RESCUE Operation

On January 11, 2007 at 2:30 am we heard a cry for help on the hailing radio channel. As it turned out only 3 of us in the anchorage (7 boats) heard the call. A boat was stuck on the outer reef less than a mile from our anchorage. Steve and I jumped into the dinghy with flashlights and headed to the stricken sailboat. The other boat also went in their dinghy but because we were closer and had a bigger motor, we got there first. It took us 40 minutes to go 1 mile because we had to go through a reef in the dark and bash into 4 foot waves to get there. It was so dark that the distressed vessel had to set off a flare so we could see him.
The 35' sailboat was heeled over on the reef but not enough to take on water. We could not get close to the boat because it was surrounded by very shallow reefs. We held our position for about 30 minutes until he radioed that he was no longer being smashed on the reef and believed that he was not breaking apart as he had thought. Another boat named Melody, 5 miles away, heard what was happening on the radio and offered to motor out immediately, expecting to arrive at first light. Since the singlehandler was no longer in danger of drowning we returned to Dream Caper at 5:00 am. At 5:30 am, Steve took our dinghy and picked up Derek, who was in the other dinghy, and headed to After You, the boat on the reef because Melody had no one on board to help him in the rescue. At about 6:30 am on the radio, I hear Keith, the singlehandler on After You, screaming "Man in the Water! Man in the Water! My God the dinghy has overturned!" several times. Knowing our dinghy was the only one on the scene, I knew it was Steve. Needless to say it was 10 very tense minutes before I heard that Steve's life vest was inflated and that he was swimming toward the rescue boat. He got aboard and was not injured. I was very relieved when Keith reported that Steve was okay. Unfortunately, the dinghy was floating upside down, onto the reef.
After spending 45 minutes trying to raise someone else on the radio in the anchorage to please retrieve our dinghy, another boat responded and headed to the reef in his dinghy. After an hour he was able to get it off the reef, so it was upside down for about 2 hours, the motor totally submerged. Another friend on another boat next to us, came over a few hours later and thoroughly rinsed the dinghy motor with fresh water. The lid/top of the motor was gone and the handle was broken in half. Of course, everything inside the dinghy, including the dinghy anchor, 2 docklines, Derek's mask and fins, his lines, a fender and a bunch of other stuff were lost. The gas tank for the motor was also retrieved. Steve continued in the rescue operation mostly on the rescue boat until 3:30 pm. At least 12 dinghies from other anchorages showed up and a huge effort was made to get After You off the reef. Unfortunately in the process the hull cracked so the rescuers filled their dinghies with valuable items just in case it sank.
At 4:30 pm, after Steve had returned to the boat from exhaustion and after a large power boat arrived to help out, After You was successfully pulled off the reef! Unfortunately because of the 5' long crack in the hull it sank in 1 minute, in 125' of water. Luckily, the rescuers on board including 10 local Kuna Indians who were bailing and pumping water out of After You were able to get off in time so no one was lost or hurt. However, it was a frantic few seconds for all of them as they scrambled off the boat some getting tangled in shrouds, bimini, and wind generator as the boat headed toward the bottom. The rescue power boat had to cut the lines to save himself as After You sank. Heartbreaking after all of the efforts by everyone! But, no one was hurt. Cruisers from miles away sent water pumps and heavy lines via local Kuna Indian boats. We contributed 4 125' 1" docklines, the ones we used to go through the Canal and they were all either broken or went down attached to After You. We also lost 2 docklines that were in the dinghy, a headlamp and miscellaneous items like hat, night light flasher, etc. Keith of After You has offered to reimburse us and everyone who had a loss because of the rescue attempts. He is a retired veterinarian from Missouri who left the East Coast 1.5 years ago in an attempt to circumnavigate the world. I think only the 2 rescue boats will accept compensation for the diesel used and others for water pumps lost. We expect no compensation as it might be us in trouble next time. This is just giving back to the cruising community.
If our outboard motor is revived, we will be happy. It just needs a new lid. A friend on another boat is a mechanic and via out HAM radio we were able to have him talk us through the process of reviving a submerged outboard motor. Another cruiser provided some stainless steel plate and bolts, and helped Steve bolt the broken handle back together. The motor seems to be coming back to life. We need to do a few more oil changes before we can tell if it is okay. We are hoping for a full recovery.
It took volunteer divers including Keith on After You, 4 days to locate where the boat had sunk. Fenders were floating from lines still attached to the boat when it sank but the next day the fenders were gone. It is speculated that Kuna Indians came by and salvaged as much line as they could taking the fenders with them. Keith on After You said it was very interesting seeing Kuna Indians bailing out water on his boat helping him to keep her afloat, yet helping themselves to his t-shirts and other apparel in the process. After You is in 150’ of water and they are going to try to float her within the next week.

Postscript (Jan. 30, 2007): During salvage attempts on After You, some of our lost items have been recovered: part of a large line, 2 docklines, and dinghy anchor. The owner of After You, Keith, is now looking for a replacement boat on which to continue his trip around the world. Salvage attempts are being made by cruiser-divers and items are being returned that were lent in the rescue attempt.