Xcalak: On the Reef in Raging Seas

Thursday, March 6, 2003

018-16.800 N
087-49.860 W

At about 8:30 PM on March 5, 2003 we heard the sailboat named the StellaLuna (from Beaufort, SC) calling for assistance to get into the harbor at Xcalak. At this point there had been winds in excess of 25 kts for over 8 hours and the seas were 8-10 feet. Earlier in the day the cut had regular breaking seas and I could only imagine what the state of the cut was at this time of night. I heard a local dive company, known by the letters XTC, calling the captain back and telling him that they would send a boat out to light up the cut from the inside, but that he had to carefully follow the range lights. I called and told him that I did not consider the entrance usable, especially at night. I told him that another boat had broached earlier on their way in and was very lucky to be able to have made it in later in smaller seas. The other boat had held position off shore for almost 12 hours before coming in at noon. He acknowledged my concerns but explained that he was the only person aboard and had been sailing for 2 days and was very tired. I've seen people get in this condition before and categorically they make bad, confused decisions. I restated several times that I didn't think that he could make it in, especially at night. He asked several times for suggestions and I suggested hoving-to or seeking refuge behind the Cincharro banks and lying ahull. He didn't understand either of these suggestions.

His boat paced back and forth outside of the cut for quite some time. XTC then called and stated that the Navy was coming out and would guide him in. The local Navy base has a very powerful patrol boat and went out through the cut to guide him in. Through my binoculars I could see the Navy vessel crashing through large, steep, breaking waves. Twice he tried to follow them in but radioed back that his engine wasn't powerful enough to "fight the currents."

I was watching his running lights as well as watching him on radar when I heard a "Mayday" call. I relayed this call to the port captain. He reported that he was on the reef, that he had lost his steering and that he was throwing an anchor over to keep from going further onto the reef. Throwing an anchor into these seas is basically a futile effort as there's no way that it would hold against the raging seas. The Navy re-dispatched their boat and it lit up his boat with a large spotlight as they passed him. His boat was leaned over 45 degrees and you could see huge waves breaking around it.

I could see his starboard (right) running light, but it kept disappearing from sight. Suddenly he radioed that he had broken free of the reef but that his anchor line has become tangled in the prop and that he had no steerage. I could see his port running lights and then there was nothing. I tried calling him on the VHF, but there was no answer. I assumed the worst had happened.

The Port Captain had launched a search and rescue mission during this. He was in a small, 20' dory and we could see his running lights as he went out. For some reason the Navy vessel was searching far north of where they had passed him. I saw a set of running light move rapidly through the harbor and pass behind the town dock and assumed that it was a local boat involved with rescue. Many minutes passed and things seemed very grim. No communication and no visual contact.

I was amazed when StellaLuna came up on the VHF and stated that he was aground again, but the seas were much calmer. He was asked if he could identify his position, but he was unable to provide any information. He was also asked if he could see the lighthouses and he replied that he couldn't. He was requested to fire a flare or turn on some lights and I was astounded to see that he was through the cut and was aground on the far side of the pier which was about 100 feet from the beach! The rescue boats didn't want to believe my radio report! When they reached his boat they secured it to the pier. He was directly in front of the lighthouses and was so disoriented that he couldn't understand where he was. It's amazing what a lack of sleep and a traumatic situation can do to someone.

The next day I talked to him and it appears that after he broke free from the reef, that the waves washed him through the cut. It was his running lights that I had seen moving through the harbor. I just couldn't imagine that it was him. This is one very lucky individual! The Navy used some lines from BlueJacket to pull him free. To add insult to injury I guess that last night he had untangled his anchor from his propeller but had just left it dangling. When the Navy pulled him off, it caught and his boat moved at an amazing speed backwards when it finally let go. His sails are tattered and the underwater damage is unknown, but it's floating and he's alive. That's one lucky man! I later found out that he's been sailing for 2 weeks...

So what's the moral of this story? I guess that there are several. Know your limits. Have a backup plan if you can't get into your primary port. Don't get yourself into a position where you're too tired to make rational decisions. And finally, don't trust some local yahoo to be able to get you into someplace tricky. They might be able to do it in their boat, but they know nothing of your experience or your boat.

It averaged 29 knots for the night with gusts to 34. The entire reef is just one mass of frothing water. It's been blowing 25 or better for the past 24 hours. I think that the pressure gradient will reduce over the next 24 hours, but we're stuck here until then.

Geoff & Sue (the domino champion)

Log ID: 343