‘The circling sharks could hear us breathe’
Two yachtswomen and their dogs rescued 5,000 miles off course were just ‘24 hours from death’
TWO women have described their despair during five months lost on the Pacific Ocean, trying to avoid shark attacks and stave off thoughts of death after their stricken yacht drifted thousands of miles off course.
Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiava, from Hawaii, said their two dogs kept their morale up during the darkest moments.
Their ordeal came to an end on Wednesday when they were rescued by the US Navy, which put out a statement yesterday. They were picked up about 900 miles south-east of Japan, about 5,000 miles from their intended destination of Tahiti.
“When I saw the grey boat on the edge of the horizon, my heart leapt because I knew we were about to be saved,” Ms Appel told NBC News. “Because I honestly believed we were going to die within the next 24 hours.”
Things quickly went wrong after they set off from Honolulu in May. One of their mobile phones was washed overboard on the first day.
Part of the mast failed, limiting their speed to just four or five knots, and a storm flooded the engine making it inoperable after a month.
They pressed on under sail power but their 50ft vessel, the Sea Nymph, drifted well off course.
The two women realised the dire state of their predicament after two months – long after they should have reached their destination – but there was no one close enough to pick up their distress signals, which they sent non-stop for 98 days.
They had water purifiers and enough food to last a year but other dangers lurked in the deep.
One night they counted seven sharks in the water around them, some as long as 30ft. They slapped against the hull as the two women hid below deck, desperately trying to keep their dogs, Val- entine and Zeus, quiet so the predators would lose interest.
“We basically laid huddled on the floor and I told them not to bark because the sharks could hear us breathing,” said Ms Appel. “They could smell us.” A single shark returned the next night, battering the hull in a second attack she described as being like an earthquake.
“Both of them, we actually thought it was lights out, and they were horrific,” added Ms Appel. “We were just incredibly lucky that our hull was strong enough to withstand the onslaught.” Commercial shipping drifted past in the distance but none spotted their distress flares.
At times they said life took on a reflective tone, with monotonous days brightened by spectacular sunsets and visits from curious dolphins.
While the women pondered their fate they said the two dogs, oblivious to the dangers, kept up their spirits.
“There is a true humility to wondering if today is your last day, if tonight is your last night,” said Ms Appel. Her
‘We basically laid huddled on the floor and I told them not to bark because the sharks could hear us’
mother raised the alarm about a weekand-a-half after their departure on what should have been a 2,600-mile voyage.
They were finally spotted by a Taiwanese fishing boat on Tuesday.
The US Navy was alerted and they were picked up by the USS Ashland.
A video captured the moment when its motor launch reached the stricken vessel. Ms Appel stands on deck blowing kisses to her rescuers as the two dogs, wrapped in life jackets, run around barking with excitement.