Puffin - Triton 28... Rescued At Sea

[s/v Faith]

Came across this on the Triton site, under their cruising section.... 

Puffin - Triton 28 Rescued At Sea
Terry & Lenore Ferstle

(San Diego)

[Editor's note: We were forwarded the following information last fall, but hoped to get more details and further information before running it. But we never got it. We're running it at this time to remind everyone that it's indeed possible to get into trouble at sea - and with luck be rescued - when sailing on the big ocean.]

Lenore and I were about 200 miles out of Noumea, New Caledonia, bound for Australia when we got into a low that had formed to the south. We progressively reduced sail on Puffin as the wind built to 50 knots and the seas to 25 feet. There was so much scud that it looked as though there were a thick layer of fog about a foot off the surface of the water!

With just our storm jib set, we were making about a half knot to weather, just trying to keep the bow feathering into the seas. It was uncomfortable, of course, but we were doing all right. Since the low was forecast to move in an easterly direction, our plan was to just sit it out. We later learned that the low remained stationary, which is why we had 50-knot winds for eight hours.

At about 0400 the next morning, one particular wave felt different - and we took a very bad knockdown. I initially thought that we'd rolled 360 degrees, but I don't think we went quite that far. Nonetheless, the inside of the boat looked as though a tornado had blown through. In addition, we lost everything that had been in the cockpit. The 100% jib that we'd lashed to the lifeline must have filled with water during the knockdown, because the lifeline and a stanchion had torn out.

When I went to adjust the steering and the storm jib - which was hanked on and set well above the deck so it wouldn't be damaged in a knockdown - the helm seemed funny. Worse still, the tiller was tilted off to one side - and it felt as though something was wrong with the rudder. When I tried to move the tiller, I think the lower part of the rudder broke loose. In any event, the tiller no longer had any effect on the direction of the boat.

Just then Lenore started yelling that we were taking on water. I turned on the 500/gph pump - which was just able to keep up with the inflow - and we started to look for leaks. We discovered that water was coming in from both forward and aft. We couldn't do much about the forward leak because it was beneath a partition. We're not sure if the leak had been caused by hitting something or by the hull slamming down off the back of a wave. It had been like being in a car accident: it happened so fast we're not really sure of anything.

The leak aft - where the rudder post came through the hull - was worse than the one up forward. It would have been difficult to get to even in the calm waters of a marina - and only then if all the lockers had been emptied. So all we could do to save the boat was pump the water out.

During the next 12 hours, we suffered three more major knockdowns, although none was as severe as the first. By daybreak, we had another 500/gpm pump set up to try to keep up with the inflow of water. But whenever the boat was stressed by a wave, the leaking increased. Our plan was to keep the boat afloat long enough to use the storm jib to propel and steer us 125 miles back to New Caledonia. When and if we got there, we'd worry about how we were going to find our way through one of the many passes in the reef.

Unfortunately, by noon it had become obvious that the leaks were worsening and that Puffin wasn't going to be able to carry us to safety. Having run out of options, I activated our EPIRB. From then on, Lenore and I took turns with the manual pump and issued Mayday calls every 30 minutes.

Nine hours later - about 9 p.m. - a military helicopter appeared above us. We didn't have a radio, so we couldn't communicate with them. We fired a rocket flare to let them know it was our boat they were looking for. They pointed a spotlight off to the side of Puffin, so we climbed into our already inflated dinghy and abandoned ship. We later found out that the helicopter had only wanted to drop a liferaft, not to rescue us! Their plan was for a freighter to pick us up the next day. I wish we would have known, because we probably could have saved a lot of our expensive stuff and irreplaceable sentimental items.

As we drifted downwind from our boat, the helicopter crew had no choice but to rescue us. A diver was lowered down. He put a sling around Lenore, and the two of them were hauled up to the helicopter. After the procedure was repeated with me, we were taken back to Noumea. We can't tell you how wonderful everyone was in Noumea - particularly the crew that saved us. They were not only great during the rescue, but later on, too. I never thought we'd make so many friends with people in the military, but we did.

