Michael J. Tougias - A storm too soon: a true story of disaster, survival and an incredible rescue

ALSO BY MICHAEL TOUGIAS

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Quabbin:
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The Blizzard of 78

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AMCs Best Day Hikes Near Boston
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Copyright 2013 Michael Tougias

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First Scribner hardcover edition January 2013

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2012038583

ISBN 978-1-4516-8333-2
ISBN 978-1-4516-8335-6 (ebook)

To Paul and Jane Lorraine, and Alison OLeary

The flight from Ottawa to Florida is a long one, but Rudy Snel doesnt mind as he gazes out the aircraft window at the clouds below. Hes thinking about the next leg of his trip: a voyage on the Sean Seamour II a forty-four-foot sailboatthat will carry him and two others from Florida to the Azores, then on to Gibraltar and Saint-Tropez. Sailing across the Atlantic has been a dream of Rudys since he was nine years old when his family emigrated from Holland to Canada crossing the Atlantic on a passenger ship. In the course of the voyage they encountered a storm that caused the ocean liner to pitch and roll, making just about everyone on board seasick. But not Rudy. He was out on the top deck in the pelting rain having the time of his life, awed by the raging sea around him.

Rudy is now sixty-two years old and recently retired from a teaching career in the public schools. He finally has the time to live out his dream of returning to the sea. A five-foot-nine-inch Canadian with gray hair and a neatly trimmed beard, he is an adventurous soul; the hardships expected on a transatlantic crossing dont bother him in the least. He owns his own sailboat and often sails the Ottawa River, but he has also mastered piloting small aircraft and parachuting. He has made more than six hundred parachute jumps. On one of those jumps, his parachute did not deploy properly, and when he looked up at the tangled mess during his free fall, his reaction wasnt one of alarm, but of annoyance. He would have to pull his reserve parachute, and was already thinking ahead to the considerable effort it would take to repack it. He landed safely.

When he saw a notice on a website announcing that a crew was needed for a transatlantic crossing, he was able to tell the captain that while his sailing experience was limited to inland waterways, he wasnt prone to panic when the unexpected happened. He was capable of standing watch and had never been motion-sick in his life. He explained that he wanted to go on the voyage to learn about blue-water sailing and because it would be an entirely new experience. He didnt retire from his job just to sit around and grow soft.

When the plane touches down in Jacksonville, Florida, Rudy disembarks and follows the crowd down to baggage claim. He is met by the captain, fifty-seven-year-old Jean Pierre de Lutz, who goes by the nickname JP. The two men shake hands and then head outside. The warm, humid air embraces Rudy, a welcome change from the cold of Ottawa. It is late April, the temperature is in the mid-eighties, and the brilliant sunshine causes Rudy to squint.

They drive directly to the Sean Seamour II, which is moored at Green Cove Springs on the St. Johns River. Rudy likes what he sees. The Beneteau sailboat has a center cockpit protected by a hard dodger (rigid windshield), a single mast directly in front of the cockpit, with twin guardrails surrounding the white vessel. During inclement weather, the cockpit can be completely enclosed with canvas curtains and windows. Its a sleek-looking boatRudy thinks its beautiful.

The third crew member, Ben Tye, emerges from the boats cabin. Jean Pierre introduces the thirty-one-year-old sailor to Rudy. Ben is British, with a short, stocky build and a shaved head. He began his career in the tourism industry, but he soon turned his interest to the sea, first teaching inshore sailing on small vessels, and then progressing to yacht deliveries. Now working toward his yachtmaster captains license, he is focused on gaining more miles at sea. He has sailed from Europe to the United States, and on this trip he will reverse course. Reserved by nature, Ben tends to take time before opening up, but that night at dinner, he already feels comfortable and is more than satisfied that the threesome will make a good crew. He is impressed that JP has spared no expense in equipping the boat and is taking his time readying it for the crossing. In his quiet manner, JP patiently explains the intricacies of his vessel, and Ben senses that this is a man who never gets rattled.

Ben and Rudy dont know it, but JP had more than a dozen candidates answer his request for a crew. He interviewed each applicant, narrowing them down to two crew members, relying on his instincts to determine who would be the best fit. He was more than sure that Rudy and Ben were the right men for the job. JP selected May as the optimal time of year for an eastbound crossing of the Atlantic, primarily because it would put them ahead of hurricane season. Hed had a brush with a hurricane in a prior crossing and wanted no part of another.

The voyage is not scheduled for another few days because the Sean Seamour II was in storage for two and a half years, and needs a complete overhaul, cleaning, and provisioning. Some of the equipment was removed and stored in an air-conditioned warehouse. Now that equipment needs to be inspected, replaced if necessary, and secured in its proper position aboard the boat. Rudy and Ben will work under JPs supervision. Each man will have a private berth; Bens will be the forward cabin, Rudys the stern, and JPs the port side, closest to the chart table and the companionway leading up to the cockpit. As they start taking apart the inside of the boat and checking equipment, JP realizes that time and climate have done their share of damage. They order a new wind sensor, cable replacements for the mast, autopilot hydraulic pump, new fuel filters, and a new battery bank. The fuel tank is cleaned and a custom-made auxiliary tiller packed in case of emergency. New life jackets and flares are stowed. JP replaces the navigation and electronics by installing the latest MaxSea weather routing software, which will enable him to receive detailed wind data several days in advance, allowing him to adjust course accordingly. A backup computer with navigation and satellite telephone software is also on board and in working order.