As editor of the Bluewater Cruising Association's monthly magazine Currents, I checked our "Currently Cruising" which showed that of the over 100 BCA boats cruising around the world, we showed five in the tsunami zone. How did they fare and did they need our help? I had communicated with some of these boats through email, and edited their Letters from Offshore and decided to try to contact each of the five boats and sent out the following message: Each month I follow your travels when I edit Currents. I am hoping that you are all well and safe. These are the BCA boats that we think are in the tsunami zone: West by North, Northern Summit, Lady Meg, Nimbus, and Windy Lady III. If you know of others, let us know or pass this on please. Although far away, please let us know what might be done to directly assist you or other cruisers at this time. Contact currents@bluewatercruising.org or taylor6619@shaw.ca. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. by Kathy Talyor |
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At any given time, Bluewater Cruising Association has approximately 20% of its members actively cruising offshore. This means we have about 110 boats in oceans and seas all over the world. As wide and vast as the planet's oceans are, it is not unusual to see a number of boats positioned at nearly the same latitude and longitude. Last year saw a group of BCA boats cluster in El Salvador, and currently our most southerly BURP (Bluewater Unofficial Rendezvous Place) is New Zealand. Some coastlines of the world are cruising magnets, because of their kind shores and clean beaches, hospitable people, balmy weather, and access to travel and adventure inland. Both Thailand and Malaysia share that reputation.
On December 26th, at 0059 GMT, a massive earthquake occurred, causing a violent rupture on the sea floor along a fault about 1000 km long, close to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. All along the rupture the sea floor was shunted about 10 metres. This movement displaced hundreds of cubic kilometers of the overlaying water, generating a massive tsunami, or sea surge. The waves then fanned out across the Indian Ocean at enormous speed.
Within 15 minutes the west coast of Sumatra was all but wiped out by the tremendous tsunami. The province of Aceh, the closest inhabited area to the epicenter of the earthquake, suffered massive devastation. It was around 8 o'clock in the morning in South East Asia. The beaches were filling with tourists and locals whose livelihood is the tourism industry. Fishermen in longtails headed out for the day, putting past foreign sailboats anchored in idyllic bays along the coast. In Thailand and Malaysia and the lowlands in India, fish flopped and gasped on the wet sand for a few silent seconds until the giant wall of water 30 feet high crashed and crested its way across the sand, sluicing through hotels and villages, churning cars and boats and human beings in a terrifying swirl. In anchorages and marinas, the hand of fate dealt out its cards: beautiful boats which had carried their crews safely for tens of thousands of miles were lifted and smashed on the beach, while others strained and spun on their anchor rodes. Anxious adrenaline-charged skippers weighed anchor and collected survivors from the swirling debris chunked water, helping those they could before heading out to deeper water. In the days that ensued, I, along with the rest of the world sat shocked and helpless as the mind-numbing statistics grew, the images of tragedy and destruction so vivid and immediate on the internet and television. The information corridor from the tsunami zone was flooded with emails, blogs, news sites, live reports. I then sent out the message (quoted in middle column). Kris and Eric Laerz on Lady Meg, a Spencer 1330 offshore since 2000, were regular contributors to Currents. Letters from Offshore in February of 2004 featured Lady Meg in beautiful Bali, and in March, Lady Meg faced the perils of the South China Sea. Nimbus had been Currents September 2004 cover girl. The caption read: "Nimbus, Spencer 1330 sloop, owned by David and Linda Seller, enroute to Indonesia , May 04. They departed Brisbane, Aus, May 04. ETA: Bali early August; ETA: Singapore late Sept; ETA: Thailand late Oct." They have been offshore since 1998, and have put many miles under their keel. I had difficulty finding up to date contact information for the Lowdons on West by North, an Alden 56 Cutter. Currently Cruising showed Val and Gerry were in Malaysia, but the last update had been in 2003; they were years and oceans away — part of the fleet of 1993. A local phone call was unsuccessful, and my email returned. I found an update for Northern Summit, fleet of '96, as recent as last summer, which placed them in Malaysia. An internet search gave me this, a small bit in Latitude '38 from 1999 when they were members of a fleet leaving Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for the Marquesas. "Northern Summit: 39' Folkes cutter: Albert & Terry Bergeron - Albert and Terry hail from Vancouver Island, B.C., but have every intention of sailing in sunny climes for the foreseeable future. Buddy-boating with Ghost River, they plan to cruise "as long as health and money hold out." A 10-year member of BCA, David Seller headed offshore in his Amor 40 Cutter, Windy Lady III in 1996. His last update on Bluewater's dynamic (interactive) website was in May of 2004 — cruising location — Malaysia, South China Sea. The first response was from David and Linda Seller on Nimbus. 28 December 2004 Hello Kathy, Thank you for your email and very kind offer of assistance. We are currently home in BC for Christmas, however, I can report to you the following:
