Graphic sailors' accounts of the Tsunami

by Nancy Knudsen, Cruising Editor on 8 Oct 2009 Thanks to some very graphic writing by cruisers berthed in Apia and Pago Pago, this week
we bring you first hand accounts of the experiences of yachts when the tsunami struck Samoa.

There are good lessons to be learned, and tucked away in a corner of your mind, 'just in case'.

The lives and yachts of the sailors depended on the nature of their instant responses:

One man was still trying to untie his boat when the wave struck and he was tragically
drowned.

Another family chose to leave the yacht and quickly found a high pole to cling to. This saved
their lives, but their boat has been sadly trashed, and they have flown home.

A third sailor slashed his taut dock lines with a knife and left as the wave approached. He
survived, and so did his boat.

The accompanying pictures here taken by Canadian cruising sailor Wayne Hodgins are an
amazing record – the first is taken after the first surge struck the wharf, which has completely
disappeared underwater. The next photo shows the dock with water at normal level after the
surges have stopped.

Jessica Watson, by hitting a ship on her first night at sea, has gained world mainstream media attention as the most famous teenager in the world for WANTING to do something. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and 16-year-old Jessica is coming up trumps on that score, readying her boat in Sydney for her circumnavigation to include a rounding of Cape Horn.

Good news in electronics and communications this week – read about how PredictWind is getting better and marine broadband is getting cheaper.

Mark Cherrington brings the second of his series 'All about Rope', and we also bring the third edition of 'Collision at Sea, the unthinkable' – this week how radar and radio cannot be depended on to avoid a collision.

Read the tales of the cruising dentist in Vanuatu, who is doing so much for the locals while having a whale of a time, or drool over the stunning pictures of classic yachts in St Tropez this week.

Much other news too – browse down the stories to see what interests YOU.

Sweet sailing!