Here’s the link: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/051202.html
In the final part of the answer, Cecil completely skips over part of the question I was looking forward to reading.
" Does the South Pacific have a lot of large, uninhabited islands that could sustain a person indefinitely? Who cares? As Neale showed, all you need is one."
Cecil, please research this part of the question. As I understand it, there are thousands of islands in the South Pacific alone, and in all the seven seas, there must be many more. Given that, in the absence of fresh water, a tropical location might yield enough rain to capture as drinking water (provided one has a means to collect it), do you have any ideas on how many uninhabited islands worldwide, could sustain a castaway? I’m not trying to be the fly in the ointment here, and I enjoyed the accounts of those examples provided who met the criteria you set. Thanks, Douglas Garvin (irish52)
What about Philip Quarll ?