Kind regards, David and Linda Seller SV Nimbus News reports showed that the west exposures of the islands took the most severe pounding from the big wave. If Nimbus survived on the north side of Phuket Island, then maybe Lady Meg with Kris and Eric would be as well. Terry Bergeron reported next. No longer cruising, she and Albert watched televised images helplessly as the scenes of destruction unfolded, revealing the extent of damage to boats and homes of friends in a part of the world they love and know well. 28 December 2004 Hi Kathy, thank you for your concern; Albert and I sold Northern Summit in Feb/04 and have been back in Canada since July. When we left West by North was anchored outside Rebak Marina, but don't know anything since. Windy Lady was also in the area, when we left, but that was in July, so don't know where they are now. Sorry we couldn't have been of more help. We feel so helpless just watching everything on the news, knowing we have many friends, both on boats and land and hope they are okay. Terry Bergeron Medical problems had forced the Bergerons to move on from the cruising lifestyle; although Northern Summit had new owners, I looked for her on the lists that were updated daily on the internet. Richard Donaldson—Alves, Net Controller, SE Asia Maritime Mobile Net posted a list on December 28th provided by Rebak Marina, as well as comprehensive reports from other marinas and net participants. The web address for that list and others is www.cruiser.co.za/Tsunami1.asp . Northern Summit is shown as being on the hard in Rebak, no noted damage. Two of five BCA boats and crew accounted for. There were clues in their letters that indicated the whereabouts of the others, but we still hadn't heard from them. I had received a letter from Kris and Eric, Lady Meg, on December 19th, part of which read, "We have now been in Thailand for over a year. Much of the experience in traveling by water, but it is the inland journey that challenges our comfort level, and exposes us to events where we have no control. The reward is the discovery that things are not as we thought. Thailand is a great stop to leave the boat and discover Asia." I wondered if this observation by these seasoned thoughtful travelers was really a grim prediction; how had they faced a challenge which""exposes us to events where we have no control." I hadn't found Lady Meg, West by North or Windy Lady III on any of the lists. I hoped that it was a good sign. And then there were three! Three accounted for - and all safe! The next day Lady Meg sent this email report: 30 December 2004 We were shopping inland when the Tsunami hit Phuket, so we are fine, didn't even know it happened until the store clerk told us as we were about to check out our groceries. We abandoned our cart of unpaid groceries and left with an apology. Lady Meg was anchored in 50 feet of water with 200 feet of chain in Nai Harn Bay, and although everything on shore is destroyed, our half-filled coffee cups still sat on the dining table not missing a drop. Our dinghy and outboard motor were found under the rubble of the shoreside stores. Many people helped dig it out and we now have the mangled, shredded pieces aboard Lady Meg. We left a friend at the airport at 5am and came home this afternoon to devastation and police blocks clearing people away from the devastation zones for fear of a second aftershock tidal wave. Fellow cruisers found us later and helped drag us and our pieces back to the boat. We are now totally dependent on our many friends until we can resolve our dinghy problems. The day after... Sadness fills my day. There are deaths, people mourn their lost family members and there is complete destruction within 30 vertical feet of the sea and going up to a mile back depending on how the ground slopes. In Patong, a grocery supermarket and an oil painting work place that were semi-basement operations had dead bodies floating when the waters subsided. Two cruisers exploring Ko Muk, a hong in one of the limestone islands, drowned as they became trapped inside the cave. The subsistence people who scrape out a living doing massages, renting out a beach chair and sun umbrella or cooking in a restaurant on the sand, have everything they own wiped out. The poorly paid clerks in the souvenir and tailor shops are out of work. For the small business people who cannot afford insurance, it's all gone. Two marinas in Langkawi have been totally destroyed. Six yachts sunk, 8 on the beach and all the others inside the marina sustained damage from crashing into each other when their docks floated over the tops of the pilings that hold them. Only luck timed the meeting of the 100 or so yachts in Nai Harn Bay for Christmas. Nai Harn is the deepest bay on this side and so all the yachts floated above the tsumani, some not knowing anything was happening. If it had happened at New Years, they would have been in Patong, which is vary shallow, and been trashed. Many of the boats in Patong, including one of the superyachts, ended up high on the beach. Phi Phi was flattened. I spent this morning with Ian, a fellow Aussie sailor, stripping, cleaning and reassembling our outboard motor. It started and the shaft is not bent. Lucky. Then we took our shredded deflatable dinghy into a local inflatable dinghy manufacturer who is going to see what they can do. Maybe lucky times two. We are alive and untouched, except by the emotional hurt for the more serious victims. Our love goes out to them all. Already on the beaches we see evidence of clean-up and re-construction. People are getting on with their lives and livelihoods. Away from the beaches, you would never know anything has happened. The topic is almost the only one discussed among the sailors. There