On the night of March 26, 2001, SV Koonawarra was lost at sea due to a fire. Grant Todd, a single hander, was rescued by SV Karina D. and SV Joss off the coast of El Salvador. He was later transferred to an El Salvador Navy vessel, then to military hospitals first  in San Miguel and then in San Salvador,  El Salvador. The following are the eyewitness reports of the event by SV Joss and SV Karina D. as well as from MV Heather K. which provided communications support. It is being presented in the hopes that it will help other cruisers prepare themselves for such an unfortunate event.

On the morning of Monday, March 26, 2001, three of us sailing vessels departed Barillas Club Marina in El Salvador, bound for Bahia Santa Elena, Costa Rica. We , Joss (Tayana 42), Karina D (Island Packet 37), and Koonawarra (Hans Christian 48) all followed, single file, our favorite panga driver Luis out to the entrance of the dicey Lempa Shoals. Luis left us all safe and clear of danger, we put up our sails and headed off to our destination 210 miles away.

The three of us stayed within a couple of miles of each other, and stayed in regular VHF contact as we proceeded, including the pre-arranged SSB check-in schedule with each other and with HeatherK. back in Barillas Marina. Fortunately, Heather K told us that they would continuously monitor SSB channel 8.143 in case we needed anything...little did we know!

At about 2100 hours, and approximately 45 miles out, Barry, at the helm of Joss heard an explosion off in the distance behind us. Both Kathy and Barry turned around to look, and saw what appeared to be a fireball where one of the other two boats had been. We hurriedly hailed Karina D., and they were fine. We then hailed Koonawarra...nothing!

Both Karina D. and Joss immediately turned around, cranked up their engines and raced back to the fireball. We had to rescue our friend Grant Todd , IF we could find him in the water with a very black moonless night. Kathy aboard Joss immediately hailed Heather K on the SSB and told Ed Hasselmann that she thought we had an emergency with Koonawarra and to stand by for a report when we got to the scene. Nervous and anxious, Karina D and Joss agreed to go on each side of the burning ship, but to stand off enough not to catch fire ourselves, as there were additional explosions occurring. Dale and Kathleen on Karina D arrived at the scene a few minutes before Barry and Kathy aboard Joss and in fact spotted Grant in the water hollering for help. He was clinging to some floating debris, which was EVERYWHERE. Kathy immediately reported the finding to Heather K. on the SSB while she held a spotlight on Grant in the water. Kathleen and Dale successfully deployed their LifeSling, and Grant was conscious and able to put it on. They hauled him up with a halyard, got him safely aboard and started to administer first aid.

Barry kept Joss on a circular course around Karina D while Kathy managed the radio communications, the VHF mike in the right hand and the SSB in the left. Heather K. managed to enlist the support of the Barillas Marina office in contacting the Salvadoran Navy and Coast Guard to arrange a rendezvous to transport the injured Grant to a hospital, and got family doctor Rob Hurlow aboard SV Capaz in Barillas to stand by his SSB to consult with Karina D. on Grant's condition.

Dr. Rob was able to make a rough determination of Grant's condition based upon questions answered by Dale and Kathleen, and decided that it was critical to administer Demerol by injection for pain management. As with most of us, Kathleen had never given an injection before, so Dr. Rob calmly took her through all the steps and it was accomplished.

Finally, about 2230 hours, Ed on Heather K. informed us that the Salvadoran Navy had selected a GPS rendezvous waypoint for us to head for. Unfortunately, it was almost all the way into La Union in Golfo de Fonseca, 18 miles away, and a 3-hour trip at the least for us slow sailboats. Joss requested that they come out on the reverse heading and meet us to save valuable time for poor Grant.

At 0030 the Navy vessel finally found us, and with all the best intentions commenced a very clumsy transfer of Grant from Karina D to their very large vessel. The Navy did NOT have any kind of launch or inflatable aboard with which to make the transfer, and so insisted on deploying Karina D's inflatable, which did not have the outboard engine attached. Two Navy man had to dive into the water to swim over to Karina D in order to assist in deploying the dinghy and get Grant in the dinghy and on board the Navy ship. It was very awkward, and Grant was in a great deal of pain. It took a full HOUR for this drama to complete itself. Again, Joss was hovering nearby to cover communications and lend support in any way necessary.

