SailBlog

February 12th

Medical Emergency - All Safe

Northanger is safely moored to the rusty floating FIPAS barge in Port Stanley, Falkland

Islands. If anyone has been following our voyage on Hayley Shepards blog and website -

www.kaykingtosavealbatross.com, and tracking us, you will have noticed the abrubt turn to

port, just south of the Burwood bank and about 200 nautical miles due south of Port Stanely.

This area of the world is notorious for bad weather, and the morning of February 4th was

paricularily nasty. A strong low had formed over the Falkland Islands and a high pressure

to the north was pushing it south. With winds gusting to 50 knots from the Northwest,

Northanger was flying along at 8 knots under staysail, making the perfect course for the

north end of South Georgia, and if the winds kept steady from this direction, eta would have been

February 8th in Elsehul.

At about 11am in the morning, something that one tries to prepare against, to hope would

never happen, could not imagine even happening, happened. While trying to lock off our

propeller, a string somehow got loose, the boat surged on a wave, the propeller started

spinning with the string whipping around the propeller out of control. It was one of those

moments where no one knows exactly what really happened or why, but Greg's hand was nearby,

and the string whipped around, caught his index finger and ripped the top half of it off.

This is the stark, awful truth, brought home in that moment, that anything can happen, at

anytime.

I was sleeping and was woken to Greg calling my name in a tone that could only mean

something was seriously wrong. I found him crouched down, bent over the open floor to the

bilge area where I could see the propeller spinning. I still could not see what was the

matter as Magnus was crouched over Greg, supporting him. Beth-Anne and Hayley were hovering

nearby. Then Magnus moved and I saw Greg holding his right hand, and saw the mutilated

finger.

It is just now that I feel able to write about it. I have been reliving that moment, over

and over since the accident, wondering what I could have done that would have prevented it

from happening. The images are finally fading and I have come to the realization that there

was nothing any of us could have done to prevent it, and what we did do in the following

moments, was the right thing to do.

One can train and study and train again in first aid without every encountering a situation

that will test ones ability and strength. We were lucky. We were three advanced wilderness first-

aid technitions onboard, Beth Anne an instructor and all fell into the role that each of our

abilities allowed.

After Beth Anne stabilized the wound, dressed it and calmed down Greg, his condition was

monitored for any deterioration. The winds meanwhile continued to increase, making it

impossible to change course immediately for Stanley which was directly north of our

position. Once Greg was stable, I made the decision that the situation was at the moment

not life threatening. I did not want to risk any one elses life or safety to come and

evacuate Greg and knew that in this situation, it was up to us to get him to Stanley and the

hospital. Also, we were out of helicopter range, so the first step was as soon as the

weather allowed, to make way to the north, and get in range of a rescue helicopter if it

were to become necessary.

I promptly called our friend Dr. Graeme Magor and left a message on his answer machine, and

then wrote him an email asking for advice. As I was not able to contact him right away,

another call was made to our wonderful rock of a friend, Debbie Summers. A Falkland

Islander, currently living in New Zealand, I phoned her, hoping she could give me a

telephone number of a doctor in Stanley that I could talk directly to for advice. She gave

me her mother Jackie,s phone number, whom then put me in touch with the emergency number at

the hospital in Stanley.

Within a hour of the incident, I had talked with Dr. Rowlands in Stanley, who recommended

how to dress the wound and which antibiotic would be suitable to start Greg on. Shortly

after, Dr. Graeme Magor, also wrote back with the same advice and words of encouragment.

I also emailed friends for contacts in stanley, in case I was unable to get ahold of the

doctor. Everyone wrote back. Thank you Jonathon, Kate and Hamish, Ian. Thank you so much

Huge and Marie Paul for calling us on the Iridium and for the reassurance. The contact and

the words of advice kept Greg going and us going.

The weather was frustratingly forcing us to stay in place, hove to, with the hope it would

calm down enough to cross the Burwood bank. An updated grib file showed otherwise. If

anything, the winds were forecast to increase and on the back edge of the low, it was

showing upwards of 50 knots. Later in the evening, I decided to continue on under bare

poles, heading towards the eastern end of the bank with the hope that the winds would ease

off enough once we arrived, for us to continue north.

At four in the morning on the 5th of February, our spirits were lifted as our course turned

north for Stanley. I chose to motor sail against the still gale force northwesterlies,

wanting to keep a course slightly to the west so as not be be forced pass the entrance to

Stanley if the winds were to increase.

By 11 am we were finally over our second obstacle at getting Greg to safety. Greg meanwhile

was doing much better and was watching movies in bed, frustrated at the fact that he could

do nothing else other than concentrate on resting until we got to help.

By afternoon, the wind had eased to the forecasted 25 knots and we continued motorsailing,

keeping speed. A new set of grib files showed gale force northeasterlies forecast for the

afternoon of the 6th. If we did not make the entrance into Port William Sound and Stanley

Harbour by about 3 pm on the 6th, we would be blown southwestward and it could be another

day before we would be able to make course to Stanley.

I wrote more emails, looking for alternative anchorages, with roads to Stanley, with an

airstrip to be able to evacuate Greg. I wrote the customs asking for premission to land

where ever necessary. And I throttled up the engine, gaining another half a knot towards

help. The Southern Ocean never sleeps.

By 11 am on the 6th, the wind had changed to light northeasterlies. OUr speed dropped off

by two knots. I altered course slightly to the north east of the entrance to Stanley,

praying the winds would not strenghten to the 35 knots predicted for the afternoon. We were

11 miles off the entrance to Port William and a call on the radio from the fisheries patrol

vessel, the Proticat, broke the radio silence of the past 5 days. "Do you realise that you

are sailing right through a live firing range?" they radioed. "Oh Dear!" I said. When I

explained the situation and that we were on direct course for Stanley the Scottish accent

came back over the radio, "That's okay then Lassie, we won't shoot you this time". Thank

you for that!

By noon on the 6th, we arrived in Stanley. Simon, the customs officer, met us at FIPAS and

drove Greg and I directly to the hospital. By 4pm, Greg was being operated on. By 6pm, he

was safe, in bed and very hungry. Always a good sign.

I apologise to all our friends for not writing sooner. Greg came out of the hospital on

Monday. He is in good spirits and we have all learned so much from this experience. It was

a harsh lesson on reality, but I feel very fortunate to have been with the crew we had on

board, all of whom I can only give my heartfelt thanks for reacting the way they did.

Everyone worked as a team to get Greg back here and safe.

Saturday, Greg leaves us as he cannot continue on. It will take a month at least for the

wound to heal. Dr. Cheema, the surgeon, did an outstanding job of saving as much as he

could of the finger. The nurses and everyone at the hospital went beyond their duty to be

kind and gracious to us. Chris at the Narrows Inn opened up a corner of his pub for us to

use the internet and contact our families. Ken has been driving us around here and there.

Janice opened her house to all. Maurice and Debbie at the Seamans Mission have been so

supporting and generous. If I have forgotten anyone, I apologise. But thank you all who

have gifted us your kindness.

Now, we are in limbo. The desire of all is to continue on to South Georgia and to continue

what Hayley started 3 years ago. To do this we need another crew member, a replacement for

Greg. As we are finding, he is not easily replaced.

What comes next, will soon be decided. The most important thing right now is that Greg is

safe and in the whole scheme of what could have been, he will be fine. The rest is just a

minor detail.

Keri Stanley Falkland Islands