transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:03] It's March, 1981. On a remote island in the Indian Ocean, three people, a young man and two young women, sit on the beach, staring out to sea. It looks as if they've been here for some time. Their hair is long and straggly, and their ribs are clearly defined beneath suntanned skin. 28-year-old Gordon Brace leans back on the bony points of his elbows and gazes at the ocean. Feathery white clouds fleck the sky, teasing the castaways with the prospect of a rain shower. How badly they could do with one. The heat has been sweltering these last few days, putting a strain on their limited supply of drinking water. Gordon is staring into the lagoon, when suddenly, after three months marooned, the castaways' senses have become heightened, alert to any boat-shaped specks on the horizon, or any unusual sounds from the sky. Gordon sits up. His two fellow castaways, Elizabeth and Nicole, do the same. They've heard it too.

Speaker 2:
[01:16] We knew immediately it was a plague, and it was just action stations, and we had prepared for this.

Speaker 1:
[01:22] The marooned sailors leap to their feet. This is not a drill. Nicole sprints to an SOS sign etched in the sand, filling in the letters with sticks and palm fronds. Elizabeth rushes over to the campfire and hurls a special chemical powder onto the flames, which instantly billows a thick emerald green smoke, signaling distress. Gordon, meanwhile, races to the makeshift life raft and starts pulling it down the beach.

Speaker 2:
[01:47] The most obvious thing was to get in the raft and go into the lagoon, because from the air, the thing that you will spot that's out of place will be a vessel in the lagoon.

Speaker 1:
[01:59] Gordon paddles furiously as the drone of the plane gets louder. He squints up into the cloudless blue expanse, shielding his eyes from the sun. He starts yelling and waving his arms, growing desperate, his head jerking left and right as the raft bobs and bucks beneath him. And then, there it is, directly overhead. High, high above, there is a gun-metal gray US. Navy aircraft trailing ribbons of white vapor across the azure sky. Optimism swells and then deflates as the plane soars obliviously past the island. Gordon can only watch helpless as the aircraft makes a wide banking turn, not back towards them, but south, away from their little atoll. Within seconds, there would be salvation is out of sight, leaving nothing but a distant echo and a smear of fading contrails. Gordon kneels on the raft, chest heaving, staring after the plane.

Speaker 2:
[03:05] Did they see us? Did they see us? Did they see us? Did they see us? It became obvious that they hadn't spotted us.

Speaker 1:
[03:20] Ever wondered what you would do when disaster strikes? If your life depended on your next decision, could you make the right choice? Welcome to Real Survival Stories. These are the astonishing tales of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations. People suddenly forced to fight for their lives. In this episode, we return to Gordon Brace and the rest of the crew of the Miken. After almost two weeks at sea, and with just four hours worth of fuel left in the tank, the sailors have reached the island they originally set out to find, the one rumored to contain a stash of diesel drums hidden somewhere in the trees.

Speaker 2:
[04:00] Number one thing was to try to find that diesel, and we explored it, we couldn't find it.

Speaker 1:
[04:04] Without fuel, the crew faces the grim reality of being stuck here indefinitely, and the place they have landed could hardly be more isolated. This island, within the Perros Banos atoll, is one of the remotest places on the planet, a seldom visited speck of jungle, thousands of miles from the nearest mainland.

Speaker 2:
[04:25] We had no long-range radio, so we couldn't call anybody. We had flares, not that many, so highly unlikely that we would be found.

Speaker 1:
[04:33] With no rescue in sight, escaping the island will soon be replaced by another immense challenge, one with no finish line and no room for error. I'm John Hopkins, from the Noiser Podcast Network, this is Real Survival Stories. It's late December, 1980. On Ile-du-Coin, a remote island, roughly 2,000 miles east of the coast of Africa, five castaways stand with their backs to the ocean. In front of them looms a wall of dense jungle. Here and there, corrugated iron structures peak through the foliage, dilapidated buildings, the only remnants of this island's inhabited past. Clearly now, the place is deserted, empty, save for the five new arrivals. Gordon Brace, his wife Elizabeth, and their three crewmates Dave Faulkner, Nicole Haskaway and Ken Alton.

Speaker 2:
[05:53] We found this sort of big barn area with this roof and big pillars, and we cleared it out so that we had some shelter. Rudimentary type of clearing out, get it livable kind of thing, so we could get off the boat.