The Navy vessel finally steamed away, full speed, and took Grant into La Union. It was reported to us that the Navy transported him to the military hospital in San Miguel where he was met by Dr. Rob in the morning. With the help of Juan Wright, owner of Barillas Marina, Grant was transferred by helicopter to a hospital in San Salvador. The most recent updates on Grant's condition state that he has 2nd degree burns on arms, legs and buttocks, a broken arm, broken nose, broken knee, some scorching of his lungs, lacerations in the head, but in stable condition. He is lucky to be alive.

It was a frightening night hopefully never to be repeated for the four of us...Dale & Kathleen and Barry & Kathy. We watched a friend's beautiful boat, engulfed in flames, burn to the water line and sink in the dark. Thank God we found Grant! Exhausted and emotionally ragged, Karina D and Joss proceeded on course to Bahia Santa Elena, and got caught in 48 hours of hellish Papagayo conditions...30 to 40 knots of ESE winds and very lumpy seas. We slowly made it to the No Name Anchorage in Nicaragua where we are presently, thankfully anchored, and will remain until the Papagayo's have dissipated.

In summary, the entire rescue effort of Grant Todd in the water, having been thrown off Koonawarra in an explosion, was a huge group effort of cruisers , Barillas Marina and the Salvadoran Navy...a true testament to the fact that we do rely on each other out here, and the cruiser camaraderie is alive and well.

Respectfully Submitted by:

Kathy and Barry Devine, 
SV JOSS
Thursday, March 29, 2001,
No Name Anchorage, Nicaragua

On Monday the 26 of March, we left Barillas Marina for Costa Rica at 1030 a.m. We had two buddy boats, s/v Joss, a 42-ft. Tayana, with Barry and Kathy Devine aboard and s/v Koonawarra, a 48-ft. Hans Christian, with single-hander Grant Todd aboard. It is funny how things work out. Grant was keen to "go out" and set a course for Bahia Santa Elena, which would put him offshore about 35 nm. Joss and ourselves were content to feel out the weather along a course towards Bahia Fonseca. The wind, however, favored a course to a point somewhat south of Corinto in Nicaragua so Grant stayed with us as we went off on our fair winds course.

I hit the sack about 6 p.m. with Murph (Kathleen Murphy, my wife and admiral) on watch. A couple of hours later she came with the waking news that Joss had tried to VHF contact Grant with no response. They also reported they thought they had heard a "pop" explosion sound and that there was a fire aboard Koonawarra. I pushed into my shorts, t-shirt and harness and went on deck. The binoculars confirmed the report. Koonawara was ablaze!

We communicated with Joss and both reversed course under iron sail post haste in the direction of the flames and smoke plumes. We were closer to Koonawara on the turn so arrived on the scene before Joss. On approach we could see a flashing light in the water which was the positive sign that we needed: we later found out that it was the EPIRB that Grant had somehow got deployed. Can you imagine the fears we had of what we might find upon arrival? Koonawarra was totally engulfed with flames. The rigging was already down. As we entered the "Koonawara fire zone" which contained shattered wood panel pieces, bits of plastic, etc., we were well advised by Barry on Joss to be aware of fouling our prop on debris or getting too close to the flames that enveloped Koonawara. There was stuff everywhere. I went forward on the bow and then I heard it. "Help! Help! Over here." The greatest sound I have ever heard! I radioed Joss and received great cheers because Grant was Alive! Now to locate him in the pitch-black night! We began the scan with our search lamp trying to locate his voice. There he was, just off our port side. He had a yellow jerry jug under his right arm and a red one under his left arm for buoyancy. The left side of his face was totally blood red, the left eye closed. We were not sure whether it was blood or 2nd or 3rd degree burns or what. Once we had a fix on Grant, Murph pulled a 360 Degree turn to bring him up on our starboard side and life sling position. Just in case you think all is really going well please consider that Grant was saying: "I’m loosing it! Hurry, I can’t last much longer" and "for Christ’s sake don't run over me" or "I can’t see". We wanted to get our hands on him just as badly as he needed to get out of the water. We got right on top of him on our starboard side, threw him the Life Sling but the current immediately sucked it to the stern of Karina D. On the second attempt Grant grabbed the line, wrestled that sling about his body -- he is one feisty Aussie Guy -- and we hauled him forward to Karina D ‘s starboard boarding gate. We sucked that LifeSling line big time into the winch. We had him and we told Grant "We gotcha". Boy, did he need to hear that! Now to get him out of the water! We put the genny halyard on the LifeSling ring and cranked him up to where his hips were level to the toe rail. Would have taken him higher but the starboard gate pelican hook release pin separated -- stuff happens at the worst time -- so he had to come aboard under the life line. Murph manned the winch and I was able to get his legs and hips on board. He was out of the water! He was finally on deck!

