What began as a family voyage to bring a sailboat to Hawaii turned into a terrifying rescue for three Canadians, including a 9-year-old boy, after their disabled vessel collided with a container ship in rough seas and a driving rain, tossing them into the ocean in the middle of the night.
"I’m going to die, I’m going to die," 9-year-old West James recalled saying in seas more than 20 feet high.
"No, we won’t," his father, Bradley James, responded as he swam and pulled a leash connected to a life preserver ring holding his son.
The elder James, 33, of Calgary, Alberta, safe on shore Thursday morning, recounted how he reassured his son that they would be OK, even as they drifted away from their rescuers on the container ship in the rainy darkness Wednesday morning.
All three on the sailboat were rescued and were in good condition, the Coast Guard said.
James, his son and his brother Mitchell were about 280 miles northeast of Hilo on their 38-foot sailboat Liahona in heavy seas and strong winds Tuesday when the vessel lost its mast and the engine overheated. The Coast Guard called the Hawaii-bound container ship Horizon Reliance, about 149 miles away from the stricken sailboat, to help them.
The Horizon Reliance reached them at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. But as the 893-foot-long ship maneuvered close enough to send the sailboat a line, a wave more than 20 feet high pushed the sailboat into the container ship, Bradley James said.
A second wave caused the ship’s bow to dip into a trough, then suddenly rise, causing the ship’s bow bulb to smash the bottom of the sailboat. The Liahona sank in two minutes.
"I’ll never forget the sound of crushing fiberglass," Bradley James said Thursday at an early morning news conference at Honolulu Harbor.
"We’re just grateful and happy to be here," said Mitchell James, 29, who is part-owner of the boat.
The crew of the container ship was able to pull Mitchell James aboard at about 2:30 a.m., the Coast Guard said.
But Bradley and West drifted away.
Bradley James said he reassured his son that as long as he was shivering, he wasn’t going to die, and to keep awake and alert.
James said they had on life jackets with strobes on them and that the ship’s crew threw them a life preserver ring that also had a strobe. He said he put the ring on his son and swam, pulling its strap toward the ship.
Horizon Reliance Capt. James Kelleher said the rain was heavy, and he feared the boy was lost.
Kelleher, who has been a ship’s captain for 20 years, said the weather conditions were terrible, and he called the rescue "difficult" and a "miracle."
The crew kept their eyes on the lights on the life jackets. In the darkness and wind-whipped heavy rain, Kelleher delicately maneuvered the Horizon Reliance close enough to safely bring Bradley and West aboard at about 3:20 a.m.
Mitchell James said he’s grateful to be in Hawaii and was thankful for the rescue by the Horizon Reliance crew.
"If it wasn’t for the ship … who knows? It was close," he said.
Their voyage on the Liahona began Jan. 11 from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
On Tuesday the forestay, a cable that supports the mast, broke, Mitchell James said.
"Then it got worse and worse and worse," he said.
Using a winch, he went up the mast to rig a new line, but the winch broke, so he couldn’t get down, and then the mast broke and he fell into the ocean.
He was able to climb back aboard the sailboat but began to go into shock and had to go below deck.
"I was lucky to be alive," he said. "I couldn’t believe I was that lucky."
Bradley James said he used a satellite phone to call the Coast Guard for help.
The Coast Guard said the Liahona contacted them at 5:26 p.m. Tuesday, and the Horizon Reliance made a detour to rescue the three.
The ship kept in contact with Bradley James by satellite phone and was able to navigate directly toward the distressed boat via GPS.
Horizon Lines is putting up the mariners at a Waikiki hotel for three days. Bradley James’ wife, Megan, was scheduled to fly to Honolulu Thursday night.
The James family said they’d go sailing again but that it might take them a while to raise the money to buy a new boat.
Hawaii News Now video: Canadian family rescued during voyage to Hawaii
