California man found adrift given new boat

VENTURA, Calif. -- A man who spent three months adrift in the Pacific Ocean aboard a damaged sailboat can set sail again in a $4,400 boat he received as a gift.

Since being rescued last month from his damaged sailboat off the coast of Costa Rica, Richard Van Pham has received several gifts from around the world, including a new 25-foot sloop.

The donor, bioengineer Erwin Freund, said Pham deserves it.

"He appeals to our alter ego," said Freund. "I'd like to be carefree and sailing. He's living the way I'd like to."

Pham's new home occupies a prime slip in Ventura Harbor and has five sails, a radio, flares, television, VCR and small bedroom.

He set sail this summer from Long Beach in his 26-foot sailboat, Sea Breeze, bound for Santa Catalina Island, some two dozen miles offshore. En route, a storm broke his mast and his outboard motor and two-way radio failed.

Officials said Pham survived three months by catching fish, seabirds and turtles for food and collecting rainwater.

He was rescued on Sept. 17 by the San Diego-based frigate McClusky. Unable to fix his sailboat, Van Pham approved its sinking and crew members torched it.

Freund said he wasn't dissuaded by Pham's prior arrests on aggravated battery and marijuana possession charges. "He was not prosecuted. he didn't spend a day in jail," he said.

Phillip Nguyen, a loan officer from Tustin, also says he wanted to give Pham $1,000 to help him "get on his feet."

"I don't want to dig up his past," he said. "He's not a politician. When someone needs help, you help."