Scary Sailing stories

This post isn't necessarily about us, but about the idea that cruising is dangerous. I've purposely not posted any scary stories about other boats getting into trouble, because some people at home didn't need anything fueling their worries. However, after 14 months and 10,000 miles, I'm happy to say that there have been no people lost in the boats that we are aware of. Before we left, we were told all kinds of scary stories about boats lost, and it does happen, but fortunately, not often. I figure in the course of 14 months at home, it wouldn't be unusual to hear about 2 major car accidents involving friends of friends or just people in your area. We've heard personally of two major boating accidents since we've left, both in the South Pacific. The first involved a family of five, sailing on a catamaran out of Bora Bora. A number of small atolls lie between BOra BOra and the Cooks, and careful navigation is essential. This boat got off course somehow and because the family was watching DVD's instead of being on watch, the boat hit a reef at 7 pm (in the dark). BOth hulls+ were holed and the boat filled with water immediately. The mast came down, pinning the father by the leg underneath, partially severing his calf. They successfully set of their E-perb (emergency transmitter) and tried to deal with the medical needs of the father. They tied a tourniquet, but after hours of being pinned and losing blood, they began to think that they would have to amputate the limb. The rescue plane was unaware of the medical needs of the crew and decided to wait until morning to attempt a rescue. Apparently had they fashioned a cross of some sort on deck, that would have communicated to the plane that they needed immediate medical assistance. At the last minute, a wave shifed the mast and they pulled the father free. They were rescued and the father had his leg amputated in Tahiti from the knee down. The mother was hospitalized for shock and the kids stayed with another cruising family until arrangements could be made to fly home to California. As coincidence would have it, tehy flew on the same plane as my friend Carrie, who was visiting us at the time. The family had been cruising for a number of years and were on their way to Australia. The boat was a total loss. I will put a disclaimer on this story, that the info is second hand and we have heard that an equipment failure happened near the time of the crash, which is why the dad was on deck near the mast. Maybe that contributed to being off course.

The second story, more recently, happened when we were crossing to New Zealand last week. A couple left Tonga heading south, nad 30 miles out of Nukalofa, in 35 knots of wind, they lost their mast. A shroud (mast supporting cable) failed. The keel stepped mast buckled, taking part of the interior, the cabin top, and the exterior railings with it. The rigging (ropes and cables) tangled in the propeller, effectively rendering them without propulsion. The weather continued to worsen and they found themselves in 50n knot winds with 30 foot seas and no steering. Our friends of Sanuk, who were in Nukalofa at the time, went out to attempt a rescue. A New Zealand Airforce plane had located them, but because of the seas were unable to get the people off the boat. Sanuk reached them at midnight with towing gear and towed them back in. Sanuk is a 35 foot, lightweight sloop, and such a rescue was an incredibly brave thing to do. The couple was uninjured and the boat insured, so that story had a much happier ending.

In both stories, human error was to blame. Being on watch is a basic sailors' responsibility and the reason becomes quite clear when a boat is lost because of lack of paying attention. The other boat might have avoided catastrophe had they inspected their rigging prior to one of the most difficult passages in the Pacific. I will say that we always have someone on watch and Pete inspects our equipment regularly. Accidents do happen, but I think cruising is no more dangerous than driving a car across the country. A lot of diligence is needed and experience is helpful. We've seen a lot of mechanical breakdowns on boats that have not actually caused accidents, but did cause undo stress. The most common failures are autopilot, watermakers, engines and sails. We've met a lot of really inexperienced cruisers who rely on their high tech equipment to keep them safe. If and when their technology fails, they do not have the skills to save themselves, which we find scary. I also know that God has protected us along this journey.

All you future cruisers can learn a lesson from the experiences of others and be safer on your trip. -Kellie