Another Day, Another Adventure!
22 December 2009 | Hilo Bay
Sally
So much for promising a mundane blog entry. We had yet another fun adventure today - this one of a much different nature, however. For over a week we have been hearing pan-pan calls on the VHF radio from the Coast Guard putting all boaters on alert that there was a sailboat long over due to make Hilo from Los Angeles. Thankfully the boat, Iwalani, was heard from last night. They were on Day 36 of their voyage and on their last legs. They had blown through 2 different Gib halyards and had a locked up rudder (which means no steering!). We heard their distress calls last night and waited for the Coast Guard to respond. They didn't, but Nakia, our new friends, did. We all learned they had limited sailing capability and limited steering. They were still 14 miles out and it was agreed we would wait until this morning to see what assistance they may require. This morning, Iwalani put out a distress call to the Coast Guard that they had very limited ability to make it in on their own - they had only made 4 miles progress throughout the entire night. They also reported one of their crew was having problems with very painful, swollen legs. The Coast Guard did answer the radio this time, but let them know that unless they wanted a medi-vac, they were not available to help with their problems. All the cruisers here in Hilo were outraged, but apparently, we must somehow misunderstand the role of the Coast Guard. After a quick discussion here in Radio Bay, it was decided that our boat was probably the strongest to go out after them. John (Nakia) and Helmet (LopTo) joined us on board and we set out about 9:00 this morning. We finally got to Iwalani at about 11:15 and were able to take them under tow. The weather, however, was not the greatest for this, and we were only making about 2K into 20K winds. Thankfully, Randy, from the PacificSeafarers Net (the wonderful volunteer organization we check in with for position reports when we are on crossings) was able to convince a Fire Dept. rescue boat to go out and help. The rescue boat finally arrived and in their eyes thought the situation was well under control, so they were going to leave. We quickly let them know that we thought their trained capabilities and their big twin motors could do a much better job than our underpowered 62HP sailboat could do. Reluctantly, they took over the tow and all 3 boats finally arrived back in Hilo around 2:30PM. We laughed when the rescue boat tried to drop their tow line and make Iwalani anchor out in the middle of the commercial harbor. Luckily, because the captain reminded the rescue boat they were coming from International Waters, they were towed the rest of the way into Radio Bay where they could clear customs. With the help of Lopto's and Relax's dinghy, (we had Little Dot on board with Nakia's outboard - just in case!), they were able to get Iwalani tied up to our nice, new spot on "the wall." The Dorothy Marie was able to re-anchor (although our freshly "fixed" chain stripper decided to strip itself from the deck yet again!) and back in to our first spot next to Relax. We did learn, however, to make sure our anchor chain is well stretched before tying the dock lines! The afternoon finished with a wonderful meal prepared by the great cooks from LopTo, Relax, and Nakia - yummy homemade chili and delicious brownies with a festive candy cane twist! The two men from Iwalani were so thankful to A) Have made it, B) Be walking on dry land, and C) to share such a great meal with new friends! And that, is what cruising is truly about! New places, new friends, new adventures, and... helping each other out.