Yacht Scott Free.

[Alan Wheeler]

Hi everyone, under the "Pacific & South China Sea" listing, a thread was started in relation to two yacht rescues in the Pacific, between NZ and Fiji. On our new's tonight, the two crew of the yacht Scott Free were interviewed. A Scottish guy and I think a Canadian, female. It seems that the Female fell overboard during the storm of 60kts and 10m waves and was held onto buy the Guy and was pulled back aboard. But during this, he struck his head and recieved a severe injury, which prompted their mayday call and resultant rescue. On TV tonight, he was sporting a huge wound to his head with home made stitches, that the girl had put in.
Here is the sad new's. They have lost everything. They had put everything they had into the boat to follow their dream and adventure and now the boat and everthing they own is gone. Like most ocean passage makers, they have no insurance.
I am not sure what, if, should, can, we as a community do for them. I guess firstly, I would like to hear some comments from you guy's. Am I just too emotional, or is this something we as a community try to help out with. If anyone has any idea's, lets hear them. Even if this is just a "stuff happens, they have to deal with it" situation, I would like to hear any comments.

[GordMay]

Stuff does happen, and you do have to deal with it, but I don’t think you’re being overemotional in wondering what the cruising community can do to help these unfortunates. As self-reliant as cruisers are, we tend to have a generous empathy for our fellows in distress.

I can recall several instances where cruisers, who happened to be in the area, organized relief missions, of one sort or another, for those who’ve “lost it all”. Generally, this begins with immediate assistance in meeting the victim’s proximate needs (food, shelter, etc), then (often) extends towards basic financial assistance for imminent needs (transportation home, etc). Cash donations are usually sent to an institution (bank), where a “trust account” has been set up.

I suppose (?) that they’re immediate needs are being met, in that they’ve been transported to near-civilization ( NZ ).

Could this be the same “Scott Free” that was in Phuket (1) during the Tsunami, and also involved in a previous rescue at Minerva Reef in November, 2002 (2) ?
(1) http://www.cruiser.co.za/Tsunami3.asp
(2) http://www.latitude38.com/LectronicL...v21/Nov21.html

Any additional news and/or information will be appreciated.

Regards,
Gord May

[GordMay]

Woman stitches husband's head wound as yacht founders in storm
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNew...090228-ap.html

WELLINGTON, N.Z. (AP) - A woman said Thursday she stitched a gaping wound in her husband's head without anesthetic after their yacht was wrecked by a storm in the South Pacific.

Lisa Blackwood said husband Gary's wound ran from his forehead to the back of his skull and she used all the sterile sutures in board their yacht putting in 23 stitches to stanch the blood flowing from the gash.

"My mum would be proud because I don't even knit or sew," Blackwood, 35, told the New Zealand Press Association.

She also had no medical or first aid experience.

While stitching her husband's wound must have been painful, "he was probably in a bit of shock anyway so he might have not felt it...there was no anesthetic, no nothing," she said.

The pair had set out in their yacht Scot Free to sail from New Zealand to Fiji, only to be caught in gales and huge seas about 250 kilometres from their destination - on the first leg of a round-the-world adventure.

They lost their storm sail, the engine room flooded and their radio batteries nearly went flat before an emergency beacon alerted New Zealand's Rescue Co-ordination Centre to their plight.

A Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion surveillance airplane found the stricken yacht and a nearby freighter, the Capitaine Wallis, picked up the pair early Wednesday morning.

Blackwood said they were worried the condition of Gary, 52, might deteriorate because of the cut in his head, putting both their lives in serious jeopardy.

"I had all the faith in the boat and in Gary. The only thing was with Gary's cut I wouldn't know what to do if he got sick," she said.

She said it was the right decision to abandon the Scot Free, even though it was uninsured and means they will have to start again on their dream to sail around the world.

"It was our home," Blackwood said as she struggled to hold back tears.

The couple arrived Thursday in the northern New Zealand port Auckland on the Capitaine Wallis.