Speaker 1:
[06:10] After clearing out the barn, the crew spends the rest of the day ferrying items across from the Miken, which is anchored in the lagoon. Later, when the sun starts to sets, they find places to bed down. Dave, Ken and Nicole head to sheltered spots away from the beach. But Gordon and Elizabeth spread their blankets right there on the sand, gazing up at the awesome canopy of stars. Tomorrow, all being well, they'll find the diesel drums in the jungle and plot their onward journey.

Speaker 2:
[06:48] The next day was just a day of exploration. The number one thing was to try and find that diesel.

Speaker 1:
[06:54] All day, Gordon and the others scour the trees at the top of the beach. But there's no sign of the diesel drums. Still, it's only day one. There are many parts of the island they haven't explored yet. No need to panic. And in the meantime, there are plenty of distractions to keep them busy. As they comb through the jungle, the Castaways discover more and more about the island's history.

Speaker 2:
[07:19] We found some quarters that must have been the slave quarters. It looked very much like slave quarters. Pretty rundown. Found a few other odds and ends, a little cemetery.

Speaker 1:
[07:29] As they pieced together these ghostly clues about the island's past, the Castaways also discover more about its geography. From what they can tell, Ile de Croix is roughly three miles long and about a mile wide. The southern side of the island is marshy and open, with a grove of needle-covered trees rising from the brackish swamp. The island's north side is dense and overgrown. On their third day, Gordon and Dave are beating a path through the jungle, when suddenly Dave cries out. He has seen something glinting through the trees.

Speaker 2:
[08:07] Cut our way through and we find this pile of drums. We kick the one drum ball, it's empty. Next one, boom, empty, boom, empty, empty. It's like, oh, these drums are all empty now.

Speaker 1:
[08:18] Gordon and Dave exchange worried glances. If there's no diesel in these drums, then they're stuck here. But just when they're about to go and break the bad news to the others, they spot another collection of drums hidden in the bushes.

Speaker 2:
[08:32] So we went there and Dave went and kicked one, poof, poof. This one's full, this one's full. And we found 11 full drums of diesel.

Speaker 1:
[08:42] Incredibly, the outlandish story told to Ken by a group of strangers about fuel hidden on a desert island turns out to be totally true. Gordon and Dave race back to tell the others on the beach. The news is met with unbridled relief, especially by the captain. At 52, Ken is the oldest member of the crew, but you wouldn't think it to look at him. Imposingly tall and strong as a bull shark, the former big game fisherman has a fiery streak and a temperament he rarely bothers to hide. With a roar of triumph, Ken jumps into the dinghy and rows out to the Miken to start the engine. Gordon and the others wait and watch from the beach. About 20 minutes later, the captain rows back to shore. Even from a distance, it's clear something is wrong. Ken's eyes are ablaze. The muscles in his giant forearms tense angrily.

Speaker 2:
[09:44] And he came back, the guy was beside himself.

Speaker 3:
[09:47] He was furious.

Speaker 2:
[09:49] And it's like, what's happened? What's wrong? He said the batteries are flat. He said he can't start the engine. It's completely fat. He figured the alternator hadn't been charging. Now we got a problem.

Speaker 1:
[10:01] They've got the diesel, but it's useless if the boat's batteries are dead. A hush descends as the gravity of this discovery sinks in. Later, once Ken has calmed down a little, they sit around the campfire to discuss their predicament. One thing's for certain, with no way to start the engine, they won't be sailing out of here, even with the assistance of the sail and the outboard motor. Both were intended to work in tandem with the main engine, not as replacements. They wouldn't stand a chance on the open ocean. Their only hope of getting off this island is if a passing boat happens to stumble across them. And on that front, Ken's outlook is bleak.

Speaker 2:
[10:49] He reckoned two years before we'd be found. That was Ken's estimation. Unless somebody by chance, some yachty wanted to come and explore those islands. He said it was highly unlikely anybody would find us. We had no long-range radio, so we couldn't call anybody. We had flares, not that many. So highly unlikely that we would be found anytime soon. So we kind of accepted that. We kind of planned in our minds to be there for a couple of years.

Speaker 1:
[11:24] The realization that it could be two years or more until they're rescued creates something of an ideological split in the camp. For Ken, it's simply more motivation to find another way to get off the island as soon as possible. He starts workshopping potential solutions and soon settles on a creative means of starting the boat's engine by using a wind turbine to kickstart the alternator. This could make matters worse, but he seems determined to do something. Ken's urgency, however, is not shared by everyone. For their part, Gordon and Elizabeth stoically accept the two-year prognosis. If they're going to be stuck here for that long, they'll need to focus on how to survive with what they've got. So while Ken busies himself with his engineering project, Gordon and Elizabeth continue to explore the island. One afternoon, Gordon is cutting a path through the jungle when his machete strikes something solid.

