Heinz Wants to Buy a Boat for a Man Who Survived 24 Days at Sea By Eating Ketchup

Back in January, the world was captivated by an inspiring story of a man who was rescued after spending 24 days adrift in the Caribbean Sea. Elvis Francois from the island of Dominica said that he survived by relying on a bottle of ketchup, some garlic powder, and stock cubes.

The story eventually found its way to ketchup maker Heinz, who decided to reward a man for his perseverance and buy him a new boat. The only issue is Francois is nowhere to be found.

After failing to contact the sailor, Heinz decided to ask for the help of the internet and see if social media users could help them track him down. 

“Heinz wants to celebrate his safe return home and help him buy a new boat… but we can’t seem to find him,” the ketchup maker wrote on Instagram.

The original post, unfortunately, didn’t yield any results, prompting Heinz to try other methods of finding Francois. They reached out to Dominican Government, the Colombian Navy, and “several Elvis impersonators” but are still waiting for positive news.

Elvis Francois was fixing his boat back in December when currents pulled him away from the shore and onto the Caribbean Sea. Unable to get a signal to call for help, he collected rainwater and relied on ketchup and spices to keep him alive. After 24 days, he was discovered by a plane passing overhead thanks to the “HELP” sign he wrote across the hull.