The sailor has told a great sea yarn. See New Jonah and A Whale of a Tale for more details. The historical reality of Jonah doesn't need to be based on a myth. It should be based on the truthfulness of the Son of God. Jesus believed that Jonah was historical fact.
Whales are extremely rare in the Mediterranean Sea.
The fish was probably a whale shark or a sea-dog which is very common in the Mediterranean and has so large a throat, that it can swallow a living man whole. There is documented evidence of one of these sharks being captured and an entire horse was found inside. The whole point of what happened to Jonah is that it was a miracle by God. The candy cane was made by a Christian Indiana confectioner. See page called The Candy Cane .