Fishermen go home, shrug off suspicions

MEXICO CITY – Three fishermen who claim they survived nine months adrift in the Pacific Ocean returned home Friday and denied reports they might be drug smugglers who made up their account to avoid prosecution.

“I’m just grateful that I’m here alive,” Jesus Vidana, whose 4-month-old daughter was born while he was at sea, said during a news conference after arriving in Mexico City.

Vidana, Salvador Ordonez and Lucio Rendon told authorities they had set out on Oct. 28, 2005, from San Blas, a coastal town about 410 miles northwest of Mexico City, to fish for sharks. But mechanical problems and adverse winds quickly pushed their 27-foot boat out to sea.

Over the following months, they said, they survived on rainwater, raw fish and birds. They said two other companions died during the ordeal.

They were rescued Aug. 9 near the Marshall Islands, about 5,500 miles to the west.

The men’s story grabbed worldwide attention but there are no records of their departure, and some relatives initially said they had been gone for only three months. The three denied speculation they may have set out to pick up drugs at sea, a common activity on Mexico’s Pacific coast.

“Those who are fisherman know these things happen,” Vidana said.

When asked if they would take a lie detector test, all three responded, “of course.”

Asked why they appeared to be surprisingly healthy following their ordeal, Ordonez said their rescuers fed them and made sure they rested.

“They treated us very well, with air conditioning, and they didn’t let us go out into the sun,” said Ordonez. “They gave us a lot of food.”