Cruising sailor swept off dock- Tsunami news

by Ernie Kelley, SV Lauren Grace on 1 Oct 2009 The 8.3 earthquake centred about 140 miles southwest of Western Samoa also caught some cruising sailors there unawares with one visiting cruising sailor swept off the dock and drowned in Pago Pago.

Ernie and Charlene Kelley of SV Lauren Grace, who were berthed at a marina in Western Samoa sends this report of how they survived the tsunami:

'By now you know that the tsunami has caused damage, loss of life, that there have been waves as high as 20 feet which traveled as far as a mile inland. Likely the death toll will rise from its current numbers.

'Fortunately though the Samoan islands have a system of tsunami sirens scattered throughout the islands and people did have some time to seek higher ground though obviously some did not make it.

'What we experienced in the capital of Western Samoa, Apia, was trembling of the earth strong enough to feel it on our boat floating in 8 feet of water in the city marina. We watched the dock poles shake making ripples 360 degrees then the water in the marina began running out.

'The shaking lasted more than a minute and maybe even 2 minutes. Our first earthquake. Both of us have read accounts and watched films of tsumanis after earthquakes and had rehearsed the best plan to save our boat. We knew a tsunami was a real possiblilty.

'Charlene and I immediately started our engines, loosed the dock lines and backed out of our slip and exited the marina into the harbour. Meanwhile we could see water rushing out of the marina basin and were later told it went down quickly 4 to 5 feet then leveled off. We were the first ones out of the marina and out the entrance of the harbour to seek 100 feet of water or more. The big ships were sounding their horns as we passed them at the dock indicating all crew to get aboard to exit quickly.

'We stayed tuned to VHF channel 16 for updates and found a FM station giving some news. We hovered about 4 miles out for 4 hours waiting for the port captain to get the all clear from the U.S. Earthquake Center in Hawaii. News while we were out there was that islands a thousand miles away in all directions and those in between would likely be receiving a tsunami.

'We do not know yet how badly the hundreds of small islands with barely 20 feet of land above sea level fared. Within 3 hours a tsunami hit New Zealand but do not know what damage.

'At 1230 hrs local time we received the all clear and motored back to our dock knowing from boats that did not depart the marina that there was no damage. The marina is on the north side of the island and the tsunami hit the south side.

'The local radio station has said that some 28 people have lost their lives including some children no doubt in the small villages we visited last week right on the beach. In a local hotel here called Aggie Grays the hotel guests experienced t.v.'s falling from the wall mounts, drywall cracking and violent shaking.

'Aggie Gray also has a beach resort hotel on the south side of the island and buses were bringing in guests to the downtown hotel visibly shaken and in their night clothes.

'We have been in touch with boaters in American Samoa, about 80 miles east of us. A tsunami struck there after the quake and caused a great deal of damage. Loss of life is expected because so many Samoans there live close to the water.

'We know that where we anchored while in American Samoa it is 31 feet deep and the boat anchored in front of us who is still there experienced a sudden lowering of the harbor to the 5 foot deep level. Some 25 feet of water was drawn out just before the tsunami hit. There were six boats at the dock who could not have adjusted their lines quick enough to lower down without damage to their boats.'

The sailors here followed the classic advice, which also saved many cruising yachts in the 2004 tsunami in Thailand is: At the first warning or hint of radically dropping depths, go to sea with all haste.