We cannot believe how nicely this catamaran
suits our family. There is a lot of space in the main cabin, the galley, the
front deck, sleeping quarters and the back of the ship.
The brief is very good, we get advise on
where to go, what to do and we shall be in touch with the office twice a day to
make sure all is going well.
It is the first time for us ever to be
sailing on the ocean and it is actually quite straightforward. We need to make
a couple of tags to get to Nara Inlet of Hook Island.
We wouldn’t be traveling
with the Smit Family if we wouldn’t have a hook in the water while we were sailing.
In the middle of the channel Jolmer’s rod makes the sound he has been waiting
for: there is certainly a sizeable fish on his hook. I steer the cat into the
wind to wash off some speed while Jolmer lands a beautiful spotted mackerel.
Because the operational hours are between
8am-4pm we have to motor the last stretch to where we will spend the night,
anchored in Nara Inlet. Because it’s only four o’clock though, we have now time
to let the kids go for a swim, take the dinghy out to the other side of the
inlet for more fishing and do some cooking.
The night has settled in and our trip is
taking a dramatic turn for the worst when we all hear a very loud bang,
followed by nothing. Hugo has fallen from the ceiling hatch onto the floor and
lies motionless in the cabin. After a couple of minutes he starts to moan, but
is not responsive. We realize this is not a simple concussion and contact the
office for advise. Jolmer is talking to the Queensland retrieval doctors in no
time and a helicopter is on its way. Meanwhile Hugo, after some moaning and
crying, has fallen into a very deep sleep and has a couple of vomits. It
doesn’t look good.
There is something incredibly reassuring
about the sound of an approaching helicopter. Any remote emergency doctor will
vouch for that. Tonight is no different. There has been a lot of debate where
it could land, maybe on a beach nearby? We are on the front deck waving our
torches so the pilot knows where we are. It is a very dark night. There is no
moon. The search light of the chopper is looking around and searching the inlet
but cannot land. It will fly over to the next island Hayman while Hugo will be
picked up by the Coast Guards.
The whole retrieval takes about 3 hours all
up. Hugo has been mostly unconscious but he does have a lucid moment when I
pick him up to walk over to the rescue boat. When I say ‘I love you’ and he
says’ I love you too’ I am starting to hope he may get through this OK. Jolmer
will go with Hugo while I stay on board, after all, I am the skipper and Jolmer
is the better emergency doctor and therefore better able to interact with the
doctors at Mackay Base Hospital. He will be the right spokesperson for Hugo. When
I get ready for bed I can see the helicopter from my bedroom window making its
way through the dark starry night sky. Thank goodness for Coast Guard
volunteers and Rescue helicopter pilots. I pray Hugo has a little angle on his
shoulder watching over him and fall into a dreamless sleep.
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