Poor Zbigniew Reket just wanted a boat. When he left the United States to buy a boat in India, he couldn’t get back in America because his green card visa had expired. Undaunted, he purchased a boast in Indonesia and set sail with a cat.

Unfortunately his motor broke down and his communications equipment failed so he couldn’t control his boat or contact anyone. He survived by eating dried noodles he had packed for the voyage along with eating fish that he caught (and presumably gave to the cat as well).

Then a boat spotted him off the coast of Madagascar and towed him and his cat to safety. No word yet on whether his cat will ever take a trip with him on a boat again, but at least they’re both alive and safe after a harrowing journey.

To read more about the sailor and his cat who survived being adrift, click here.