The story of how Carina was rescued – how Carina was towed into port.

(Bavula Passage and vicinity)

10th of November, 2007

12:30, the propeller stopped turning!

I was thinking that something broke in the propeller. There are plenty of logs/greens/and everything else that drifts near the islands. So the debris could easily block the movement of the propeller. This kind of trouble has already happened when I put in Cape Verde (Mindenlo),

I cannot change anything while I am in the water and while the waves are that big.

Without the help of the engine I cannot pass through of the entrance (Navula Passage). Both side of this passage are lined with rocks; the currents are strong and unpredictable and the mild winds keep changing.

The entrance’s direction is 77 deg. and characteristically the wind direction is from the East and it is a headwind.

Nowhere is to be found a secure anchorage. Before the entrance and next to the island there is a continuous rocky shoal. If I could, I’d drop anchor and repair the propeller. I do not have a map from this place only the MaxSea (this is a digital map that is in my laptop. The laptop battery is good for an hour.). I looked over the whole area and made drawings. I found a little harbor nearby, but its entrance is even smaller (POS: 18-03.6S; 177-15.9E), I try the VHF radio first – maybe someone will answer me.

Calls on VHF:

13:00 I Put out a general call: name of boat, position, and description of problem.

13:30 II. Put out a general call: name of boat, position, and description of problem

POS: (17-59S; 177-11E)

14:30: Called the harbor: name of boat, position, and description of problem.

Nobody answered.

I changed tactics. I try to sail in. If the wind is good and holds this may work.

1/ I made a diagram: wind direction, the direction of the harbor entrance. Carina can sail 60 deg. into the wind. Her slide is pretty big. So in theory the whole maneuver can be successful if the current and the wind hold.

 2/ The critical section is 0.8 nautical miles long and the width of the channel is 0.3 nautical miles.

The wind stopped completely and it’s raining and raining and raining. I’m slowly drifting towards the rocks. The distance is 0.82 nautical miles. I cannot stop drifting, because there is no wind just the current. I tried to row but to no avail.

15:30 I call the Coast Guard and give the name of the boat, the position and the problem. The rocks are coming closer and closer. I asked for help, but there is no answer. I heard somebody but the person did not identified himself. He must have just opened the mike.

18:30: Luckily a very weak wind (0.5 knots) started to blow so very slowly I start to drift away from the rocky shore. It’s raining continuously and the visibility is very limited.

Well, I do not think that this tactic will work.

19:00 I tune in 14.287 MHz. (USB)

VK2VZ, Peter from Sydney answered. I informed him about my problem and asked to get in touch with my father. There is absolutely no ship traffic around here and I cannot ask anybody to tow me in.

I gave the name of the boat, the position and the description of the problem, but it looks like nobody listens to the VHF radio around here. Maybe from Budapest my father will be able to find somebody who will be able to tow me in through the entrance. If that could be done then inside the anchorage is safe and I could start engine repair. Peter called Feri through the Internet and Feri called my father (the time in Budapest is 7 in the morning). I kept contact with Peter until 23:00. Every 30 minutes we exchanged information.

22:00: position, (17-59S; 177-10E)

I tried to keep my position and tried not to go near the entrance.

Peter told me about the promises that my father got from the Navy, the Police and the Rescue Center. They promised to send someone out in the evening. I stayed up all night and kept my position and kept a close watch for any ship. I got ready to send up a marker rocket and I had the position lights on. It was 5 in the morning and still nobody came (position: 18-00S; 177-10E) so between 5 and 7 I slept a little.

(From now on instead of Tonga time I’ll use the Fiji time, which is –1 hour.

Nov.11

VHF radio: at 7:45 a radio operator calls.

I give my position and describe the problem.

At 8:05 the radio operator calls again. I give my position again. (12-56S; 177-07E)

8:00: 14.287 MHz.

VK2KV, Peter, Sydney. Signal: 5/9.

I gave my position again. My father left a message with Peter, that somebody will come in the morning and tow me in. Peter went to do some shopping in town where he will be able to get on the Internet and get some fresh news.

8:55: The captain of the rescue ship is calling me. I give him my exact position again; I am 4 nautical miles from the entrance. I send up a marker rocket and light a hand held torch. Maybe this way he’ll see me.

9:00: 14.287 MHz. VK2KV, Peter from Sydney; 5/9.

I gave him my position again. It is too bad, but at the moment there is no ship on the horizon. They tell me to sail in. That does not make me happy at all.

9:15: The radio operator from the rescue center called to tell me that there is no ship available. He is looking but at the moment he could not find any. His advice: try to sail in and try to stop somebody on the water.