are known dead, missing and survivors as well. Some are scanning the hospitals and viewing photos of the deceased in the hopes of not finding who they are looking for. We wonder what happened to Claire, the dive master who bought a house on Phi Phi. Most of us are just getting through the day in a state of shock. We moved to the marina today and are anchored out because it is totally full of victim boats or victim owners. Our problems are insignificant compared to the others. Friends have lent us their dinghy and outboard so we are self-sufficient until we get ours back. Rental cars are very difficult to get a hold of, so the sailors are co-oping one between them, each doing their errands in shifts. We just came back from dinner at Mama Omar's, their 'restaurant' on sticks survived in tact and everyone is well. Back at Nai Yang by the airport, there is nothing except sand on the beach. Lee Pizza isn't. The boats in the bay felt nothing. At sea in deep water a tidal wave is just a small swell, unnoticeable from all the other waves. As the bottom shallows, all that energy has no place to go except straight up, creating a huge wave tumbling down on itself, much like the great surfing pictures from Hawaii. Our bay was deep and that's why all the boats suffered no damage. In Patong it is shallow and superyachts were tossed onto the beach. At Ko Lantra, yachts hit the bottom when the 'pool drained' causing their keels to crush where the lead is joined to the fibreglass. Sailors reported that suddenly there was a 4 knot current draining the bay, with whirlpools. It took about one minute. Kids playing on the beach ran out to pick up fish that were flopping around. Then the current reversed. At the beach end, the incoming wave tumbled and took everything, and everyone that failed to understand, with it. It wasn't so much the wave that killed people, it was hitting the debris, breaking bones, and being swept out to sea. Three more waves followed, the second being the biggest, before settling into more normal ocean swells. Some yachts recognized what was happening, raised anchor and went out to sea; others didn't feel anything was going on. The bay, now a churned up brown slurry of silt and fine sand, was then full of beach chairs, flip-flops, mannequins, and massage mattresses. Many boaters picked up what they could, stacking it on their decks. Those piles of homeless objects became a monument to the helplessness we all felt: whom do we give them to? Just a few days later, the beaches are full of clean up and re-construction activity. Plenty of opportunities exist for the now unemployed long-tail and tuk-tuk drivers to become construction workers. Social programs do not exist for the unemployed. The industrious Thais carry on. We were just a matter of days away from leaving Thailand to cross the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea. That is still going to happen, but where do we go that isn't in rubble, where do we find fresh vegetables and diesel, and what will the disease situation be like? What about all the floating debris in the ocean? It could be circling for months. Yikes. Love from Kris and Erik That week I had been sending updates to a list of watch members and also to Les Erskine, Currents crew, who keeps track of BCA's over 100 boats Currently Cruising the world's oceans. "They're fine!" was all I wrote. New Year's Eve, 2004. It was now five days since the giant wave thundered onto the beaches and bays of SE Asia. Here at home we readied for New Year's festivities in startling contrast to the weary sadness throughout the tsunami region. As I packed for a sailing trip, this email arrived. Good news once more! 31 December, 2004 Kathy, We thank you for your concern When the tsunamii struck we were in Songkhla traveling at the time and felt the hotel shake but were unaware as to what it was for 24 hours as we left shortly after and traveled all day. We got our first up date on the morning of the 27th. Our boat is at Admirals Marina Port Dickson and after some effort determined the tsunami's effects were notfelt down there. From what I understand there were no problems in Langkawi but I have no real first hand knowledge. Once again thanks for your concern. David Ball, Windy Lady III As I heard from each boat throughout the week, I added them to my email list. My update on the 31st read: Good morning all, What relief! The only boat we have not heard from is West by North, Val and Gerry Lowden — there is no up-to-date contact information in our records for them, so will hope that all is well. Attached is the latest from Windy Lady III. I will be away for a few days and won't have email access so will catch up with everyone at the end of the weekend. A very Happy New Year to you all. Kathy In his New Year's Message to all Bluewater members, Commodore Guylain Roy Machabee relayed that we had heard from 4 of the 5 BCA boats that we showed cruising in the tsunami zone, and that they were well. He also mentioned that we hadn't heard from'West by North. Eric and Roger, Aramoana, read that email while on a not-sailing holiday in New Zealand and sent this reply: January 3, 2005 Dear Guylain, Thank you very much for your e-mail and being in touch with the ordinary BCA member. We sat with Val Lowdon (West by North) at the Awards Night. All we know is that the next day she left for Malaysia (where Gerry and the boat has been). As far as we know their boat was at Rebak marina but we're not sure. Their e-mail is valgerlowden@hotmail.com . Please let us know if you hear from them. There is a list I found at: http://www.cruiser.co.za/Tsunami1.asp West by North was not listed under Rebak marina. Roger and Eric, S/V Aramoana But you can't beat local knowledge! It is often said that cruisers' plans are set in jello. Even during a visit home that sometimes is true; Val didn't return to Rebak as planned, but was here when the tsunami hit. So this local sighting is how we knew that Gerry and West by North were okay: January 2, 2005 Hi Val Lowdon from West By North was in Steveston Marine the other day. Boat is ok but it was a bit of luck that the wharf hoops came within an inch of going over the top of the pilings. Cheers, Norm Mackenzie, Tsonoqua II. Safe! Five boats. And now, the fifth story — West by North's. These are Gerry Lowdon's words to his family in the aftermath of the tsunami. 