- DAN MEMBER LARRY BOWYER
They lifted me out of the sailboat into the panga. One of them stayed aboard the sailboat to take it into Livingston while the other two stayed with me in the panga.
I was conscious but very groggy when we arrived at the hospital. The doctor and nurses immediately began examining me and determined that I had either had a heart attack or a stroke. Unfortunately, this hospital was really more of a clinic set up to treat locals suffering from colds and other minor illnesses. The doctor explained to Ann-Marie that they needed to give me some aspirin in case it was a heart attack but since they didn’t have any at the clinic, they sent her down the street to the Pharmacia to purchase it.
After talking with his colleagues at the clinic, my doctor decided that I needed to be transported to Guatemala City, a 5-hour overland trip from Livingston which has no airport. While the clinic staff called around town trying to find someone with a car to transport me, Ann-Marie called DAN to find out what our options were. The DAN medic consulted with the local doctors and together they decided that medical evacuation to the U.S. was the best course of action for me since the local doctors weren’t sure what was causing my seizure. As my condition stabilized, DAN advised us that a plane would be ready by 12:30pm the next day to pick me up. Shortly after noon, worried that we’d not heard from DAN, I asked Ann-Marie if we should call them again. Then before she could even make the call, a doctor and a medic walked into the clinic and announced, “we’re here to take you home.”
Since Livingston had no airport, and the nearest one was 5 hours away in Guatemala City, DAN had arranged to land a jet air ambulance on a nearby Guatemalan Army Base only 30 minutes away by boat. They had also arranged to have a boat ready to transport us to the waiting jet. One stop in Tikal to clear customs and then we headed for Pensacola, Florida, our home. Upon our arrival at Pensacola airport, DAN had already arranged for customs to be there to clear us and had an ambulance waiting to take us directly to the hospital.
At the hospital, the local emergency room staff was waiting for us and immediately took us to a room that they had prepared for us in the ICU. The doctor and medic that took care of me during the trip home didn’t leave until after the ICU staff had me hooked up to all the machines and the ICU doctors had assumed responsibility for my care.
It was amazing to see the efficiency and effort that DAN had employed to get me safely back home to a “real” hospital.
Experience the fulfillment of owning a first-class yacht and sailing in some of the world’s best cruising grounds, all while receiving guaranteed monthly income in our charter yacht management program. Enjoy the pride of yacht ownership without the hassles or expense. Spend more time on the water. Treat family and friends to a new perspective. Leave the maintenance, insurance, and dockage to us. Learn more at mooringsyachtownership.com
Meet David Burgess, owner of the Moorings 433 Powercat “My Wish”. His yacht is located in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
“The first time I chartered was ten years ago on a Moorings 4700 sailing catamaran. Once the Moorings 474 Powercat came out, we chartered those and really liked them. We also chartered the Moorings 393 Powercat. When I discovered the Moorings 433 Powercat was in production, I started frequently following up with the sales agents, watched the progression of the boat, and purchased hull #1. When my boat arrived in the BVI, I took my wife and daughters on her maiden voyage. We spent Thanksgiving on Anegada for Lobster Fest, and we had an absolute blast.” David explained.
Bringing “My Wish” home is David’s long term plan, but in the short term, they intend to make the most of being a Moorings Yacht Owner, “We went on a 10 day trip with our best friends in January, and then the first week in May I went with my wife and
With over 15 bases worldwide, including the Caribbean, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Seychelles, Thailand, French Polynesia and more, one of the greatest aspects of owning a Moorings Yacht is that you have access to the best sailing destinations on the planet. You can sail your own yacht, or any yacht of a similar size within the worldwide fleet, at no cost. As a powercat cat owner, you have access to sailing catamarans of similar size. The Burgess Family has only been a part of the program for eight short months. They still have years ahead of them, and the possibilities are endless. “I would love to go to the Greek Islands or Croatia. I wouldn’t mind hitting St. Martin, and the Bahamas would be something of interest. The next time we charter out of Tortola we want to visit St. John. My family just loves the BVI and we love having our boat here. It is such a cool place to visit and you can experience something different every time you go.”