Heinz reported giving money to the man who was infamously lost at sea for 24 days so he could buy a new boat, but he ended up buying a used one with no GPS.
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Elvis Francois, who was stranded at sea for 24 days and earned news for his remarkable survival, survived on garlic powder and Heinz ketchup. Heinz requested that social media search him down after learning of his survival. They offered him a brand new boat equipped with a GPS monitoring device, allowing him to continue working as a fisherman. He turned down the offer, preferring to pay cash for his boat.
Ketchup giant Heinz is trying to locate Elvis Francois, a sailor who spent weeks lost at sea — surviving largely off of ketchup — before returning home safely https://t.co/x7pWQ1V3X1 pic.twitter.com/SVbOokgVRA
— CNN (@CNN) February 27, 2023
According to Insider, Heinz handed Francois 40,000 East Caribbean dollars (about $14,800), but he didn’t have enough to buy a new boat, so he bought a used one with no GPS. He told the outlet that he didn’t think he could have asked for anything better because he hailed from a tiny area and didn’t have a “proper education.”
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He bought two engines instead of one because it was too risky for him to go out fishing on a boat with one. Additionally, he needed more money to buy other parts, such as a steering wheel and GPS system. Heinz told the outlet that they discussed the amount with Francious and quickly sent out the money.
“We’re surprised and sorry to hear that Mr Francois is disappointed with Heinz’s monetary support. While our intention was to purchase him a new fishing boat, once we were able to locate and discuss with him directly, he indicated that money would be preferred and most beneficial.”
The company said they would give him more money if additional funds were needed to fix his new boat.
“We quickly researched and determined that our donation was sufficient to purchase a higher-quality boat than what he previously had, if he chose to do so, while also keeping in mind any tax implications that he might incur. As our only goal here was to delight Mr Francois, if he was not able to purchase the boat that we had discussed, we’re happy to take a look and determine if additional funds are needed.”
As previously reported, Elvis Francois was stranded at sea for 24 days after his boat was dragged due to severe weather conditions while working on a project in Saint Martin. He said he tried to return to the island but lost track because it took him a while to mount and fix his sail.
“It was rough. … Without no food, it was just a bottle of ketchup that was on the boat. Garlic powder and Maggi (stock cubes), so I mixed it up with some water. I tried to go back to port but I lost track because it take me a while to mount up the sail and fix the sail.”
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