Sen. Jeff Flake, sons escape to Pacific island
Jun 3, 2013, 5:22 PM | Updated: 5:22 pm
Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and his sons marked the Memorial Day weekend like many families do: taking a vacation.
But his destination was a bit further than San Diego.
According to The Washington Post, Flake and two of his sons, Tanner and Dallin, retreated to an uninhabited island called Biggarenn in the north Pacific Ocean, where they survived off of crabs, fish and coconuts.
“Tens of thousands of coconuts littered the island,” Flake said. “You just had to pick up the ones that were still ripe.”
The Flakes brought along few supplies. One of the items, a lobster trap, was destroyed by a shark.
For water, the Flakes had two manual desalinization pumps. It took them hours each night to pump enough water to get them through the next day.
“For a dad it was a wonderful thing. No video games around, no television, no distractions, no texting,” Flake recalled. “To just sit there and pump water, that was my favorite time, frankly, on the island. Just talking. Just to have no distractions.”
Flake did have a satellite phone in case of emergencies and to stay updated with on-going events in Washington, D.C., and Arizona, including the jailing of Yanira Maldonado.
Four years ago, Flake took a similar trip to a smaller island, Jabonwod, about 20 miles from Biggarenn.
