Dad reunites with family after weeks adrift at sea

By ELIZABETH VUVU
A FATHER of three has been reunited with his family in East New Britain after drifting at sea for about eight weeks.
Royal Warike, 23, from Vunakaur village in Gazelle district, and four others, had left Lihir island for Namatanai in New Ireland around 4pm on March 16.
It should have taken them only two hours.
But they said strong wind and heavy rain forced them off their course and left them drifting in the Solomon Sea.
The other four were Alois Sekiam, 24, Vincent Zikios, 17, Teto Wesley, 17, and Kenneth Turlit, 26, all from Lihir in New Ireland.
Warike said they survived on peanut, water, dried coconut and seaweed.
“While we drifted in the open sea, we prayed to God day and night and only had positive thoughts that we would live,” he said.
Early this month, they noticed a floater from a fishing vessel and rowed towards it knowing that the vessel would come back to pick it up.
The crew of FFV Jin Chin Fu No 68 found them when they returned to pull in the floater.
“The captain of the vessel told his crew to cut the rope and leave us behind thinking we were sea pirates,” Warike said.
“But a crew member from Solomon Islands assured the captain that we were indeed lost at sea and needed help.
“So they rescued us.”
The fishing vessel dropped off the five men in Honiara on Wednesday, May 9.
The PNG High Commission in Honiara provided them medical assistance.
Warike and his colleagues left Honiara on Wednesday this week.
He was dropped off at Tokua, while the four continued to New Ireland.
Warike was greeted by emotional and relieved family members at Tokua Airport on Wednesday afternoon.