mile, 26-day
p. 28 · Read in the full issue
Gilbertese in 450mile, 26-day ocean drift
Five Islanders from the northern Gilbertese atoll of Butaritari drifted for 26 days in a 30 ft launch in May and June before they reached Nauru.
The Islanders, who had set out on a 12-mile trip along Butaritari, sur vived by catching fish with a bent nail and collecting rainwater .The men had drifted 450 miles. They caught three fish, including a shark, and at Nauru they were cheerful and fit. After a medical check-up they ate a hearty meal and shaved off their beards before returning to Tarawa by air on June 21 to a big welcome.