He rested a moment then pushed over one leg, the hip next, then the other leg and he was in our cockpit settee. His condition . . .? He immediately asked for water. He was so thirsty he drank and drank the entire four hours he was onboard. Very wet, very cold complete with hypothermic shivers and Heaven knows what burn damage and physical injuries. I stripped his jeans off and Murph cut off his t-shirt and we covered him with a blanket for warmth. But now what?

Joss had done a great job organizing medical help. By the sweet Grace of God one of our cruiser friends (MV Heather K) moored in Barillas Marina had elected to stay on SSB 8.1430 frequency to monitor our passage. Murph and I could not believe it when Joss told us! Here we had this severely traumatized burn victim on board and Joss had found a doctor at Barillas Marina to help us! Following the doctor’s advice we decided to give Grant a shot of Demerol. We assessed Grant’s overall condition, surveyed his body injuries and took his pulse while Dr. Rob Hurlow from s/v Capaz told Murph how to give an injection. This was her first occasion to even look at the process. Thanks to Rob, she was able to give Grant two injections, one at 2235 and the other just before his transfer to an El Salvadoran Naval Vessel. Grant said that she gave great shots!

By 2300 hours Grant had settled down and was very coherent. We spoke mostly about how he was feeling. The pain in his arms was severe and he experienced extreme leg cramps. We both massaged his thighs to help. He would frequently sit up, asking for help to move his left leg around. Changing position seemed to relieve the cramping a little. At one point he began to have some difficulty breathing, had phlegm, so we moved him onto his side which seemed to help. He kept taking in liquids. The first juice offered was grape, which he drank although he said that it was his least preferred beverage. As a matter of fact after a few gulps he said he hated the stuff! Fresh squeezed orange juice was much better! We talked very little about the accident but Grant did say that it all happened so fast, he didn’t even have time to think about the sharks. We reminded him he was not in Australian waters!

He is one tough Aussie guy and when he started to swear I knew he was going to make it even though he looked like hell. His legs were very cramped and I massaged with such dexterity he proposed marriage to me at one point! Humor works and both Grant and I hit it off on this one. It was great to hear him laugh when in such severe pain. Now we needed to get him to hospital STAT as burn victims need quick action.

Joss and Heather K had a Salvadoran Navy cutter on the way to us. We were to rendezvous and transfer Grant to this vessel for initial medical assistance and transport to a hospital. Throughout these four hours we were on a heading to the mouth of the Gulf of Fonseca to meet the navy vessel. Joss kept track of our boat, theirs and all radio communication. At one point I looked up to make sure we were nowhere near the burning Koonawarra and Murph called Joss and said: "I have no idea where we are in relation to land, Kathy. Are we OK?" And she, of course, assured us that they were watching everything. Having a reliable person as well as a boat autopilot was a godsend!