Speaker 2:
[12:24] And I hit a wall, bam, I thought, what the hell is this, bam. So I pull the vines aside and I uncovered this bungalow in the middle of the jungle and it looked pretty livable.

Speaker 1:
[12:35] Gordon spends the next couple of days cleaning out the bungalow and it doesn't scrub up too badly.

Speaker 2:
[12:42] I then uncovered an old stainless steel tank next to the house and it was like a little washroom there. So I built catchments across the roof of the house to catch rainwater to go into the tank and then I made a shower.

Speaker 1:
[12:55] Gordon's survivalist upbringing is certainly paying dividends now. One by one, he ticks off their list of needs. Shelter, drinking water, hygiene. It's not much but it gives them a fighting chance of making it through this very long game. In the course of their exploration, the Castaways also discover other houses, often rotted and collapsing, but they do manage to scavenge a few useful items from within.

Speaker 2:
[13:21] We found this base of a double bed in there and I claimed it and the mattress we had on the boat was a perfect fit. It was great. So we started making ourselves quite comfortable.

Speaker 1:
[13:34] The Castaways variously settle into their own quarters, with the barn on the beach reserved as a communal space, one they jokily christen a clubhouse. They unload their provisions from the boat and set about creating as much of a sense of normality as possible. Chairs are arranged around a campfire, which is kept permanently fed with kindling from the jungle. They gather together kitchen utensils, crockery, as well as their collection of books and board games. A portable wood stove is placed over the fire for cooking. But for all their progress in making things more comfortable, there remain several glaring issues to contend with. Firstly and most pressingly, their limited food.

Speaker 2:
[14:19] Elizabeth looked at the supplies that we had, and we had a bit of porridge, we had a bit of coffee, hot chocolate, a couple of biscuits. So what she did is she made, like, Monday was Porridge Day, and then Wednesday would be Biscuit Day, and we'd each get two biscuits. The rationing became very strict. The canned foods, we didn't touch, because they would keep.

Speaker 1:
[14:41] The first week on the island is spent adjusting to their new surroundings. Their evenings are spent sharing meals and listening to the BBC World Service, still incredibly reachable on their little radio. They even manage to make their own alcohol using syrup collected from the flowers of the coconut palms, fermenting the sweet sap along with some yeast they have on the boat, creating a small supply of moonshine. But despite all the progress they have made, for some of the castaways, the island feels less like a home and more like a prison. The desire to escape remains as strong as ever and soon it will be trouble in paradise. A week after their arrival on the island, Ken bursts into the clubhouse. His turbine is ready for testing. Gordon and the others follow him down to the beach where he set up his invention. It's quite a sight. The windmill consists of two beams fastened together to form a cross. Plywood panels have been nailed to the end of each arm, creating four large blades. Finally, an elaborate system of wires and pulleys connects the spinning mechanism to the alternator. A stiff breeze blows in from the ocean as Ken points his contraption in the direction of the wind. Then he and the others stand back and wait.

Speaker 2:
[16:17] They worked like a bomb. They spun like a... I actually joked about the fact that we could use it to fly out of it, but it's spinning so fast.

Speaker 1:
[16:26] Gordon can see Ken bristle with optimism as his windmill spins faster and faster. They watch the alternator with baited breath, waiting for it to rumble into life. But it doesn't.

Speaker 2:
[16:40] The alternator would just not charge. It couldn't get it to charge. There wasn't a spark coming out of it.

Speaker 1:
[16:45] Ken barks a few obscenities and storms over to the windmill, chuntering under his breath. Over the next few days, he continues to labor over his contraption, making countless tweaks and refinements. But eventually, after several more unsuccessful attempts, he gives up. He stalks back to camp and collapses into a chair by the fire, glowering darkly into the smoking embers.

Speaker 2:
[17:13] As much as those things spun furiously, wouldn't charge the batteries. So we were stuck. We were stranded. There was no way we'd get off the island without that. So that changed the whole dynamic. Everything changed after that.

Speaker 1:
[17:32] It's January 1981. Gordon and Dave are wading out into the lagoon, armed with a spear gun and two snorkels. After realizing fairly quickly that their stock of rice and flour wouldn't cut it, the castaways have had to turn to another source of food.

Speaker 2:
[17:50] I would say 90% of our food came from the ocean, came from the sea. I mean, there were moray eels, there were clams, there was lobsters, crayfish, cucumbers, and different kinds of fish. So we could mix it up. But it was an everyday mission. I had to go out and get food from the sea.