My reply: ship traffic is very scarce here. I will try to sail in, but in case of an emergency have a small motorboat ready. (For a 19 feet long boat a small motorboat can do the job.) In this variable and weak wind and without the engine it’s a risky undertaking. The man did not promise anything. I aimed Carina towards the entrance. My speed is 1-1.5 knots; the wind is weak.

9:45. The rescue center called me again, but there was no new information.

10:30 I noticed a small motorboat. It is only a few hundred meters from me. It is not a rescue boat. Three fishermen going out to do some fishing. I light up a torch. They notice me and start towards me. I call them on VHF. One of them answers and starts to speak in French. On this level it does not matter I tell them my problem in broken French and ask for their help. OK They tow me in to a secure place. The entrance is 2 nautical miles away. The total towing distance is 4 nautical miles. After I got through the entrance I threw out the anchor and said goodbye. MERCI!

In about 20 minutes comes a motorboat and with an offer to tow me to the hotel’s (SeaShell) buoy, because it is safer there. The distance is 2 nautical miles.

13:00 I’m at the buoy.

Ben and Pat come over and they like Carina very much. They work in the hotel. Their job is to take the tourists out to serf.

I have not been eating practically anything the whole day. The only thing I munched on was some biscuit and drank some coffee with rum. It was sufficient but not very appetizing. So I prepared a big lunch:

Scrambled eggs, canned corn, soup and hinano (Tahitian beer).

After 1400 hours I checked the engine. The shaft is OK. It did not break, but unfortunately the gear shifter is not OK. Repair can only be maid on shore.

I swam to shore to the hotel (this is a 100 m. swim and a 100 m. walk; I cut my foot with coral).

I thought it was Monday, but it was Sunday :), yet I keep up my log every day so that I wont loose a day. Api, the local diver gave me the heads up about this. I made friends with a few locals. I like the Fiji language. I got a call from a Fiji Times reporter. The call was about my rescue and he mentioned that he liked my web page, especially the opening picture.

I went out to the shore for a walk. There were many people there who were fishing, usually in pairs. They were walking along the beach pulling a big fishing net in the water. There were some who tried to use throw nets.

I met with a few Fiji Indians. They offered me beer. We talked for a while then they gave me a few fish for supper. The price of 1 kg. fish here is 6 Fiji dollars. They told me to start doing it, but I have to learn how to become a better fisherman first.

19:00 I tuned in 14.287 MHz. Peter (VK2VZ) came in. His signal was 5/9.

I have outlined the engine and towing problem. I am looking for a cheap solution. Most of them take too much time. If one has money the problem can be take care of quickly, but I have more time than money. In the evening at candlelight I read Hemmingway again (The Nick Adam Story).

Lessons drawn from the incident:

A simple engine problem is not a PAN PAN (urgent) call, but it can develop into a big problem sometimes. Later it can develop into something that necessitates a PAN PAN or even a MAYDAY call if for example, if the boat drifts onto a shoal and the hull breaks or the boat starts sinking. In this case a life is in danger and a MAYDAY call is OK.

First of all I am thankful to everybody for everything!

In more detail:

1. Peter, VK2VZ who was our communication channel. Without him I could not have inform my father about my predicament.

10^th of November from 19:00 to 23:00 and on the 11^th of November from 8J) to 10:00 we spent an incredible long time on the radio and that helped a lot. Thank You.

2. My father, who organized this whole rescue attempt from Budapest did an incredible job. He talked with many people and the whole island knew the story that I am waiting for a ship to tow me in and that was the reason why the local newspaper reporter woman called on me. My father was in contact with the different Fijian organizations mainly with the Rescue Center (see the Fiji Times). He was the one who gave them my position, because they did not hear me on the VHF radio. Later it has became clear that they use channel 86 instead of channel 16. This was the reason I did not get an answer.
3. To handle motor problems is not the function of the rescue center. It is not a PAN PAN or a MAYDAY situation. Their duty in such cases is to keep in contact with the vessel so that in case of a real danger they can take steps. Therefore they kept promising and waiting.

Because there was not much traffic around this entrance, I had difficulty finding a ship. A few months ago many yachts sailed through around here, but the season has ended and nobody sails around here anymore.

It would have been better to check the engine earlier and to stop the first sailboat with a danger signal or trying to sail through the entrance in the afternoon when the wind was stronger, but nobody can predict these things in advance.

My most important guiding principle was not to danger my boat. Generally that is the most important!

Translation: L Károlyi (wa6ypp)