About an hour later a 110-Ft Navy coastal cruiser showed up. I put on the strobe lights to identify Karina D as the vessel needing assistance. They pulled up nearby. After a difficult interchange we were advised that the rescue boat did not have a launch on board. They wanted us to lower our dinghy and transport Grant to them. Murph insisted that we needed two Hombres to assist. It seemed that their plan was to raft up along side us. Grant was aware of everything and grumbled: "Don't let them near you. They will trash your boat". So after much Spanish conversation, two young Salvadoran sailors dived off the bow of their cruiser, complete with life ring, and swam to Karina D. Although they were young and fit, they struggled with the waves and dragged themselves aboard. They wanted our dinghy and needed to know how many people were evacuating Karina D. We pointed to Grant. The poor guy! I lowered the dinghy and Number 1 Navy guy climbed down the aft ladder. Using sign language I tried to explain to him how to release the davit snap-shackles and to move the dinghy about to the port-side gate so we could get Grant into it. They had no experience with snap-shackle blocks so down I had to go into the gyrating dinghy to help. Once back in the cockpit, I began to help Grant move from the starboard side of our IP 37 cockpit to the port side for a download to our dinghy. I grabbed Grant by the waist and lowered him as gently as possible. My parting words to him were "Grant, if there was another possible way of doing this, you know I would do it". His response was " I know that". Thanks Grant! He was the perfect patient!

About 15 minutes later our fearless twosome from the navy ship rowed our dinghy back to Karina D and offered to help raise and secure it, which I declined. They then dove into the water and swam back to their ship. They were neat young macho guys and they did a great job considering what they had to work with.

Murph and I secured the dinghy and reinstalled the wind vane parts and called, "What is our course, Joss?". "About 150 degrees, follow us!". There was nothing more for us to do. Heather K and Barillas Marina had picked up the ball. Fair winds and calm seas, Grant!

As a note to all cruisers, if you can include a land based person on your passaging net, it may save a life!

Thanks Joss, thanks Heather K, and thank you to everyone at Barillas Marina and thank you to the El Salvadoran Navy.

Dale Moore and Kathleen Murphy, 
SV Karina D.
Bahia Santa Elena, Costa Rica
March 31, 2001

As we waved "Goodbye" to our friends on S/V Joss, S/V Karina D., and S/V Koonawarra, we shouted, "Call back to us on channel 72 when you get outside the bar and tell us what the conditions are.   We’ll also be listening on 8.143 if you need us for anything."   They were starting off for Costa Rica while Heather K. was going to stay at Barillas Marina for a few more days.   We had also agreed to have scheduled contacts at 5 and 11, AM and PM, local time for roll call and a position update.   We had previously done this with them and a large group of other cruisers on our way from Huatulco, Mexico, to Barillas Marina in El Salvador.

We missed the 5 PM roll-call because we were ashore, but had the SSB radio on 8.143 when shortly after 9 PM we heard Joss calling us.   Ed responded and Kathy on Joss reported hearing an explosion and seeing an orange glow in the direction of Koonawarra and were unable to raise Grant on the VHF radio.   They said they and Karina D. were racing in the direction of the apparent fire and asked us to stand by to help.

The next 30 minutes were very tense as we discussed whether we should try to alert the El Salvadoran Coast Guard/Navy or wait until we knew for sure the situation.   We waited, and about 9:30 PM Kathy came back on the SSB to say Koonawarra was entirely engulfed in flames.   They were looking for Grant and they needed help.   Ed immediately went on VHF 16 trying to reach the Salvadoran Navy.   Getting no answer, he broadcast a "Pan, Pan, Pan!" hoping someone might be able to help reach the Salvadoran Navy.   Fortunately, Henry Faybusovich and Nicole Drake from SV Caracolita, also in Barillas Marina, happened to walk by the VHF located in the clubhouse. They heard the calls for help and quickly answered.

Nicole got Maricio, the night watchman, to call Heriberto Pineda, the Barillas Marina manager, at home and to start the process of contacting the El Salvadoran Navy.   A fortunate thing was that Maricio was formerly in that Navy.  His knowledge proved invaluable.   For the rest of the evening and morning, until Grant was transferred to the Navy ship, Henry and Maricio were on VHF 16 handling contacts with the Salvadoran Navy while Nicole was on the telephone with Heriberto.   They were a critical part in the rescue.   Heriberto stayed in telephone contact with Henry, Nicole, and Maricio at the club and the Salvadoran Navy at La Union.

