growing cities in the United States in recent years. Arizona will no longer approve building permits for developments inside the Assured Water Supply areas that rely solely on groundwater. The restriction applies only to groundwater supplies and does not affect current homeowners or projects that were approved before the decision.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said the restrictions could impact the quickly growing suburbs around Phoenix. The Valley of the Sun is the most densely populated area in our state and is home to more than 4.6 million residents.

A severe drought in the West has led to the driest two decades in at least 1,200 years. Human-caused climate change has added to these conditions. The declining water resources across the West, along with restrictions on the Colorado River, are affecting everyone and all aspects of life, including construction.

The Colorado River supplies water to more than 40 million people in the United States, and Arizona receives about 18 percent of the total allocation from the river. The Colorado River has also been affected by drought, and our state has seen mandatory water cuts from the river in the last few years. Earlier this year, Arizona voluntarily agreed to further reduce its usage. The agreement was part of a deal with California and Nevada, and the cuts are meant to ensure that the Colorado River continues flowing in the future.

The Arizona Department of Water Resources’ decision still allows for the development of new homes, but developers will have to find alternatives to groundwater supplies. Despite the state’s restriction, Governor Hobbs said Arizona’s water supply will continue.

“My message to Arizonans is this: we are not out of water and we will not be running out of water because, as we have done so many times before, we will tackle the water challenges we face with integrity and transparency,” Hobbs said.