28 December 2004 Dear Joyce and Jack and all the family: You have not heard from me 'cause I had West By North hauled out of the water to do many things, repair a hole I punched in the side coming into a slip in a fast tide, install a bow thruster, (which I wish I had when I holed her) check all the sea cocks and install two new ones, repair the centerboard cable trunk that was leaking and paint her bottom and topsides. Now that is a fair amount of work for a crew, a lot of work for a single person — me. It took me 25 days. I went up Nov. 27 and back in on Dec. 22. I worked my tail off from dawn 'til dark most every day. There was no internet there thus I was out of touch. They had internet terminals but they did not work most of the time and I gave up going — a waste of my time. It was called Rebak Marina and is located on a small island just E of Langkawi. They dug out a channel with a basin at the end of it on the N side of the island. It had perhaps 40 boats in the marina. It has a haul out facility which is why I was there. The marina no longer exists. A good friend of ours is still on the hard there and when the tidal wave hit, ( he was watching from his boat) he said he watched a wall of water come down the channel, with no place to go except up it lifted all the docks with boats attached swirled them all around the basin (like a toilet flushing, he said) then when the water receded, most all the broken docks and boats went with it out to sea. Mike said it was a sight he will go to his grave with. No one was killed or even injured. Many boats damaged and three were sunk. Now listen to this, when I went back in the water my intention was to stay at a slip at Rebak marina to finish painting the top sides etc., but a friend in Kua (capital of Langkawi) insisted that I get back to the Royal Langkawi Yacht club in Kua 'cause I was to join them for Christmas eve party and dinner Christmas day. I somewhat reluctantly did this 'cause I still (and still do) have a lot of work to do on the boat. Am I glad I came to Kua?? The club I am at here in Kua is a marina along the shoreline, there is no basin so the wave when it came thru here simply lifted everything up and put it back down again without any fuss or bother — there was no damage at all. This was the day after Christmas and I along with a bunch of other folks was on a boat heading out to have a beach BBQ on a nearby island, we left at noon and on the way we saw a large wave washing along the shoreline and could not imagine what was happening, but the water we were in (some 6 meters deep) suddenly began to roil about and turned very dirty from bottom sediment. Then some cel phones began to ring and we found out the reason for it all: an underwater quake with a tsunami. Needless to say the BBQ did not happen.We went back into the marina. In fact we did have it that evening at the marina by their pool; they kindly allowed us to do that. So the upshot of it all is that I was at the right place at the right time and suffered not. Unfortunately that cannot be said for a whole lot of other folks here and in far away places. You have seen it all on TV I know, I have watched some here, it is unbelievable. Interestingly, there was another (new) marina up on the NW side of Langkawi which was also destroyed along with many of the boats in it. It also was a basin. Again no one was killed or badly injured apparently. You can imagine all the stories that are being told. I feel somewhat left out as I was not even on our boat when it all happened. My next door (yachty) neighbor came and put extra lines on West By North in my absence, bless him. Anyway life must go on. I must get going back to work on the boat: lots to do before we can leave. God bless all and of course to all of you the very best the new year has to offer. Cheers, Gerry As the days pass, and the scope of destruction is more fully understood, it seems extraordinary that all of our member boats and their crews survived the tsunami. Why? Some planning, some fate — choosing the deepest moorage available, or deciding to cruise a day away to a Christmas party — choices that meant sitting out a hand when fate dealt the cards. I last heard from Lady Meg on January 4th. They were safely at sea. As Gerry Lowdon said, "Anyway, life must go on." Contributions from: Albert and Terry Bergeron (former owners) Northern Summit Eric and Kris Laerz, Lady Meg David and Linda Sellers, Nimbus David Ball, Windy Lady III Gerry and Val Lowdon, West by North Thanks to Kathy Taylor and Bluewater Cruising Assorciation and all the cruisers for their efforts. Visit their website for more on BCA and their newsletter Currents. bluewatercruising.org This site is devoted to recording the experiences of the yachting community in Langkawi (Malaysia) and the waters between Penang and Phuket during the tsunami of December 26, 2004. This includes photos, letters and lists of marinas and boats in the area. Also see the first letter in the 48 North Letters section for a side of the recovery needed that we haven't really heard much about. langkawitsunami.net ...back to 48° North title page |