A seawoman has opened up about the horrifying moment she was stranded off the coast of Yemen – before being rescued by a group of fishermen in a desperate mission that lasted 22 hours.
Caroline Kneitz, 34, told she was helping crew a boat from Kenya to Dubai when things went wrong and it was “like a scene from The Perfect Storm”.
Whilst Caroline and her three sailing companions, aboard the 12 meter vessel named Freya, feared a pirate attack before setting sail, it was defective parts and inclement weather that devastated their 12 day voyage.
Describing the sequence of events, Caroline said, “It was a sailing trip from Hell!” The weather was like a movie set from The Perfect Storm or Armageddon.
“The boat started breaking up every day…first the rigging broke, then the engine, then we had a fire, a flood, and finally we lost control.”
A seawoman has expressed her fear after being stranded off the coast of Yemen with a broken steering wheel, prompting a 22-hour rescue mission
Caroline Kneitz, 34, told she was helping crew a boat from Kenya to Dubai when things started to go wrong and it was “like a scene from The Perfect Storm”.
While Caroline and her three sailing companions aboard the Freya feared a pirate attack before setting out, it was defective parts that eventually brought their voyage to a halt
Caroline told : “Socotra is not on the traditional tourism map as a place, but the natural environment is just stunning.”
“Five meter waves and strong winds and a current that dragged our boat like it was a toy!”
“To make matters worse, our refrigerator also stopped working, so the food started to rot, we got salt rash, and I got a bacterial skin infection on my leg.”
Dubai-based Dacey Calisura, who bought the boat in Kenya with her partner Jethro Friggens, said she was just as scared when they lost control of their vessel.
She told the Khaleej Times, “I could hear the wind howling and the waves lapping and I was really scared if I would live to see it the next day.”
“Without the steering wheel, we were at the mercy of the sea.”
“There was an emergency steering system, but it doesn’t work when the wind and waves are against us, which was the case that day.”
When the boat broke down, Caroline, Dacey, Jethro and their other crew member, Euan Jarvis, sent a distress signal to the Coast Guard.
I could hear the howling of the wind and the lapping of the waves and I was very afraid if I would still experience it the next day
At that point they were about 50 miles from Socotra, an island in Yemen between Somalia.
The sailing crew, all based out of Dubai, quickly realized that the only vessels in these waters were oil tankers and cargo ships, too cumbersome to rescue.
While they discovered that a Korean Navy ship was in the area, it was still about a day away and they should have abandoned their boat and let it sink.
Caroline said that if they had taken that option, they “probably would not have survived as the boat would have been adrift for 12 hours in inclement weather.”
“We didn’t have that much time,” she explained.
In the end, a team of fishermen from Socotra agreed to launch a rescue operation and tow Freya back.
Caroline continued the story, saying, “Luckily the dhow fishing boat came at 1am.”
“We fired several flares to signal where we were and we were so surprised they found us.”
Dubai-based Dacey Calisura, who bought the boat in Kenya with her partner Jethro Friggens, said she was just as scared when they lost control of their vessel
When the boat broke down, Caroline, Dacey, Jethro and their other crew member, Euan Jarvis, sent a distress signal to the Coast Guard
The sailors attempted to sail from Kenya to Dubai. From left: Euan Jarvis, Jethro Friggens, Caroline Kneitz, one of the Yemeni rescuers, and Dacey Calisura
When they arrived in Socotra, Caroline said they were given a very warm welcome by the locals and felt like little celebrities
Back in Dubai, Caroline recalled, “Yemen was amazing!” The people were so warm and friendly and also very generous. We were even invited to a local wedding reception.
“Towing began and we attached two lines from stern to bow and were towed for about 22 hours.”
“That alone was a horrifying experience because we were thrown around and heard the boat fall apart.
“Many crash barriers have broken off.” It was not a pretty sight. But we managed to land again on July 28th.’
The dangerous rescue cost the Freya sailing team a total of $5,000. In addition, they still had to take care of the accommodation on Socotra and organize their flights home to Dubai from there.
“All of those were costs we didn’t factor in, but to be honest we were lucky to be alive!” Caroline said.
When they arrived in Socotra, Caroline said they were given a very warm welcome by the locals and felt like little celebrities.
I felt very reassured knowing I had a very experienced crew by my side, but the weather was just too bad for even the boat to say, “No, I’m not doing that.”
Back in Dubai, the sailing expert recalled, “Yemen was amazing!” The people were so warm and friendly and also very generous.
“We were welcomed with open arms and even invited to a local wedding reception.”
“Socotra is not on the traditional tourism map as a place, but the nature is just stunning.”
“Of course it’s not a place where you find luxury, life is very simple and many supplies are very limited.”
“But despite the simplicity and lack of wealth, everyone is happy – the communities are very strong and that’s so nice to see.”
Dacey and Jethro plan to take their boat Freya to Oman for some advanced repair work before sailing it back to Dubai in September.
Caroline says the sailing trip has taught her “to take much greater precautions when traveling in season”.
She concluded, “I felt very reassured knowing I had a very experienced crew by my side, but the weather was just too bad for even the boat to say, ‘No, I’m not doing that.'”