Carol Erasmus, the 32-year-old KwaZulu-Natal engineer on the stricken Australian yacht Cowrie Dancer, had never seen such huge waves as those she faced in the southern ocean except ”in the movies”.
Speaking to the South African Press Association by satellite phone from the SA Agulhas on Thursday after the surviving crew were rescued from their damaged yacht, Erasmus said she and Australian sailor John Blackman had been trying to secure the broken mizzen — the rear mast — when a huge wave hit the yacht on Monday.
”It was like an explosion going off. I was under water for some time. When I came up he was gone.”
The power of the wave ripped the 55-year-old Blackman overboard even though he was attached to the yacht by his safety harness.
”We were really hoping to find him.”
Blackman was not seen again.
Erasmus said she thought about ”what he must have gone through”.
Asked if she had ever seen waves as big as those that had battered the Cowrie Dancer, she replied: ”Only in the movies. They were huge.”
Erasmus joined the yacht in Cape Town and it left port on April 23.
Yacht owner Dale Peterson and his crew — Nick Lawson (38) Blackman and a British sailor — were doing an around-the-world voyage in the lower latitudes. Erasmus replaced the British sailor, whom the Mercury newspaper reported had flown back to the United Kingdom.
Erasmus said despite her experience she would ”probably” continue sailing.
She had spoken to her mother ”who sounded tired. She’s probably exhausted from worry.”
Lawson, who was at the helm of the Cowrie Dancer during the storm, described the swells as ”mountains of water”. Asked how big he thought the swells were, he said: ”I just remember it was huge.”
He said the wind was between 50 and 60 knots (approximately 110km/h).
Lawson said the boat had been struck by two waves.
Peterson was injured and the mizzen was damaged when the first wave struck and, when the second struck, Peterson was in the cabin.
When the second wave struck, the helm [steering] of the yacht was damaged.
Peterson broke a leg and Lawson was gashed but did not break any bones.
Lawson was full of praise for Erasmus.
”She did a fantastic job. I was extremely lucky she was on the boat. Under extreme pressure she has really impressed.”
It was Erasmus who set off the emergency position-indicating radio beacon which alerted Australian maritime authorities to the yacht’s plight. They alerted the Maritime Research Control Centre in Cape Town, which in turn alerted the SA Agulhas.
Lawson was also full of praise for the crew of the SA Agulhas, which sailed from Marion Island to rescue them about 700 nautical miles south of Port Elizabeth.
”They’re pretty bloody fantastic. I just want to express a great deal of thanks to everybody who’s helped,” he said.
The SA Agulhas will take the crew to Marion Island, then to Cape Town on May 12.
The Cowrie Dancer is floating abandoned in the southern seas and may be salvaged. – Sapa