Rescued South African and Aussie Vow to Sail Again

by Henri du Plessis, Cape Argus on 17 May 2007 The sea has left them bruised and bereaved, but they have vowed to go back.
Nicholas Lawson of Australia and Carol Erasmus of Durban had hardly stepped ashore in Table Bay harbour on Monday after a nightmare ordeal at sea when they made their vow.

Lawson, Erasmus and Dale Peterson, also from Australia, were fortunate to have escaped with their lives after Cowri Dancer, the sturdy Swan 57 ketch they were sailing around the world, was knocked down twice by huge waves in a heavy storm in the Southern Ocean.

'We realised there was nothing we could do'
A fourth crewman, Australian yachtsman John Blackman, was washed overboard and was never seen again.

On Monday Peterson was carried ashore on a stretcher, and was due to undergo hip replacement surgery at Vincent Palotti Hospital.




After they had disembarked from the SA Agulhas, which had rushed to their rescue, Lawson and Erasmus described how they had battled the elements to survive.

Two weeks ago, the Cowri Dancer was sailing along in the Southern Ocean, about 450 nautical miles from the South African-owned Marion Island, when disaster struck.

'Carol, John and I were down below resting and Dale was at the helm on watch. It was in the middle of the night and there was some moonlight,' Lawson recalled.

'Then we were all thrown from our bunks as the boat was slammed on her side by a huge wave,' he said.

'When the boat came back up again, we heard Dale call for help. We rushed up on deck and found Dale hanging over the side, holding on to the guard rail. We pulled him back aboard the boat and discovered that he had been badly injured.'

Erasmus said: 'We put Dale in the cockpit and Nic took the helm while John and I tried to sort out the mizzen mast that had come loose John went right into the stern of the yacht to look at the fixing points there.'

Lawson said while at the helm, he was able to surf the yacht down the faces of two waves, but after a third one the ship broached badly again.

'By the time the boat was upright, we saw that John had gone and that the mizzen had come down, smashing the helm. We had lost our friend and our steering was gone.

'We realised there was nothing we could do except stay below decks, try to find help and ride out the storm.'

The Cowri Dancer's mayday radio call reached the officers of the SA Agulhas, on station off Marion Island at the time.

The ship raced to their aid, sending helicopters out ahead and then covering the distance within two days, despite the heavy force 8 to 9 weather conditions. Soon, the three survivors were plucked from the sinking yacht.

'These guys were fantastic,' Lawson said.

'Their response was incredible. They are so completely professional and their hospitality was amazing after they had brought us aboard the ship. We are so grateful to them,' he said.

Erasmus was equally grateful. 'You know, they even flew their helicopters until it was dark, they landed them in darkness, which they never usually do.'

But both Erasmus and Lawson said they would sail again.

'This was a bad one. We lost a dear friend and I will never forget him,' Lawson said. 'But sailing is important. Yes, I will go sailing again.'

This article was originally published in Cape Argus on May 15, 2007