Speaker 1:
[18:10] Normally Gordon ventures out alone. But today Dave was asked to tag along. He wants to learn the ropes so that he can help share the burden of providing food for the camp. The pair of them swim out to the reef, where it doesn't take long for Dave to spear his first catch. A decent sized sweet lips fish. Gordon dives to retrieve the speared creature, which is lodged in the coral several meters down. As Dave waits near the surface, Gordon yanks the spear from the coral. But when he turns to swim back up, he spots something. A pale flash darting from the deep.

Speaker 2:
[18:52] And I turned and out of the deep blue, there was this torpedo coming at Dave. It was a Macaulay shark coming at full speed. And they are the fastest freaking shark and they are vicious damn things. And this big buck toothed pointy little thing was coming straight at him.

Speaker 1:
[19:09] In the course of his daily fishing expeditions, Gordon has seen plenty of sharks. Mostly smaller, more docile species. Scavengers who wait for him to spear a fish before darting from the shadows to pinch it. But Macaulay sharks aren't mere scavengers. They are hunters in their own right. And this one has its sights set on Dave. Gordon spits out his mouthpiece and yells through the water. Dave looks around. A bluish-gray blur of teeth and petrol fins is barreling towards him. With a flail of limbs, Dave turns and starts powering himself towards the shore, legs kicking like pistons. Then suddenly his pursuer changes direction. Clutching the speared fish in one hand, Gordon can only watch horrified, as the shark turns with a swish of its tail, and fixes its cold black eyes onto him.

Speaker 2:
[20:04] Another shark came at me, and I kicked my fins at the shark, and he backed off a bit, and when they come at you, they drop their petrol fins, and they arc their back, and then you know he's coming. And he came in again, and this time, because I couldn't fend him off properly, I blew bubbles at him. And this really worried the shark. He didn't like these bubbles, and it worked, and he backed off a bit.

Speaker 1:
[20:27] As the predator backs off, Gordon seizes his chance. He pushes off, and starts pumping his fins towards the surface. Filling his lungs with oxygen, Gordon glances over his shoulder. Is he being followed? Sure enough, a grey dorsal fin slices through the waves as the shark mounts another charge. The two men race towards the nearby jetty, swimming for their lives.

Speaker 2:
[20:53] Don't let anybody tell you Macaulay doesn't go to shallow water. This thing followed us aggressively, all the way to shallow water. And we eventually got to the end of the jetty. And we clambered up onto the jetty. And this shark smacked its tail in front of us. And then turned around and cruised out to the deep again.

Speaker 1:
[21:12] Gasping for breath and buzzing with adrenaline, Gordon and Dave watch as the shark slinks back off into the deep. The commotion in the water must have caught the attention of the others on the beach, because Elizabeth and Nicole have come rushing down the jetty to check on Gordon and Dave. All four of them head back to the clubhouse, talking energetically about their thrillingly close encounter. But when they reach camp, they discover that not everyone sees the fun side. Ken glares at them, his arms folded in disapproval.

Speaker 2:
[21:45] He said, What if you guys are got bitten by the shark? What do I do? What do we do? He was really upset. And you could see the wheels turning. He said, We've got to get off. We've got to get off here. Somehow we've got to get off.

Speaker 1:
[21:58] Over the course of the next week, Ken's frustration builds. The big man spends hours pacing back and forth, deep in thought, a lit cigar held between gritted teeth. As Gordon and Elizabeth continue to adjust to island life, they can only watch as Ken descends deeper and deeper into cabin fever.

Speaker 2:
[22:20] It got to him more than the rest of us. He felt imprisoned. He wasn't the guy to sit around and do nothing. And he was getting agitated about this feeling of being trapped on the island.

Speaker 1:
[22:33] After the failure of his wind turbines, Ken's focus has shifted. His new obsession is the Miken's tiny 25-horsepower outboard engine. They only brought it along in case of emergencies, as a last-ditch backup should any problems arise with a principal engine. It's more like something that you'd attach to the back of a small speedboat. It wouldn't pass muster against ocean currents. But Ken is becoming increasingly desperate. One day, the castaways are on board the Miken, exploring some of the other islands in the Atoll. They're using the outboard motor to chug across the lagoon, which is about the limit of its capabilities, when suddenly the captain makes an announcement.

Speaker 2:
[23:17] Ken says, I want to take this boat out to sea. I said, no, you've got to be kidding. He said, no, I want to see how it works in the open ocean. And before you could say anything, we headed out through the passage into the open sea, and you wanted to test this boat out there. When we get out in the open sea, and this damn motor sputters and stops.

