A long time ago, in the times when pirates tyrannized the sea, many stories of haunted ships and eerie sea occurrences became popular. Sometimes, these tales were so mysterious they defied logic, and voyagers who experience these often ascribed them to the supernatural.

A group of fishermen including 23-year-old Christopher Rivas residing in P-4 Poblacion in the town of Borabo decided to go fishing.

The group knew something must have gone terribly wrong and this pressed them further to check inside to know what was happening. However, as soon as they entered the cabin, they found something strange and unexpected.

The unexpected sight of the mummified body sent chills down the spine of the fishermen and it also encouraged Christopher to instantly inform the police of what he and his friends discovered 40 miles from the Philippine island of Mindanao.

Thanks to a few documents strewn together on board and a couple of photographs, the authorities quickly identified the body belonged to a veteran sailor named Captain Manfred Fritz Bajorat. However, how he got there remained a mystery.

The mysterious note read, “Thirty years we’ve been together on the same path. Then the power of the demons was stronger than the will to live. You’re gone. May your soul find its peace. Your Manfred.”

According to the national police spokesman at the time Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor, Manfred died of myocardial infarction based on the autopsy by the regional crime laboratory.

These questions were answered by Peter Vanezis, a forensic pathology professor at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Surgery. According to him, the air, heat, and the sea’s saltiness all contributed to the natural mummification of Manfred’s body. However, questions remained about why he was sailing alone.

Sadly, their shared passion ended when they got divorced in 2008. Two years after their split, his ex-wife tragically died of cancer, and his daughter got a job as the captain of a freight vessel.

Afterward, she revealed that he had made the ocean his permanent home since his marriage with her mother split apart. Her work as the captain of a freight vessel also meant she didn’t see him much.

Speculations after Manfred’s death indicated that he had gotten depressed from the twist of fate in his supposed happy family. When it felt like he lost the sense of the love he enjoyed around his family, he resolved into loneliness.

However, many believed that Manfred wrote the tribute after he learned of his ex-lover’s demise. They also stated that the sailor was most likely on a voyage when she died since the last time some reports claimed sighting him was in 2009 at Mallorca, Spain.

After the police discovered his mummified body, they retraced Manfred’s journey and discovered he was last seen in Mallorca, Spain in 2009, seven years before his body was discovered in the Philippines. The police also successfully tracked down the man he talked to so that they could identify his possible route.

The deceased’s friends confirmed his love for adventurous sailing and the feel of sea weather on him. His neighbors also shared that he was overly obsessed with the sea and that he moved- with his family- into a houseboat so he could be closer to the waves.

A particular picture featured Manfred and a woman, presumably, his ex-wife, holding a baby, captioned, “Our first time with our little Button on the sea.” Other items restored from the ship included many canned foods and the clearance document for his beloved yacht “Sayo.”

Following his successful voyage, he reached a new milestone in his sea tour and headed to the Spanish Island of Mallorca where he was last seen talking to a man. His journey from that point onwards remains a mystery up until he was found in the Philippines.

No one mentioned recognizing or seeing him during the period of clearance stated in the documents. Manfred was still alive and well during these periods and his yacht was in a good state.

His decision to not return home was also attributed to Manfred finding solace and enjoying some lonesome sea adventures on his own; he wanted it that way.

However, during his time in Mallorca, Manfred impressed many sailors with his skills including a Mallorcan sailor called Dieter, Dieter who remarked, “He was a very experienced sailor. I don’t believe he would have sailed into a storm. I believe the mast broke after Manfred was already dead.”

According to a forensic criminologist, Manfred’s sitting posture revealed that his death was certainly unexpected — with his arm and head slightly resting on the table — as he made a last desperate call for help.

Captain Manfred Bajorat lived his life following his passion for the sea and according to the late Captain’s friend from his home in Twisteden, Germany, the legendary sailor deserved applause for the courage to follow his heart.