Vessel Sinking Story by Foulweather!

[hrspowr]

I didn't see this great story when it was posted on the float plan thread, thoughI would post it here for Foulweather. Great story!!

This is a reason why you should keep a float plan like this.
This is a Real life event in my life and will always remember what happended and how lucky I was.

I am one of the survivor's of A fishing vessel. Which sunk just north of cape blanco. On 3/27/99 my father woke me, asking me to get up and watch the wheel. While I was on the wheel I had noticed the water temp was about 45 degree's, The sea was a sharp 18 to 20 foot swell with a 10 to 14 foot chop. my dad went down to the engine room to fix a plugged bildge pump. The bildge alarm was going off but the water level was not at a point that we thought was life threatening. We were unable to unplug the bildge pump, at that time my father told me to get out the generator and the 110- volt pump. The gernerator would not start. The next step I took was to get out the gas powered pacer pump. It started and we were ablt to pump out the bildge. With myself standing outside on the starboard bow, holding the pump while it was running. we took a wave over the port side bow which swamped me and the gas powered pacer pump. The engine was dead and I was unable to get it restarted. all I could do is try to get the pump started again. my father called the coosbay coast guard. There was no reply. He then called a mayday to northbend coast guard. They replied back, my father gave them our location and change of ittinerary and the nature of the mayday. We were taking on a little water but intended to reach coosbay in 4 to 6 hours. The coast guard asked if we had a cell phone on board. We did and dad gave them the number. The coast guard then told us that they would call us on the cell phone so that the radio could be left open. My father then told me to go back and start throughing pots off the boat. I turned and told him that they were allready falling over on there own. He cut me off and told me to get to the raft. He pushed me out the starbard door. as I stepped back I looked towards the bow of the boat I saw the peak of the wave about ten feet above the vessel. The stern had fallen but had not reached the bottom of the trough. Grabbing the latter to get to the life raft, I never made it. I put one foot on the ladder and was under water. The pressure of the vessel rolling over on top of me was to great to hold onto the ladder. I was pulled from the ladder and pressed against the rigging of the stabilizer pole. I dont know how long I was held there but all was black and I was under water.I was held there for some time but was able to break lose of the rigging, but when I tried to swim to the surface something was holding me back and I could feel the vessel sinking and pulling me with it. I struggled fiercely. At that moment I thought this was it I was not going to make it, I had a choice to make. Do I just relax and let it take me or do I fight to get lose. I was exhausted and felt that I was going to die. My next thought was where is my father. He needs my help so I fought to get lose, it worked I was swimming freely. I came out of the water not knowing which way to go or where my father was. I was now hanging onto what I think was the top of the mast. I could here my dad yelling my name in a frantic manner. After the third yell I answered him. He told me to swim to the raft. I tried but the current was too strong and was taking me away from the raft. I grabbed the mast again not wanting to get away from the boat. I looked and saw the side of the green box that the e-perb was connected to. I had to get to it and release it. I grabbed what I think was the bow stay wire, and pulled my self to the box that held the e-perb. It was too dark and my hands were too cold to release it. I kept trying but then felt the boat start to role over slowly. I walked with it and then was trying to hold onto the botton of the vessel. The raft was not about 8 feet from me. My dad told me to swim to the raft again. So I tryed to reach it again and made it. Hanging onto the canister strap I told my dad that I am here. He told me to pull the cord but I couldnt find it. Finally I was able to find it, then I started pulling. My dad yelling " pull the cord John ". I pulled and pulled to the point that I had let go of the raft and was now under water pulling the cord. The cord came tight and I pulled my self to the raft. Grabbing the raft I jerked the cord. The canister blew open and the raft inflated. I pulled my self around to the entrance that my father was at. I tried to pull myself into the raft but with no survival suit on, no personal flotation devises on, my clothes soaked I wasn't strong enough to pull myself into the raft. My father tried to push me in but was unable to do so. We were getting very cold and I knew we had to get into this raft if we were going to survive. I couldn't find the step that was on the raft, so my father grabbed the outside lanyard and told me to climb across him to get in. I was able to get my chest in at that point there was a little break. I grabbed the inside lanyard and started pulling myself in with my dad pushing me, and the swells hitting me from the back. I was able to get in. Turning around looking at my dad in the water, I had no idea if I could get him into the raft. At the moment I had lost all feeling in my hands and feet. I put my arm over his back and tried to find his belt. Not being able to feel anything I raked my fingers across his waist but couldn't find his belt. Looking past him I whatched the bow of the Boat disappear. The vessel was gone for ever. I asked him if he was wearing a belt. He said yes. I started raking for his belt again. After several tries I found his belt and began trying to pull him in. He was very tired and was running out of strength. I was running out of strength. He then rested his head onto the entrance of the raft and pleaded me to pull harder. The tears falling from my eyes, I didn't think I had the strength to pull him in but I wasn't going to give up and I wasn't going to let go of him. I told my self that I had to pull harder and I had to get him into this damn raft. Because I knew I wouldn't be able to live knowing he died in my hands. So I pulled as hard as I could. So hard that it felt like my guts were going to burst. But with my strength and the help of the swell behind my father I was able to pull him in. I fell against the back of the raft and was unable to move from exhaustion. My father thanked me several times for pulling him in. He then said lets say a prayer together, which we did. He then wanted to cuddle to conserve body heat. But my first thought was the stability of the raft. We both weighed over 250 pounds, which made me concerned on the stability in the rough seas. So we stayed apart. Shortly after getting into the raft I started vomiting, which my father followed. We were both sick and vomiting onto our selves. We both drank a couple bags of water after vomiting. After a while we realized the raft was very stable and met in the middle to cuddle. We needed to conserve body heat. After a while I heard a helicopter. It was the coast guard looking for us. When they got close enough both my father and I fired a flare. They then went off the other way not knowing if they saw our flares or us we waited. The helicopter returned again and I fired one more flare they saw us. We began waving flashlights out of the raft. I saw a rescue swimmer being lowered. After a few minutes he appeared at the raft and asked us if we were ok. We both said yes. The rescue swimmer then explained that they were going to lower a basket down and he was going to swim us to the basket and put us into it one at a time. Neither one of us really wanted to get out of the raft. My father insisted I went first so the rescue swimmer took me. The water was very cold and I told him so. With the waves crashing into my face I was having a hard time getting a breath and had no strength to help him swim. I felt like I was drowning and began to wonder why did I get out of the raft. But we finally reached the basket. I climbed inside it and they hoisted me into the air. Getting into the helicopter I had never felt so relieved as I was at that moment untill I saw my father being brought into the helicopter. We were both saved and I knew every thing was going to be ok.
Reaching the coast guard air station they escorted us into the showers so that we could restore our body temperature. After about 30 to 45 minutes in the showers we were given jump suits to put on. The officer then escorted us to a room where they gave us coffee and aloud me to call my wife. They asked us several questions on what happened and then other misc. talk. After they examined our situation and were confident that we were ok. An officer drove us to a hotel where we rested and waited for our family to pick us up.

Wow!

[Pilar]

Man that was intense. Thanks, I think.