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Limerence Update #21
Disaster at Sea March 26, 2001 As the late March weather window opened up for a passage to Costa Rica, several boats prepared to leave at the beginning of the week. The sailing vessels Joss, Karina D, and Koonawarra decided to depart Barillas in El Salvador on Monday morning March 26. The motor yacht, Heather K, would leave on Wednesday, and we would follow later in the week with another group. At 9:30 AM a panga led the three boats out of the mangrove river and through the Lempa Shoals. As we waved goodbye - the only boat we knew well was Koonawarra with single hander Grant Todd. Our day was filled with preparations for our late week departure, and we were glad we decided to wait as the Papagayo winds piped up to 30 knots and were not predicted to abate until Wednesday. We wondered how our friends were doing and if they would be forced into the Bay of Fonseca because of the headwinds and choppy seas. After a potluck dinner party at the Clubhouse in Barillas, we went back to Limerence and turned in just after 9:00 PM. At 7:15 AM on Tuesday morning, our neighboring boat – Capaz – called over and asked if we had heard about Grant’s boat – Koonawarra - exploding at sea! Oh No! What a shock. Grant had been having many problems with his boat and was very frustrated. However, his vessel, a Hans Christian 48 was in lovely condition and he was a doting Captain. Grant was in the process of sailing her from California to the east coast of the US and then planned to sell her. Here is the story as told to us by Joss and Karina D who rescued Grant at sea. The three buddy boats, Joss, Karina D. and Koonawarra had regular VHF radio contact as they sailed toward Costa Rica. They also set up a regular six-hour round the clock SSB radio contact with Heather K still located in Barillas Marina. At approximately 9:15 PM on Monday night, the vessels were about 50 miles from Barillas and offshore about 15 miles. Barry, on Joss, suddenly heard an explosion and looked behind to see a ball of flames several miles away. He immediately called Karina D. who had not heard the explosion, but confirmed they were okay. Koonawarra could not be hailed on the radio. Joss called Heather K on land, and said they might have an emergency and please stand by. Karina D. and Joss started their engines and turned toward the fireball several miles behind. The night was clear and starry, but very dark with no moon. The seas were rough. As the sailboats approached the area there was debris everywhere in the water, and they had to be cautious not to foul their props or become entangled. Koonawarra was totally engulfed in flames. Karina D was a mile ahead of Joss, and as they came near the scene heard shouting from the dark water. Grant was alive and clutching a jerry jug as he floated in the sea. He had no lifejacket on, but was holding a backpack with boat papers, money, and passport. He was badly injured with burns and abrasions. Karina D pulled him from the water with the aid of their LifeSling and began emergency first aid. Grant was conscious, but in shock. He said that a fire had started aboard Koonawarra, and he fought it with two fire extinguishers but could not subdue it. He remembers nothing else, however there was an explosion and he was thrown from the boat. At this point the rescue was coordinated by Heather K and the cruisers and staff in Barillas Marina. The cruising boat Caracolita assisted with Henry who is fluent in Spanish hailing the El Salvadoran Coast Guard who instructed the sailboats to head to a GPS coordinate for their assistance. It was later determined that the explosion was probably in Nicaraguan waters, and the El Salvadorans had to make the rescue within their jurisdiction. All of the coordination and Spanish conversation was four way – the Coast Guard, the land based cruiser help, and the two involved boats. While waiting for the Navy, and underway to the designated meeting place, Karina D. administered first aid. They gave Grant several shots of Demerol, and tried to keep him warm. Fortunately a physician on the cruising boat Capaz, offered medical guidance over the radio to Karina D. When the Navy finally arrived, they had no dinghy to dispatch to Karina D. Very frustrated, Karina D put their dinghy in the water, and two Navy corpsmen swam over to the boat and loaded Grant. After moving him to the Navy launch, they returned the dinghy to Karina D. and swam back. Grant was then taken to the hospital and sedated. The sailing vessels Joss, and Karina D. continued on toward Costa Rica. By morning they were so exhausted and in such high rough seas, that they pulled into a small anchorage in Nicaragua and rested for two days. Grant was moved the next morning by helicopter to a navy hospital in San Juan, El Salvador. Several friends from Barillas Marina were there in the morning having been flown to the hospital by Juan Wright, the owner of Barillas. Mr. Wright also guaranteed the payment of Grant’s hospital bills in lieu of his insurance. A few days later, Grant was flown back to the United States and is currently in a hospital in Texas. No one knows exactly what happened, or how Koonawarra exploded. We may never know because the boat was a total loss. Grant may not ever remember the details of that night. Our cruising community in Barillas was in terrible shock and disbelief. We are grateful that our friend survived, and astounded at the coordination required in the rescue. Many things came together that night, and a certain number of coincidences saved Grant’s life. We will be talking about the “what ifs” for a long, long time. |