‘A new lease on life’: Calgary sailor rescued by Russian and Ukrainian oil workers off African coast
A Calgary man is grateful to be again residence after a harrowing ordeal off the coast of Africa.
Casper Venter’s sailboat sank close to Madagascar, and it was a crew made up of Russian and Ukrainian sailors that rescued him.
Casper Venter and the ill-fated sailboat he and two crewmates had been delivering from Langkawi, Malaysia, to Grenada within the Caribbean.
Courtesy: Casper Venter
Venter was transporting a sailboat from Malayasia to the Caribbean with two different males when the boat began to leak on March 19. Quickly water was coming in quicker than they might pump it out.
“At first we turned the boat round and we tried to sail again to Madagascar to see if we may preserve it afloat lengthy sufficient that we’d make it to land,” Venter recollects.
“However at about 9 o’clock we realized that the ocean was the identical stage of the deck and we stepped into the life raft. Shortly after, we noticed the mast go behind the waves and it was gone. We couldn’t see it anymore, it simply went down.”
With the sailboat now utterly below, Venter and his two crewmates had been caught on a life raft lower than two metres lengthy.
Venter mentioned the boys spent a moist and depressing 14 hours bobbing within the large waves.
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“We obtained plenty of water within the life raft. Waves had been banging on us by way of the night time so it was positively hair elevating. The life raft is designed for it so from that standpoint it was OK. We had been all fairly seasick,” Venter mentioned.
Venter pictured with the Ukrainian and Russian crew of the A few of the crew on tanker, Petalouda.
Courtesy: Casper Venter
The Canadian Coast Guard was considered one of three companies that responded to the group’s name for assist. However the closest ship was a Russian oil tanker 150 nautical miles away.
The crew was made up of a group of Russian and Ukrainian sailors who spoke English, and weren’t within the warfare again residence that’s pitting Russians and Ukrainians in opposition to one another.
“They had been all extraordinarily pleasant. It was a really heart-warming expertise. They advised us it was a combined crew they usually labored collectively they usually’re not excited about politics. They’re simply doing their jobs. However they felt like heroes, they usually had been — as a result of they saved us,” Venter mentioned.
The sailors on the tanker provided the rescued males with dry garments, meals and a raise to an island north of Madagascar.
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“All of them got here and took photos with us and congratulated us on our second birthdays as they referred to as it. Mainly a brand new lease on life,” Venter mentioned.
Venter being transferred from the tanker to Mayotte island in Comores.
Courtesy: Casper Venter
Venter has been crusing since 2004 and mentioned his coaching allowed him to maintain calm in the course of the horrifying expertise.
“That’s what I like about crusing. Being in the course of nowhere, the place you may’t see land. You may’t see anyone else – it’s actually simply you and perhaps two different individuals and the ocean and nature and the celebs. Entering into the life raft, it was the primary time for me, however I maintained give attention to what we wanted to do. To fret will not be going that can assist you. We knew that somebody was coming so we simply targeted on staying optimistic,” he mentioned.
Venter, who arrived residence on Saturday, mentioned he’s already planning his subsequent sea journey, grateful for the teamwork of the sailors aboard that oil tanker.
“They had been working completely collectively, in excellent concord, and just like the captain mentioned to us proper from the beginning, they’re not excited about politics. They’re sailors. It was wonderful to see that it may be accomplished,” Venter mentioned.
