A stranded cruising couple rescued in the Pacific Ocean by the New Zealand navy had no satellite phone, out of date weather forecasts and no insurance for the boat. When a storm swept over their 38-foot sailboat and crippled the vessel, a mayday call was their only hope.
“There was water up to nearly our knees, and we don’t understand where it was coming from at that stage,” the skipper’s partner, Tania Davies. “The battery was out. All food, all cups, everything — clothes, everything — cupboards flown off, doors blown off, winds howling, noises. You can’t even explain the noises; they were just ear-splitting.”
The New Zealander Davies and her British captain, Steve Jones arrived ashore on Sunday aboard a good Samaritan container ship.
The crew, for one, has no intention of heading offshore again anytime soon.
