When Eric Arthur named his yacht Tambo after the Terminator and Rambo, he didn’t expect his life to become a survival movie.

An American retiree experienced a drastic turn of events, transitioning from a laid-back life on his 48ft catamaran to landing in a Venezuelan jail for several weeks after fleeing his ship in distress.

Arthur, 62, sold his condom and lubricant business in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and left his life behind, buying the yacht in Greece.

After four years sailing around the Mediterranean, the veteran boatman embarked across the Atlantic to explore the Caribbean.

He celebrated New Year’s Eve in Barbados, then headed south for the picturesque beaches of Venezuela – that’s when disaster struck.

Arthur didn’t even see the beach before he was boarded by the Venezuelan coast guard and his vessel searched for drugs for hours.

Having been instructed to retreat and exit the country’s waters, the retiree inadvertently ran the catamaran aground around 11.30pm on January 6, after a tiring day that led to him falling asleep at the wheel.

Fortunately, he had the foresight to equip himself with a life raft containing a radio and essential supplies, enabling him to abandon the sinking boat and drift for three days until he was ultimately rescued by local fishermen.

Eric Arthur, 62, (bottom right) with five other Americans after their were freed from a Venezuelan jail

Arthur thought he was saved, but his ordeal was only just beginning. He was taken to a remote military base where he was only allowed to sleep and have breakfast.

But then they wanted him to read a statement to video thanking Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro for rescuing him. He refused.

‘They wanted to do propaganda. They wanted me to say how great the president was,’ he told the Wall Street Journal. 

Next he was taken to Margarita Island and held under virtual house arrest at the home of the local military commander.

‘I have been under coast guard watch, house arrest. Want to make sure I can leave of my own free will,’ he wrote to friends via WhatsApp.

Though he was told he would be freed, the opposite soon happened – he was thrown into prison in the capital Caracas without charge and cut off from the world.

Arthur said he was forced to sit in a chair for 14 hours a day, shackled and not allowed to stand, and fed through intravenous fluids.

Loud music blasted 24 hours a day and bright lights made sleep almost impossible, along with frequent interrogations accusing him of being a spy.

‘They were just trying to wear you down so that when they interviewed you, you’d agree to whatever they’re saying,’ he said. 

Arthur was imprisoned with 11 other Americans who were arrested between September and January, and if they were even formally charged they were falsely accused of terrorism, espionage or plotting to assassinate Maduro

Six of them, including Arthur, were included in a deal to return them home and arrived at Andrews Air Force Base on January 31

Arthur was imprisoned with 11 other Americans who were arrested between September and January, and even if they were formally charged, they were falsely accused of terrorism, espionage or plotting to assassinate Maduro.

In reality, many of them came to meet women they met on dating sites. 

Essentially, they were hostages amid the US Government’s efforts to dislodge Maduro, who stole the 2019 election and rules with an iron fist.

Former President Joe Biden on January 10 raised a bounty on Maduro’s head to $25 million for information leading to his arrest.

Donald Trump taking office 11 days later changed the game, as Maduro became a key piece in his mass deportation plans.

The vast majority of the millions of asylum-seekers who arrived in the US over the past few years were Venezuelans fleeing the violence, poverty, and oppression of Maduro’s rule.

Maduro refused to take any of those rounded up and deported back, unless he got something in return.

So Trump sent White House Special Envoy Richard Grenell to Caracas to broker a deal to send migrants back, in exchange for reduced pressure on his regime.

Included in the deal was the release of six of the Americans behind bars.

White House Special Envoy Richard Grenell (left) was sent to Caracas to broker a deal with Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro (right)

Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States arrive at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025

Arthur was not originally among them, as he wasn’t yet charged over even acknowledged as a prisoner by Venezuela.

But at the last minute, two of the Americans slated for release refused to leave their cells, believing it was yet another fake release the guards used as psychological torture.

Instead, Arthur and another American were abruptly taken from their cells and driven to an airstrip. ‘I thought they were going to kill me,’ he said.

But minutes later, Grenell met them, along with the four others, and soon they were on a plane to the US eating chicken cordon bleu and mashed potatoes.

They were dropped off at the Hilton Hotel in Arlington, Virginia, for the night, before finally making their way home.

Shockingly, they were forced to sign agreements to pay for the hotel stay, and were not designated as ‘wrongfully detained’ by the State Department – making them unable to access the usual medical treatment and counseling for hostages.

Arthur is now trying to put his life together and isn’t sure of his next move – maybe moving in with his father Thel, 87, in Los Angeles. 

‘I’m broke now. Got to start all over. It was a horrible experience, but I have to say I feel blessed. I can’t believe it. I could still be there,’ Arthur said.