Fish Diet For 67-Year-Old Man Stranded 12 Days At Sea

Dec 10, 2014 11:50 PM EST

(Photo : Reuters / Mariana Bazo) A fisherman collects his fishing nets at the port of Salaverry in the coastal city of Trujillo, November 6, 2014. Peru is the world's top fishmeal exporter, producing about a third of worldwide supply. The industry is concentrated along the South American country's northern and central coast.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued on Tuesday a 67-year-old man who has been drifting on his sailboat for 12 days. Ron Ingraham, a fisherman, survived the ordeal by eating fish that he caught.

"I'm a fisherman so I caught fish; it wasn't as good as a sushi bar, but that's how I hydrated," he recounted to ABC.

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The old man left Molokai on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, to go fishing aboard Malia, his 25-foot sailboat that doubles as his home. However, while on the open sea, a huge wave hit his boat and threw him in the water. Ingraham had a rope on, so he was able to tow himself into his boat.

The sea water destroyed his radio, so he used a coat hanger and some wires to seek help. Ingraham was able to place two SOS calls that the Coast Guard received. But they couldn't locate him despite covering 12,000 square miles and using an MH-25 chopper, HC-130 jet and the Coast Guard's 110-foot Cutter Kiska. Thus, it suspended the search four days after receiving his mayday requests.

Ingraham did not lose hope and placed another mayday call on Tuesday that led to his rescue. The Coast Guard found him 64 miles south of Honolulu.

Zakary, his son whom Ron hasn't seen for more than a decade because he has moved to Missouri with his family, was informed by the Coast Guard that his father was missing, but they had suspended the search. When he heard the news on December 1, he felt that his dad is still alive.

Now that Ron has been rescued, Zakary is saving for a trip to Hawaii to see his old man who had a 12-day adventure on the sea.

"Somehow, he managed to MacGyver a way to make that last call, and it saved his life," Zakary said, referring to a TV character who gets through tough situations most of the time with just the help of a Swiss knife.

While being rescued, Ingraham asked the Coast Guard to tow his battered boat which is his home. Zakary told CNN in a phone interview that he is pretty sure his father will go back fishing as soon as possible.

Tagsfish diet, stranded sailor, Ron Ingraham, 12 days stranded, stranded fisherman