{"id":173115,"date":"2023-05-01T07:44:36","date_gmt":"2023-05-01T11:44:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=173115"},"modified":"2023-05-01T07:44:36","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T11:44:36","slug":"heinz-offered-the-fisherman-a-new-boat-with-gps-but-he-didnt-get-enough-money-to-buy-one-with-a-navigation-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/heinz-offered-the-fisherman-a-new-boat-with-gps-but-he-didnt-get-enough-money-to-buy-one-with-a-navigation-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Heinz offered the fisherman a new boat with GPS, but he didn’t get enough money to buy one with a navigation system"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The\u00a0“ketchup boat guy”<\/a>\u00a0who was offered a new fishing boat with GPS by Heinz says he feels “kind of” disappointed after only getting enough money for a small boat and engines.<\/p>

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The company offered to give fisherman Elvis Francois a new boat complete with a navigation system after learning he’d survived 24 days lost at sea on just ketchup and seasonings.<\/p>\n

Francois told Insider he could only afford to buy a small used boat and engines as the money Heinz gave him “wasn’t enough” for a sailboat. That’s despite the company telling\u00a0The Washington Post<\/a>\u00a0it planned to give him “a new boat equipped with full navigational technology to avoid another disaster in the future”.<\/p>

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The ketchup maker launched a\u00a0viral social media campaign<\/a>\u00a0in February to find Francois. Within days Dominican media outlet Emo News\u00a0tracked him down<\/a>\u00a0and helped him connect with Heinz.<\/p>

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Elvis Francois said his new boat needs a paint job.\u00a0<\/figcaption>Elvis Francois<\/span><\/span><\/figure>\n

Insider has learned that Heinz gave Francois 40,000 East Caribbean (EC) dollars ($14,800) for a new boat.<\/p>\n

Heinz asked Francois if he wanted to receive money or for the company to buy him one, and he chose to take the money, both said.<\/p>

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The 47-year-old told Insider the cash couldn’t pay for a sailboat like the one he had previously, but that he could at least get a small vessel and resume fishing right away.<\/p>\n

He added that he didn’t think he could ask for more because he’s “from a very small village” and doesn’t have “a proper education.”<\/p>

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“You can’t force anything in life, I just have to accept it as it is,” he said.<\/p>

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He spent EC$18,000 on a small boat and EC$20,000 on two motors. Insider has viewed documentation of the sum Heinz paid him and receipts for what Francois has spent.<\/p>\n

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