Peril at Sea

The first email arrived on the morning of February 12. Imagine me, happily unaware, opening Gmail to find this:

“Well, things have been better. Last night after dark, a huge Papagayo blew up, and we really got smacked. 38+kts 6-8 ft seas, we couldn’t head in and were fighting it hard. A big wave hit us hard on the forward quarter, and I tried to correct using the wheel. Then I heard something pop. The wheel spun freely with no result. We were really in big trouble, big seas, high wind & no steering. I rigged the emergency tiller, but that thing is a beast, it throws you all over the cockpit. I ran below and checked the linkages & found a broken cast iron bearing block bracket. I would have never thought something that massive would break.

“Anyway, we managed to stabilize the boat, but we couldn’t steer adequately with the tiller. I checked the autopilot linkage, and it still worked, so we tried to use it to drive, but the seas and wind were way too big to handle. So basically we were only able to run downwind, which was the opposite direction we needed to go. The moon helped, but after it set, the sky was black. It was a very long, tiring night. I don’t think any of us got even 1 hour of sleep.

“After daybreak we decided we were in a world of serious hurt without steering; seas & wind are still huge. I couldn’t repair the problem at sea, and I couldn’t connect the inside steering until daylight.  It took a while, but we can now steer somewhat better, even though it isn’t perfect. We are about 60+ miles away from any place we can do repairs, and it is a real roller coaster bash to get there. We are burying the bow on almost every wave. We are averaging less than 2 kts. But we are making it. God is good!!

“So, we are going to put into Costa Rica to fix the steering, not sure exactly where, I’ll let you know. Probably will take a couple of days to fix, depending on what is available.”

Michael is probably one of the most capable men I know, so I trusted in his ability to cope, even though this was certainly not where he wanted to be nor where I wanted to imagine him and Sea Venture. I knew the crew had to be petrified; they’re novices, after all. Michael and I have faced big seas and know Sea Venture is a good old girl, capable of keeping us safe. I took comfort in the fact that he could steer from inside, though I knew this had to be difficult, considering that the pilothouse does not have the best visibility. And they’d had no rest.

And then, at 7:58 PM, this radio email arrived:

“We have big problems. The weather is severe, and we are having even more steering problems.

“We are currently 6:50 Central Time 10.33.00N 086.28.20W, about 48 miles out from Culebra in Golfo Papagayo in Costa Rica. We are going to try to make it into there. We are only making about 1.3 knot SOG.

“Would appreciate it if you could notify the Costa Rican Coast Guard and any other folks that might be helpful in our dilemma.”

Imagine my panic. I was sitting in North Carolina, and my beloved husband, our boat, and two frightened, inexperienced individuals were at sea. I called the local Coast Guard station, who patched me into the Search and Rescue team at RCC Alameda. They had already been contacted by a HAM radio operator in Florida — thank you, whoever you are — and had been in touch with the Costa Rican Coast Guard. The gentlemen in Alameda, CA,  exemplified the best in terms of courtesy and helpfulness through that long night.

I next contacted prayer warriors across the country, who joined with me on behalf of Michael and Sea Venture. Thank the Lord for such friends and family. And thank the Lord for the Coast Guard. Once they realized that Sea Venture had an EPIRB and liferaft, they reminded me that no news was really good news. If Michael set off the EPIRB, they’d be there to rescue Sea Venture’s captain and crew. If no signal came from the EPIRD (emergency radio beacon that gives position), then Michael must still be in control.

How I longed for a satellite phone! They all had to be exhausted and yet couldn’t rest, not in those seas. Granted, eight-foot seas weren’t much when compared to some we’ve been through, but always before we’d had good steering and the assurance that all was well — even when it was miserable!

A SPOT Help Message came while I sat glued to the computer, but it lacked lat or long information, which meant it hadn’t gotten a good satellite connection. I knew that Michael had to be feeling what he would call “a world of hurt” to have sent such a communication. But I still had nothing to tell the Coast Guard. No position. No real news — except the knowledge that they were alive. The Coast Guard asked if I thought Michael wanted a tow. I told them no. If Michael could steer at all, he’d want to control things.

The next update said this:

“Well, we are still here and hanging on. Sea Venture, for the moment, is doing OK. The winds are still over 30 & on the nose, seas have moderated somewhat. We are still averaging about 1.5 kts, with 30 miles to go. Hopefully it will improve yet.” [Michael waited until he was safe to tell me that the wind consistently hit in the 40’s and the wave periods were between 3 and 4 seconds, so no recovery before another one buried the bow.]

“Tried to send a SPOT this morn, can’t be sure it went. We are at 10.39.32N  086.10.56W headed 085. We are all sore and beat up. Boat is a mess inside, leaks everywhere topside. Thankfully I had the drop boards made. Wouldn’t be surprised if the crew jumped ship in Costa Rica. You might need to reschedule your trip if that happens, plus I need some repair time.

“Hopefully a more upbeat update later today.

“Thanks for the prayers, we can sure use them.”

The Alameda folk hadn’t had much luck with the Costa Rican Coast Guard, so I decided to call and chat with them myself. Between my Italian/Spanish/English and the Spanish/English at the other end, we managed to communicate, but they had not been able to reach Sea Venture by radio. I sent a Sailmail email to Michael, asking him to call one of two stations when he was within range. They never did answer him, nor did he hear their hail.

More prayer went up. I tried to find peace, but I confess, I was having a hard time. Praise music helped, but my mighty-woman-of-God status stumbled yet again while I cried to the Lord for mercy and calm seas.

Finally, mid-afternoon, I received a note saying that they were ten miles out from Playas Del Coco, Costa Rica.

And then they were there. Thank the good Lord.

During Sea Venture’s refit in 2003-2004 (and later) Michael had replaced all Sea Venture’s steering cables — as well as all other systems. But he never imagined that the beefy bearing blocks would fail — or bolt heads attaching the forward ones. Now that he has had a chance to examine the problem areas, he believes that a combination of dissimilar metal corrosion may have been the culprit, which had not been apparent during his inspections.

The crew left the next morning. Michael is glad to have his boat back — and to have it safely at anchor. My cousin will fly from here to there on Saturday to help bring Sea Venture to Panama.

Thanks to all who prayed and who wrote to ask about Sea Venture after hearing Michael on the Southbound Net, requesting help. Thanks to the net controller on the Maritime Mobile Net who notified the Coast Guard and stood by in case Michael needed him. Thanks to the Alameda Coast Guard for their patience with me and their constant interest in the situation. Knowing they were there, listening, watching, and caring provided great relief. Michael and I both thank you.