Ironically, a few hours after our rescue, the French and Australians were to sign an accord dealing with safety and rescues at sea. As a result, we spent many hours with officials from the army, navy, air force - and also the Australian consulate. They all wanted to know how the operation went with us, and what could be done to improve it.
The Australian consulate was also a great help once they learned that we had funds and wouldn't be a burden on them. The Consul General lent Lenore clothing and provided us with many bottles of Australian wine for a dinner with the crew that rescued us. There was just so much kindness from everyone.

We want everyone to know that we're fine and that we'll bounce back. I'll probably head back to San Diego before long and stay with my son while I look for another fixer-upper boat. This time one with a radio. Then Lenore will join me to do whatever we have to do to make the same voyage to Australia again.- terry 10/99

From a link on the Triton Cruising site, Puffin sinking

[starcrest]

THERES THE PROOF I PREFERRED NOT TO HEAR.WATER TIGHT BULKHEADS PROVED THEIR VALUE ON THE FKN TITANIC, 'NUFF SAID.THAT BOTE CAN AND WILL BE OUT FROM UNDER YOU IN NO TIME{WHATS BALLAST FOR} WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING-THERE ARE MANY "WELL FOUND, STRONGLY BUILT" SEAWORTHY BOTZE ON THE BOTTOM-MY OPINION AS TO WHAT HAPPENED TO PUFFIN AFTER READING THE ARTICLE --IS THAT IT EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC BREACH IN THE WATERTIGHT INTEGRITY OF THE HULL-AND DONT GIVE ME THIS BULLSHIT ABOUT" POSITIVE BUOYANCY"--JFK HAD POSITIVE BUOYANCY ON PT109-IT MATTERS NOT WHERE YOU ARE NOR HOW BIG THE BOAT-NOR HOW MUCH INSURANCE YOU HAVE.THE BEST INSURANCE IS AN EPIRB AND FULL BLOWN NO BULLSHIT LIFERAFT.-I  WILL NEVER GO CRUISING WITH OUT ONE.--I AM GOING SKYDIVING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 5 YEARS  ----TWO WEEKS FROM NOW----I DONT THINK THE WORSTE WILL HAPPEN-----AS MUCH AS I KNOW THAT IT CAN.and now on a liter note--I have been informed that there is a liveaboard community on lake mead.I will definately get a boat here and eventually have it transported to the west coast.YAZ PAYZ YERZ MONIES AND YAZ TAKES YERZ CHANCES.

[s/v Faith]

Eric,

  Glad to hear you are taking to the sky again. 

Somehow, I doubt Lake Meade will be big enough for you. ;)

Look forward to hearing of your adventures there should it work out. :)

[starcrest]

I just met someone to day who had his 38 footer here in the lake.itwas transported to L.A. and has informed me first account that it is about 6 bux per foot per month----and definately no liveaboards  allowed any where in the lake whatsoever.but he said people do any way---I am quite efficient at that---ya know we need to start a posting on just that alone----heres how I got away with it in ventura on the triton -----even after the girl fell off the dock whilst on the ariel-----at that time I was working in the Emergency Room at the county hospital during mid nite shift-----in no way could they harass me for being on my boat in the day time-and they knew I was there and what the score was.one of them had the audacity to tell me to my face--"bigger boat???that means bigger troubles"and they could kiss  my everluvin' *tail* (modified by PD) if I ever go back.cuz' I will get the same job back in the same hospital-thats where I did my training--same mid nite shift----and those sea scout harbor schnotsies can "get lost" (modified by PD) .If in fact that happens-{never say never}--I will dry dock for six months first---at Anchors Way  Boatyard.rite in front of the harbor office.sometimes I envision them pulling up onto my front lawn in their botze---pounding on my bedroom window and shouting----"HEY---YOUR NOT SLEEPING IN THAT HOUSE ARE YOU??????"

[starcrest]

some times I forget to take my meds.{thorazine,haldol,zoloft,zyprexa}or some times I just get to thinking about how things sometimes dont work out.once again accept my apologies
    ERIC R.DAVIDSON :-X

its all been part of my lifes troughs that from now on will be omitted from this forum....what I wrote is nothing compared to what the real language of the scurvy knaves of the old pirate ship times.