Sailor Survives 44 Days At Sea, Overcoming Multiple Disasters
on Jul 27, 2026 • Updated Jul 27, 2026
On June 7, a sailor from California set out to sail on his own from California to Hawaii.
For two weeks, his plan was going well, but everything changed when the mast on his boat broke.
As he drifted hundreds of miles south, he admitted that he considered suicide before having a sudden burst of inspiration on how to repair his ship.
Through courage, determination, and skill, he was found alive on July 21, and he wasn’t far from his targeted destination.
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Read The Incredible Story Of A Sailor’s Journey Of Survival
Kai Sato, 39, began his first-ever solo sail of the Pacific on June 7, setting sail from Catalina Island off the coast of California.
He had sailed before, but never completely on his own, telling Hawaii News Now of a trip from California to Hawaii that he went on in his youth with his uncle.
Speaking with Hawaii News Now, Kai said that his plan quickly unraveled when his mast broke two weeks into his journey, on June 20.
“I cried for a whole week, just drifting south, like miserable,” Kai said. “I felt like I was going to just try to turn my motor on and just suffocate from the carbon monoxide to kill myself.”
Making things worse, his motor was out of gas by the time he was ready to try to find a way back on track.
Kai recalled, “I was literally like a sitting duck, just getting taken south by the current going way off course.”
With a sudden epiphany, he began using PVC pipes and the paddles to his kayak to rig together a new sail. This ultimately worked, but it took him a month to finally return on track to the shipping lane from California to Hawaii.
By July 11, Kai encountered a new snag in his plan as he ran out of water.
Collecting saltwater from the ocean in buckets, he would seal them with plastic to collect drinkable condensation, saying, “I was just licking that to survive.”
His packed rations of oatmeal lasted the journey, and he also was able to eat fish and squid on occasion.
Kai used a lot of his time meditating, saying he often communed with the winds and the waters. Further, he told Hawaii News Now that he felt the presence of his uncle as he faced the adversity of the sea.
Then, as he neared Hawaii, a Pasha Hawaii cargo ship spotted him on July 21, making two attempts to rescue him, with the second attempt of lowering a ladder being successful.
A news release from the Seafarers International Union details of the rescue conducted by Pasha, “All hands were called to assist in the recovery of solo sailor Kaichi Sato aboard his de-masted 32-foot sailboat approximately 900 miles from Hawaii.”
The rescue was done without any injury or hiccups, and took only an hour-and-a-half from the time Kai was spotted until he was brought aboard.
They clothed him, gave him a suite on the ship, and even prepared barbecue for him.
Describing how this made him feel, Kai said “ecstatic,” adding, “I was, like, crying and, like, so happy, and then they got me fruit and water, and yeah, they were so good to me, those guys.”
Now, he’s with family in Hawaii, recovering and planning his next solo sail, which he says will be on a larger boat and will find him sail from Hawaii to the Philippines.
Watch the Hawaii News Now segment on Kai Sato being rescued, here:
The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline may be reached by dialing or texting 988.
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