Rough Seas, Rougher Sleep!

I went to bed last night simply to endure ridiculous tossing and turning as the boat raced through the waters. I was left cursing the young officer at the helm who was, no doubt, driving her like he stole her, cause “Daddy” wasn’t watching. Judging by the irritated sighs and mumbles coming from the curtains of my fellow mess mates, I wasn’t the only one trying to get some sleep, or simply keep from falling out of my cart (bed). The frustration stemmed from the fact that we were back to patrolling in “the box” and there was no reason for this sort of speed or maneuvering unless we were on our way to investigate another suspected terrorist involved boat. That’s when the pipe was made over the main broadcast for the SAR Team to muster in the Wardroom. This is our ship’s “Search And Rescue” team. Uh, oh! I was left lying there for the next 5 minutes wondering what the heck was going on and if I had heard the pipe correctly. The next voice that broke the silence was the XO’s urgent and worry filled voice telling the crew that we were racing towards an Indian cargo ship that had sent out a distress call as it was taking on water quickly. We were about half an hour away from their position, so this explained the crazy driving and speed. When our ship arrived, the Indian vessel was already sitting with 5 feet of water in her belly and was quickly taking on more. I was told that the ship was made of a wooden hull that had suffered a few boards splitting on her. We quickly sent out our boarding team along with various flood fighting tools and pumps. The rest of the crew rushed about preparing for the possible arrival of ship-less sailors, gathering blankets, food and warm drinks. Our boys put up a good fight, but in the end it was realized that we were only succeeding in delaying the inevitable. The decision was made to evacuate the ship and all of her 18 personnel. After about 1 hour of escaping the sinking mass, the ship turned over and quickly gave up her fight, swallowed by the oceans waves in the pitch-black night. It was really quite eerie to watch this ship go under and realize how easily the roles could have been reversed. We now had 18 men who barely spoke English in our care, as the red tape tango began between our ship and the various governments ashore. It is really a rather extensive endeavor to attempt to gain permission to land rescued sailors. Paperwork must all be in order, and we must ensure we do not enter any territorial waters without the express permission of the Country in question. Come 4 in the afternoon, after much communication with government officials and lots of Canadian hospitality, the Coast Guard picked up the Indian crew. I think I speak for all of us onboard when I say that we all are feeling a sense of pride and purpose after this endeavor. These are 18 real lives that we managed to save just by being out here. To me, this victory holds more water than all the patrolling and boardings thus far. I feel like we really are making our country proud. So yes, in case you were as worried as my Mom was, I am in a much better mood than I was when I wrote my last post. Since I wrote “Sailing Blahs” I have received enormous support both from readers and from fellow sailors onboard, who all agreed that I had not crossed any lines and should keep writing. I am also feeling much refreshed after my 3 days off in Muscat, Oman… fortunately the effects of which have not yet worn off. So, please check in for my telling of my Muscat port adventures! Until then, thank you for all the support guys… it’s kept my spirits up and given me the strength to keep on typing.