Photos: Polish man and cat rescued in Indian Ocean after 7 months at sea

Zbigniew Reket, a Polish sailor claims his boat drifted for 7 months with only his cat, Samira as company on the Indian Ocean before being rescued off the French island of Reunion, after being spotted by the crew of a yacht on Christmas Day.

Updated on: Dec 29, 2017 1:15 PM IST

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Zbigniew Reket, a Polish sailor who was rescued on December 25 in the Indian Ocean by the French coast guard, sits with his cat on his boat in Le Port, on the French overseas island of La Reunion. Reket told reporters he left the Comoros Islands off Africa’s east coast in May for South Africa. He also claims to have survived on half a packet of Chinese soup per day and whatever he caught by fishing. (Richard Bouhet / AFP)

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A handout photo released by the Societe National de Sauvetage en Mer (SNSM) shows Polish sailor Zbigniew Reket (R) standing on his boat as he was being rescued in the Indian Ocean. His odyssey started in 2014 when he travelled to India. He could not return to the US because his green card had expired, so he set sail for Indonesia. But a broken mast forced a landing on the Comoros island. (Richard Bouhet / AFP)

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Reket spent his next 2 years in the Comoros Island repairing his boat. He also claims he contacted the Polish embassy in Kenya, which allegedly rejected a request to be repatriated. He set out again in May, along with Samira, a cat he had adopted. The destination this time was Durban, in South Africa, but was left drifting yet again following engine failure. (Richard Bouhet / AFP)

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Instead of reaching South Africa, he was plucked from the waves well off-course, near the French island of Reunion, after being spotted by the crew of a yacht. The instruments on the boat had been smashed and left him no means of communication, France’s SNSM coast guard service told AFP. (Richard Bouhet / AFP)

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Otherwise, the journey of more than 2,000 kms would have seen him travel south, down the Mozambique Channel. (Richard Bouhet / AFP)

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Investigators are seeking to piece together the itinerary of the 54-year-old. Local police officers say authorities are seeking to determine the circumstances that led rescuers to find Reket on a boat with no navigation or communication systems. (Richard Bouhet / AFP)

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Reket, stands on his boat in Le Port, on the French overseas island of La Reunion. Ever since being rescued, a local charity has been looking after him. Reket says he is even considering staying in the Reunion Island which he is entitled to as an EU citizen. (Richard Bouhet / AFP)