“Water started pouring into the cabin at high speed . . . the batteries got wet and caught fire . . . my dry suit floated out and it disappeared into the sea. . . critical equipment was lost.”
So says Jari Saario, a Finnish rower, who’s been rescued in the South Atlantic this weekend after the incident outlined above.
Before the current expedition, Saario – an experienced solo rower – shared details of Clayton his custom built rowing boat. At 7.3 metres long, constructed from fibreglass, it weighed around 400 kilograms without equipment and roughly 600 kilograms when fully loaded.
The chain of events started with him needing to check his rudder in the aft cabin – it wasn’t working properly.
In Saario’s Instagram post he says he dove headfirst into the cabin at the same time a wave hit. The combined actions tipped the boat onto its roof.
Water ingress, fire and loss of power
He says water started pouring into the cabin at high speed. And, while he got back out the cabin as fast as he could, a lot of water entered the cabin, which meant turning the boat into the right position was extremely difficult. It took too long.
“As a result, the batteries got wet and caught fire. At the same time, there was a lot of water in the cabins of the boat, which made it seem like the boat was going to capsize again immediately.
“I had to scoop water out of the cabins as hard as possible. In this same hatch, a bag with my dry suit floated out and it disappeared into the sea. The electricity was out and the boat felt like it was sinking, and some of the critical equipment was lost. There was nothing I could do but press the distress call.”
The night before had been “a rough ride.” Saario says winds were gusting to around 26 metres per second and there were waves to match. He lost equipment, but was looking forward to a change in the weather – specifically the wind direction.
His plan had been to row solo from Cape Horn, Chile to Cape Town, South Africa but now, after abandoning Clayton, he’s aboard a Greek merchant ship, some 3,000 kilometres southwest of South Africa.
Saario posted the message from aboard the Cymona Eagle. He apologised to his family, partners, and his social media followers.
According to Finnish media, he describes the chain of events and the rescue operation as “completely incomprehensible” but says he is in good condition considering the circumstances and expressed thanks for all the messages of encouragement.
His current ride is expected to make Cape Town on 16 January.
Saario – a former firefighter who has previously rowed solo across the Atlantic (Canary Islands to Antigua), and back (Canada to Germany) – issued a distress call on Friday evening. On Saturday morning, the Cymona Eagle was directed towards his boat and made contact with Saario.
Rescue operation plucks Saario from damaged boat
Saario remained aboard his damaged rowing boat while awaiting help. He remained conscious and capable of managing the situation, says his team.
Responsibility for the rescue operation lay with the South African Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, with Finnish authorities monitoring developments.
The nearest vessel able to divert was the merchant ship Cymona Eagle, which altered its course after receiving the distress alert on Friday. The ship, registered in the Marshall Islands and operated by a Greek shipping company, was sailing from Argentina to Bangladesh at the time, says the Helsinki Times.
The length of time between distress dingle and rescue has been attributed to the extreme remoteness of the area, long distances, and demanding sea conditions.
The post Trapped, flooded and on fire – Finnish solo rower rescued appeared first on Marine Industry News.
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