Novice sailors to the rescue
Pregnant NZ woman tells of ‘intense and emotional' feat
Ayoung New Zealand couple with just two years’ sailing experience navigated dark, choppy seas to help rescue a Danish crew whose yacht started sinking near Niue.
Rohan Honson-Morris and his fiancee Abby Sanford, who is 26 weeks’ pregnant, said the night-time rescue was “intense and emotional for everyone involved”.
The pair, with Honson-Morris’ parents onboard, were heading from Niue to Tonga, before making their way home to New Zealand after a three-month global adventure that started in the British Virgin Islands.
About five hours after departing Niue at 1pm on Monday, they received a call to assist the Danish yacht Gwendoline, about 10 nautical miles (19km) away.
Gwendoline, with a man and woman on board, had hit something and was sinking. The couple said they were abandoning the vessel and getting into their life raft in rough seas.
The Greek yacht Filizi had also answered the call and was slightly ahead of the New Zealanders.
As they drew closer, on their catamaran Inspire, Gwendoline let off a flare, but Sanford said it was “nerve racking”.
“All we could hope for was that we
would find them in this very dark night and get them to safety.”
They and the Filizi crew kept in radio contact, reassuring them they were on their way.
By the time the NZ crew reached the pair it was 8.45pm and Gwendoline was “sinking fast”.
Despite the “extremely rough conditions”, the Filizi crew managed to get the pair safely on board.
Sanford told the Herald on Sunday the rescue was incredibly intense and emotional.
“The crew from Gwendoline were so brave. We were relieved and glad to know they were safe and able to assist in the rescue.”
The Gwendoline pair joined the Filizi heading to Tonga.
Sanford said they received a phone call the following day from the couple, Lene Egtved and Kim David Egtved, with a “very emotional, heartwarming message”.
“They thanked us, and said it was very comforting to hear us on the radio. ”
The NZ pair sold their Waikuku Beach house two years ago to buy a 2007 Lagoon 420 Catamaran, choosing a life of travel and adventure. They took crash courses in sailing from Google and YouTube and jumped into the deep end with adventures around Ibiza, Gibraltar and Portugal. They have sailed the coast of Morocco, around the Canary Islands and crossed from Cape Verde to Barbados.
Their adventure included finding out they were expecting a child just as they sailed out of Panama.
Rescue Co-ordination Centre NZ search and rescue officer Mike Roberts praised the crews of the Greek and New Zealand boats for doing a “marvellous job”.