By: Joaquín Corella Vásquez AKA Joachi.
We were months preparing for the trip to Clipperton, we read all the books, reviewed on You Tube, all the available material, we have negotiated with the family of fifteen days of vacation and made all arrangements to have the two weeks required for the journey ...
Clipperton, full of legends, tales of woe and place of a thousand adventures, shipwrecks and meetings stands alone in the middle of the Pacific and hearts of adventurers eager to meet them.
There are only three days to travel from Los Cabos , we and all diving equipment packaging, few things to take with us and above all eager to make the trip, suddenly, we heard that Richard , our host is sick, rumors ranging from a pressure shock to a heart attack.
The group goes into shock, do not know if they undertake the journey, after a few confusing emails, Richard send us an email ... of the tests went well, but the doctor asks the trip stops for a few days, will not come to Los Cabos on the day planned, we reached in La Paz , the following Monday, so a little worried we're going to Los Cabos with some uncertainty, we believe that everything is fine, but do not have this security.
We've brought to Los Cabos, The Gift, the fabulous yacht that has somehow become something of ours, we know it's Richard, but his generosity has made us feel a little owners, generous and friendly crew welcomes us and friends of many voyages begin to come together, there is as always a new guest and proceed to follow the procedure to victual the ship with food and everything needed.
The News is confirmed there, Richard is good, but not travels to Clipperton, or the Revillagigedo. The trip will in the Sea of Cortez to be ready for any eventuality, near medical help, we have a doctor on board, a friend of Richard and his family, that gives us security for further travel. At night, before leaving, the doctor is presented with a friend of his, who lives in Los Cabos, is how most of the group of the same city.
He works and is living in Los Cabos, has to go to La Paz and was invited to come on board, he willingly accepts to share the journey by sea, he, like almost everyone on board, a diver, fisherman and lover of nature.
We left the marina in Los Cabos and the weather became different, strong winds lift walls of water, three-meter waves are all night with us. The next day, their faces pale and washed witness a bad night, motion sickness pills, mineral waters and advice ranging from biting the anchor to pray ten Hail Marys continue throughout the day.
Some guys are in their cabins almost dead by the nausea and discomfort.
We had a quiet night in a cove and the next day do some diving and fishing, we headed to La Paz, since Richard will arrive in mid afternoon, as the hours go by raging wind and waves reaching three meters.
The day continues, the sea rearing no truce, but most do we overcome the hassles and life on board, eat and drink beer while we spoke of many adventures, some true and some not so. Jorge, the passenger who was not on the initial trip is a victim of dizziness, can not be integrated to the group, the discomfort put him a little isolated and he is watching the sea to relax a little. Suddenly a soft voice says ... "I think I see something" we all think of a weevil, a whale or dolphin, but he says ... "I see some arms for help". We all get up from the table and began to look far ahead, we are at a point which forms a channel between the Baja and the Island of the Holy Spirit, the waves are huge and the sea is "rearing", we lack a hours to reach La Paz. Suddenly we see two dots clearly lost in the waves, we see them only for seconds, because the big waves erase them, but we sound the alarm and the captain turns the ship and go to that remote point and gradually we see clearly floating in the water two people, at first confused, but the more we approach more details appear, are two clearly identifiable believe that they are man and woman.
The water is cold and very windy, we commented that hopefully they bring thermal suits, we think are the top they are two divers that the current carried adrift, but to get close to them see that they have no protection against bad weather are a man and a woman desperately beckon, wave their arms and yell at them that we will soon be with them.
The boat makes a turn maneuver to approach them, back up and jump big waves over the stern and we get wet, look for the lifeguard on board, we put a rope and threw it into the sea, the maneuver is dangerous, big waves sweep platform, we are in danger of falling into water and the boat at times rises to a great height and the risk of falling on the castaways, they take the life jacket and we pull the boat, the first attempt fails, the wave robs us of hands, but they still cling to the lifeboat launched, we realize that in their desperation have released the yellow vests on which floated without bring jobs, that leaves them at the mercy of our expertise to rescue them, the next attempt is successful, we go up to the woman, immediately take her on board colleagues, she is pale, trembling and crying, throwing back the lifeline and the man catches it, we expect the next wave of favorable and we pull into the ship, we now have two on board.
They begin to say in English, "We are alive, are alive." The excitement on board is capitalized, we are all excited, it was an event that rarely lives, rescue a shipwrecked in a storm, we surrounded and took them down into the boat, give them towels to dry and the doctor takes their pressure, check your vital signs and see that apart from the shock, the hypotermia and salt water they had swallowed, they are in good condition.
They tell us their story, are passengers on a cruise Dutchman, on theirs day off in La Paz, went to El Tecolote, rented a kayak and made them easy to make the crossing to the island of Espiritu Santo . In the middle of the channel, were stunned by the bad weather, endured the waves for a while, but turned in a neglect of a wave, lost and never could paddle round the boat, the waves of returning again and again, lasted in cold water five long hours, limited passing ships saw and say a sailboat passed, which made him not want to pick up signs, we think they really did not see them, see two heads in the stormy sea is almost impossible.
They tell us that had prayed endlessly that fear were winning and were taken for dead was not far off their mind as the night was coming and the current took them to sea, they thanked us sobbing and crying. They kept saying, we're alive.
The whole group gave examples of support and encouragement, some hot drink prepared for them, others were for blankets, and another supported them with touch therapy.
We are all for a moment, a bubble of protection for them.
The captain contacted the Port Authority to report the finding and the instruction was that we stopped at the port where the cruise Dutchman docked.
Calmer now, we gave them to eat some delicious shrimp tacos, which were prepared by Edgar, the chef on board, the man ate with real appetite and taste was the flavor of freshly recovered life, she could not eat much, we said she had swallowed a lot of salt, but after a while achieving some food.
They bathed, we provided dry clothes and before long his human side had been restored, a little joke and trivialize the tragedy that was not. Pete was going to play golf with them, started talking with the couple and knew something of their lives, were based in Phoenix, she was Canadian, he , an American, lived together for a short time and it was her dream trip to the islands of Baja. Calmer, I already told them, in Spanish is a saying, "God writes straight with crooked lines" You were saved thanks to The Crooked Lines of God.
This boat should not be here, should go the way to Clipperton Islands, the person who saw you, should not be in the boat, by chance came to go in Los Cabos to La Paz and only by the dizziness that had would not let him join the group, all the circumstances would seem accidents and coincidences, but seen from another plane, Richard disease which turned out to be nothing, change the circumstances that generated the rescue.
Apparently, nothing happens without a reason, so I said, for some reason, his life was saved and we were the instruments, see their life as a gift that made you the higher power, something was chosen to be saved.
Donna, which was the name, smiled, I took her hand and understood a little the law governing the universe. After some hours we arrived at La Paz, there is the huge ship anchored where they would continue the journey.
We parted with great emotion, we exchanged addresses, emails and hugs, some of the fellows had watery eyes, others smiling at the good fortune.
We believe that of all the catches and trophies that are caught in the yacht's Gift, this couple will forever the Trophy as the best we could achieve.
Holland America Line
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