Jose said he desperately wanted to phone his family – his wife and his 10-year-old daughter – in El Salvador but he cannot remember the name of the village or a phone number. ‘I have forgotten many things,’ he told MailOnline.

Jose says he has even forgotten exactly how old he is. He ‘believes’ he is about 36 to 38, even though his ordeal has made him appear much older.

‘He is here, with us, but he isn’t here with us,’ an interpreter who has spoken to Jose told MailOnline. ‘He is still disorientated, there is no doubt about that.’

Questions have started to mount over his ‘incredible’ story that if true makes his one of the most amazing in maritime history.