Speaker 1:
[23:39] Gordon glares at Ken as the boat limply stutters to a halt. What did he expect would happen? At least now the older man will surely give up on his mad scheme. After a few attempts, they managed to restart the engine and return to the island. But the experience has not deterred Ken. Quite the opposite.

Speaker 2:
[24:01] The next day Ken comes and he says, I think it's my responsibility that I do something to get off this island and go and get help. I said, well, how are you going to do that? He said, well, that 25 horsepower engine, I can mount it and with the petrol that we've got, I've worked out, I've got enough petrol to get to the agro-grass here.

Speaker 1:
[24:24] Gordon shakes his head. Ken is talking about sailing 300 nautical miles to the largest island in the Chegos archipelago, Diego Garcia, the site of a joint US and UK military base. Gordon doesn't try to hide his opinion about the plan.

Speaker 2:
[24:40] It was the first big argument we had. Crossing 200, 300 sea miles in a disabled boat with an outboard engine is sheer nuts. It's madness. There's no way you're going to make it. You know that. You're not going to make it.

Speaker 1:
[24:55] But ultimately there is nothing anyone can say that will shake Ken's resolve. His mind is made up. Still, there is one line in the sand that must be drawn. If Ken wants to risk his own life, then so be it. But he is not going to force Gordon and Elizabeth to risk theirs.

Speaker 2:
[25:13] So I said to him, look, there's no way Elizabeth and I are getting on that boat. You know, you're not going to make it. He said, no, Gordon, I don't want you on the boat. I want you and Nicole to stay here because I want the boat as light as possible. I want everything off and just enough food to get us to the agro glass here. And we'll take some fishing roads and so on and so on. Dave and I are going.

Speaker 1:
[25:35] Gordon looks at Dave. The youngest member of the crew is only 20 years old. Does he know he's been recruited for Ken's suicide mission? Does he have a say in any of this? But Dave stays silent, his gaze fixed on the ocean.

Speaker 2:
[25:52] And I thought, well, I'll talk to him later about it, just to make sure he's not being bullied into this. And then I thought better of it, because I thought, well, maybe with him being alone on the island, the odd one out, maybe this is what he wanted. So I let it be. He must make his own decision. But I was not happy about this.

Speaker 1:
[26:11] A solemn mood presides over camp for the next few days, as everyone chips in to prepare Ken and Dave for their departure. They stock up the Miken with water and food, including a stash of coconuts, which provides both. They patch up the boat as best they can. Finally, on February 10th, almost seven weeks after first arriving on the island, Gordon, Elizabeth and Nicole bid a tearful farewell to Ken and Dave. Then all they can do is watch as their two crewmates fire up the engine and steer the Miken through the entrance of the lagoon.

Speaker 2:
[26:46] We just watched that boat chugging so slowly with that outboard engine. And I knew there's no way that they could make it.

Speaker 1:
[27:05] It's about a week later. A strange few days have passed, sad and silent, as the remaining castaways adjust to life without Ken and Dave. But then one day, the quiet is punctured. Gordon is fishing off the jetty when he hears the women calling out from the clubhouse.

Speaker 2:
[27:26] So I went up to them, and then they were pointing. On the other side of the lagoon, way, way, way in the distance, there was a little white dot. And, jeez, is this the guys? Is this them coming back? Is this the rescue? What is this?

Speaker 1:
[27:38] The speck gradually gets bigger until it's close enough to make out the details. The white hull, the billowing sail, even the figures standing on deck, two men. But it's not the Miken, it's not Ken and Dave. It's a yacht, an elegant white sailboat slicing like a knife through the water of the lagoon. Gordon, Elizabeth and Nicole rush to the beach to meet the new arrivals. It turns out to be a pair of young Frenchmen sailing to Sri Lanka from East Africa. They were passing through the Chegos archipelago when on a whim they decided to stop at Perospanos. It should all feel triumphant, like a huge relief. But as Gordon listens to their story, there is something about the new arrivals that seems off, though it's hard to put a finger on what.

Speaker 2:
[28:31] There was something weird about them. We told them that our friends had gone for help and they were adrift in this disabled boat. And do they have a radio that we could, you know, report these guys adrift? No, they don't have a radio. And I knew they were lying.

