Lost at Sea ~ The Nantucket story

[Gear300]

Was it that they were lost at sea for 91 days? Did they have lemons? From what I understand, (1) people do not die of hunger, but (2) they will die without water, even though (3) they cannot survive on water alone in the long run because, (4) at the very least, scurvy will kick in. I think according to Linus Pauling, one of the secrets between vitamin C and water is that unlike water, vitamin C underlies survival in the long run. Is this true?

 

[jim mcnamara]

Two points -
1. There is mostly anecdotal evidence for deaths from scurvy in people adrift at sea:
Thermal issues are a big problem -- heat loss burns up calories in cold climates.
Salt water ulcers and exposure are also a problem. Death from scurvy varies from a month to six weeks

2. Vitamin C 101 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4959991/ - this is technical, which is the way a decent answer to your question should be.
Professional guide: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/

Also megadoses of micronutrients severely alter uptake of other micronutrients:
Example: excess vitamin C prevents copper absorption. So Linus Pauling is not exemplar for Vitamin C requirements.

 

[Rive]

lost at sea for 91 days... scurvy will kick in.

Well, actually - not necessarily.
Google up 'inuit paradox' (the part about missing plant food and C vitamin*).

If you lost on sea, you likely won't have fire to cook. Raw fish will be more or less the only food you'll have access to. And that may also mitigate the water issue to some extent.

If you lost on sea (and survived for a few weeks already) then scurvy just won't bother you

(*) ... just noticed that the 'inuit paradox' has other meanings

 

[Tom.G]

(*) ... just noticed that the 'inuit paradox' has other meanings

And the answer is:
(with a puzzled look) "To get more followers, of course."