After surviving nearly a month at sea eating ketchup, Heinz of America wants to give him a new boat.
Last December, Elvis François found himself stranded in his sailboat in the middle of the Caribbean Sea.
“I didn’t have much to live on. Just a bottle of ketchup, garlic seasoning and Maggi broth,” the man who survived 24 days before his rescue said in a Facebook Live interview with EmoNews.
After he etched the word “help” (help) on his helmet, he was seen aboard his sailboat, about 120 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Bolivar, according to the Colombian navy that carried out the rescue mission.
After his story was made public in the media, Heinz set out to find the 47-year-old Dominican.
“You may remember Elvis Francois as the brave sailor who survived on nothing but ketchup and condiments while escaping at sea for 24 days. Well, Heinz wants to celebrate her safe return and help her buy a new boat…but we can’t find her,” the company posted on Facebook. Instagram at the launch of the #FindTheKetchupBoatGuy campaign.
It took Heinz spokespeople nearly two weeks to find Elvis Francois.
“It was an incredible effort across six continents that resulted in hundreds of articles, leads, and our eventual connection to Elvis,” Heinz says, thanking netizens for their help.