Speaker 1:
[28:49] Just what's going on here? What are they hiding? It seems unlikely these men can be trusted. Still, after further conversation, Gordon invites the young sailors to stay the night on the island. That evening, the castaways even share some of their food and a few drops of their precious moonshine. The next day, while their guests prepare to leave, Gordon, Elizabeth and Nicole step aside for a private conversation. They speak in hushed, urgent voices. Is this their opportunity, their one chance to escape the island? They could leave with the French sailors, return to Sri Lanka, and there raise the alarm about Ken and Dave. It's a chance they might not have again. But the very thought of it also fills them with uncertainty and unease. They look over at the mysterious young men, readying their boat for the remainder of their ocean crossing. What kind of risks would joining them entail? Perhaps it's better to stay here, on the island they know, than to go to sea with these strangers and face a danger they don't. It is a deeply strange set of circumstances. Ultimately, they all decide to stay. But before the sailors depart, the castaways make a final request.

Speaker 2:
[30:12] When they get back to civilization, they would report our friends adrift at sea in Asmarung on the island. Then they left, we were alone again. Very surreal experience.

Speaker 1:
[30:29] The weeks pass. February turns to March. By now, almost three months since washing up here, Gordon, Elizabeth and Nicole have become habituated to the island, attuned to its laws and rhythms. They know which fruits to avoid and which to pick, and how to read the weather for signs of an approaching storm. They know how to ward off the mosquitoes and how to treat the tropical sores that occasionally develop on their skeletal sun-tanned bodies. But one thing remains impossible to deal with, the constant worry for Ken and Dave. On one occasion a plane flies overhead, low enough for the castaways to make out the US military insignia on the wing. But despite their best efforts, they can't catch the pilot's attention, and the aircraft flies past the island oblivious. Perhaps they may never be able to leave this place, but perhaps after everything, that's not such a terrible thing in the end.

Speaker 2:
[31:29] If the plane had spotted us, then we could get a search for our two mates. That was the first thing. But to be rescued, Lizworth and I were having our doubts about whether we wanted to be rescued. So it was a kind of catch 22 in a way, I suppose.

Speaker 1:
[31:47] Against all the odds, they have managed to survive, even thrive here. They have overcome thirst and hunger and shark attacks and much more. Maybe it's a form of Stockholm Syndrome. Or maybe to Gordon and Elizabeth, who have spent their whole adult lives traveling the world, this island feels as good a place to settle as anywhere else. Whatever the case, incredibly, it's starting to feel like home. Then one day in mid-March, Gordon and Elizabeth are wading through the shallows of the lagoon back towards the island, when something truly bizarre unfolds before their eyes.

Speaker 2:
[32:30] Both of us noticed that there was something very strange happening to this island. The palm trees were moving. Then we watched the palm trees moving horizontally. Then the island started to grow, started to get longer.

Speaker 1:
[32:45] During their time on the island, there have been moments when their minds have played tricks on them. Hallucinatory experiences, they've chalked down to the extreme isolation. But this, this is too vivid and strange. The island appears to be stretching. The dark outlines of the palm trees multiply and spread horizontally across their eyeline. And then suddenly the illusion breaks. Reality has not been suspended. They are looking at the masts and funnels of a huge naval armament ship sailing right past the island. Action stations. Gordon and Elizabeth race back to the beach to light a signal fire. But before they can so much as spark a match, they spot a bright orange dinghy on the far side of the lagoon, making its way towards them. Gordon stands on the shore, watching the dinghy approach. There are two men on board in fluorescent life jackets. As the boat hits the sand, the men jump out and stride heroically up the beach. One of them bounds over and, with a stiff salute, states his name.

Speaker 2:
[33:55] Nigel Wells, British Commander, Diego Garcia. Can we be of assistance? And I said, hey Nigel, how's it going? Let's listen to that in the car. We got the kettle on. You guys want a cup of tea? This poor guy, he was flabbergasted. His mouth just dropped and he looked at me.

Speaker 3:
[34:11] He's serious?

Speaker 2:
[34:12] It's like, yeah, we got the kettle on.

Speaker 3:
[34:14] He said, oh, I'd be delighted.

Speaker 1:
[34:17] Over a cup of wild lemongrass tea, the Castaways learn of the series of events that has brought the military here. Turns out the French sailors were as good as their word. A few days ago, after their boat was stopped by a US. Navy patrol in a nearby atoll, the sailors asked if the people marooned on Perros Pagnos had been found yet. It was the first the naval officers had heard of this, and they promptly dispatched a ship to investigate. But despite keeping their promise, it turned out Gordon was right to distrust the young pair.

Speaker 2:
[34:50] The British commander told us that they pretty much knew that these guys had stolen that boat, and that is why they didn't want to help us. And they didn't want to be found, and they didn't want to get involved.

Speaker 1:
[35:02] After this, they quickly inquire about Ken and Dave. Has there been any news? Commander Wells shakes his head. Nobody's heard anything. Once this disappointment has sunk in, the conversation turns to the subject of leaving the island. On this, Gordon and Elizabeth find themselves oddly conflicted. Even Nicole has reservations. Commander Wells is sympathetic. He can see how well they have cared for the place, and says that if they want to, they can stay on the island as its official guardians. There is, however, something to consider.

Speaker 2:
[35:46] He said, but you guys must understand, there has been no word from anywhere or anybody about your two friends. That's like seven weeks. Nobody's heard of them, there's been no signals, nothing. He said, if you want to organize a search for them, and you don't come along, don't expect anybody else to give it much enthusiasm.

Speaker 1:
[36:08] Gordon exchanges glances with Elizabeth and Nicole. The choice is as clear as it is painful. It's one or the other. Either they abandon the island or they abandon their friends. It's March the 19th, 1981. Gordon, Elizabeth and Nicole have packed up and stand on the jetty waiting. A pair of naval officers brings a dinghy to the end of the jetty where they load up the castaways' belongings and ferry them back to the ship. The castaways say an emotional farewell to the island that has been their home for the last 82 days. Then all three wade out into the lagoon and swim the short distance to the lifeboat.

Speaker 2:
[37:03] It was very sad. I got a picture of Elizabeth as she was crying.

Speaker 1:
[37:11] A few minutes later, they're climbing aboard the Armament ship, being welcomed back to civilization by the men standing on deck. The castaways draw furtive glances from the sailors, who must have expected these poor souls to be on the brink of death. In fact, the opposite is true. All of them appear pretty healthy, if a little skinny and sunbaked. How well they have survived in such an isolated place is remarkable. Shortly after coming aboard, the castaways are invited up to the bridge to meet the captain. He congratulates them on their resourcefulness. But then his face turns grave.

Speaker 2:
[37:50] He said, look, I hear that you are still very optimistic about your friends having made it. He said, you got to be realistic. He said, seven weeks at sea in a disabled boat, with no keel, no power, they're gone. I said to him, look, if anybody will make it, Ken Alton will freaking make it. Well, young Dave, the two of them, they'll make it. And he said, listen, I don't care if he's the toughest guy in the world or the weakest guy in the world, the sea will drown him just the same.

Speaker 1:
[38:22] The following morning, the ship docks in Diego Garcia, where a large crowd has gathered to welcome them.

Speaker 2:
[38:28] We arrived in Diego Garcia and what a reception. The hospitality was second to none. Man, they treat us like VIPs. Gave us our own rooms, they fed us. We met all the generals and the field marshals and the admirals and we had the press come and talk to us and they put us on television. And man, the hospitality was unbelievable.

Speaker 1:
[38:52] The trio are taken to the base hospital for a checkup. And after being released, they set about instigating the search effort for Ken and Dave. They ensure that word of the missing men travels far and wide.

Speaker 2:
[39:07] They sent out planes on a 400-mile radius search in the vicinity of Diego Garcia. And the planes came back with negative, negative, negative. Then they sent out signal sheets to all the shipping lanes and all the ports in the Indian Ocean. From Australia, Raichu to Sumatra, Sri Lanka, Kenya, everywhere. And finally, they dried up. No more signal sheets. We were starting to get worried. After the rescue and the hospitality, we were pretty upbeat still. But we started to hit bottom. I guess you could say we were morally exhausted now. And we hit the dumps, all three of us.

Speaker 1:
[39:52] A few nights after the Castaways' arrival on Diego Garcia, the officers throw a party for them in the island's British pub. There is music, food, beer on tap. But despite the efforts to lift their spirits, the trio are inconsolable.

Speaker 2:
[40:08] The guys really did their best to cheer us up, and we just could not reciprocate. You know, we were really feeling down. Nigel came and said he had been called away, and he will be back later. About an hour or so later, he came back, and he called for silence. And he had this signal sheet that he had just received.

Speaker 1:
[40:32] The commander waits for the noise to die down. Then he clears his throat, and lowers his gaze to the signal sheet in his hands.

Speaker 2:
[40:43] He started reading this, like he's reading a sermon, with his deadpan expression on his face. Ladies and gentlemen, I've just received a signal sheet from the good ship Gresta's Greek tanker, 750 miles to east of Kyrgyzstan, has found a drifted disabled boat, Miken. The occupants, Ken Orton and David Fugles, are said to be in good health. Oh, it streets me now. It's crazy. I can't be living the whole moment.

Speaker 1:
[41:17] They've done it. Ken and Dave drifted 750 miles in 40 days before they managed to flag down a passing Greek tanker. Their remarkable survival, a true testament to their grit and fortitude. A few days later, Gordon, Elizabeth and Nicole rushed down to welcome their friends into port.

Speaker 2:
[41:40] We could see the launch coming and towing Miken behind. And we all rushed down to the jetty. When Ken saw us, it's a big six with seven arms in the air. As they brought them in the launch, we were standing on the jetty. I mean, that big man just jumped and swept to all of us in his big figgy nog.

Speaker 1:
[42:04] After being reunited, the five crewmates spend a few more days recuperating on Diego Garcia. Then, after saying goodbye to their new friends in the Royal Navy, they board a military plane that flies them to Nairobi, Kenya. By this point, their story has made international news and they emerge into the arrivals hall to a scrum of reporters and flashing cameras. Soon after, the crew of the Miken part company, and this time for good, Gordon and Elizabeth go to Cape Town. Instead about trying to re-acclimatize to life and civilization, it's not easy.

Speaker 2:
[42:43] When we got off the island, it was very difficult for us to adjust to traffic, people, the humdrum, the politics. It just got too much for us. It was, it was overwhelming. That carefree thing that you experience on an island like that, it's quite difficult to explain, especially with our type of attitude, where we were not like Ken, who felt imprisoned. We felt liberated by the whole thing. The only thing we had to worry about were the sharks, you know, and the sharks in civilization are far worse than the ones I had to deal with out there.

Speaker 1:
[43:16] Unable to re-adjust to the pace of city life, Gordon and Elizabeth retreat to the backcountry. Setting up a safari business in the South African bush. They have a daughter together and continue to travel widely. Though they are never able to fully recapture the feeling they had on that island.

Speaker 2:
[43:37] There was a magic to this moment that we never had again. There's been nothing like it ever since. And I don't think many people have experienced what we experienced there. You know, survival in paradise, we were living it.

Speaker 1:
[43:55] Of course, it could have all gone very differently if the crew hadn't worked so well together. Maintaining civility, calm, courage and mutual respect right till the end. Perhaps it was only paradise because of who Gordon was trapped there with. In the years since, the castaways have only managed sporadic, infrequent contact.

Speaker 2:
[44:18] Nicole actually went to visit Lisbeth's family in Denmark. I haven't heard from her for quite a while now. They've got hold of me not so long ago. He's got a resort in one of the Solomon Islands, I think, of New Zealand. And he's doing very well for himself. He invited me to come there and said we go diving together.

Speaker 1:
[44:41] And what about Ken? The larger-than-life captain who set the whole grand adventure in motion.

Speaker 2:
[44:48] The last I heard was he was growing orchids and sending them in Europe. From what I've understood now, he's passed away now.

Speaker 1:
[44:58] As for Gordon and Elizabeth, even their strong partnership doesn't last. The couple eventually split, though plenty of affection remains. Indeed, looking back at those 82 days spent on the island, Gordon says he has many precious memories, but his fondest recollections are of Elizabeth and the many incredible moments they shared together.

Speaker 2:
[45:20] I was very, very fortunate to have Elizabeth in my life. I mean, I ate jackpot there. She was one in a million. So, you know, having her there was definitely a big plus. Having her with me, to be able to share that with somebody like that, and my excitement became her excitement and her excitement became mine. I think that was a huge part of, you know, the success, if you like, or the enjoyment of something like that. She stood by me in almost everything we did, and I did the same with her.

Speaker 1:
[46:09] Next time, we tell the story of the deepest underwater recovery mission ever attempted. A daring and noble task that has profound consequences. In October 2004, skilled divers Don Shirley and Dave Shaw are exploring South Africa's legendary Bushman's Hole, an enormous pitch-black flooded cave. Swimming through the sub-aquatic chamber, Dave uncovers something unexpected and shocking.

Speaker 3:
[46:36] He's reeling out and he actually had gas that would have taken him to 300 meters. But at 270 meters, he saw a body.

Speaker 1:
[46:45] This macabre discovery kickstarts an audacious operation to retrieve the body from the darkness and bring it back to the surface. But in this hostile environment, there is no room for error. So when during the operation, Don and Dave run into multiple unexpected difficulties, a harrowing battle for survival ensues. It's the highest of stakes and the deepest of depths. That's next time on Real Survival Stories.