Shortly after 10 PM, Karina D. came on SSB 8.143 and reported that they had Grant on-board and that he appeared in bad condition.   Dr. Rob Hurlow, on SV Capaz, also in Barillas Marina, offered his help via VHF 16.   Norma, who was now coordinating between those on VHF 16 and Ed on SSB, told him to get on 8.143.   He did and Kathleen and Dale on Karina D. reported to him their findings as well as doing the checks that Dr. Rob requested.   Dr. Rob then asked them about their medical supplies.   When he found out they had Demerol, he suggested an immediate shot. We listened in amazement as he talked Kathleen through giving her first ever shot.

Since Dr. Rob was now in direct contact with Karina D.,  Ed decided to see if he could raise the US Coast Guard for help in addition to the Salvadoran Navy.   He tried to call the US Coast Guard on their assigned frequencies, but was unable to contact them.   He then tried the Maritime Mobile Net on 14.300 but it had already closed and there was no radio traffic.   Switching to the Pacific Maritime Net on 14.313 he was able to reach Fred, ham callsign W3ZU, located near Philadelphia, PA.   Fred was able to contact the US Coast Guard and relay back to them the answers to their usual questions.  They stated they had no vessels in the area but would contact their counterparts in El Salvador for help.

It should be noted here, that on a subsequent contact, Ed asked if the US Navy might have a ship in the vicinity that could help.  The US Coast Guard replied that they had no knowledge of any nearby vessels.  The US Coast Guard then asked for an update on the patient.   When they were informed he had been given a shot of Demerol, they immediately wanted to know where the Demerol came from.   Ed replied that long range cruisers often have physician’s prescriptions for emergency medications.   That seemed to satisfy the Coast Guard, but it did not leave a good impression.   The Coast Guard contact appeared to be more concerned about drug interdiction than in helping with the rescue.

Scheduled contacts with Fred, W3ZU, were continued until 11:45 PM when it appeared that  US Coast Guard assistance would not be available.

By 00:30 AM, the El Salvador Navy vessel was onsite.   Then Henry, who was in contact with them from the Barillas Marina office, reported that they had no dinghy available for the transfer.   They requested that Karina D launch her dinghy.   Ed then called Karina D. on SSB 8.143 to discuss this option.   It was decided that this was not feasible and Norma relayed that message back to Henry, who then relayed that to the Navy vessel.   It was amazing that this interchange across different frequencies and net controllers happened in the matter of a few minutes.   This information path was used throughout the night and morning.   Occasionally, Henry, at Barillas Marina office, and Karina D. and Joss could communicate directly via VHF 16, but the distance was great enough that it was not so reliable as SSB 8.143.

Finally at 02:10 AM, Joss called to say that the transfer had been made and that the Navy vessel was proceeding at full speed to La Union with Grant.   Joss and Karina D. then reported they were heading to Costa Rica.

The next morning Dr. Rob, Marc Hachey from SV Sea Angel, Don Mayrand from SV T Tauri Wind, and Heriberto Pineda were flown in the plane of Juan Wright, owner of Barillas Marina, to the military hospital in San Miguel to visit Grant.   As they arrived, Grant was being loaded into a military helicopter to be flown to the military hospital in San Salvador.   Dr. Rob and Heriberto were allowed to accompany Grant on the flight.    At the military hospital emergency room in San Salvador, Grant was met by 6 specialty physicians.   There he received the best possible medical care available in Central America.   Sincere thanks are due to Heriberto Pineda, General Manager, and Juan Wright, Owner, both of Barillas Club Marina, for making this possible.

On March 31, Grant was flown by air ambulance back to a hospital in San Antonio, Texas, at the request of his insurance company.

Please keep Grant in your prayers as he faces a long recovery process.

Ed and Norma Hasselmann
MV Heather K.
Playa del Coco, Costa Rica
April 2, 2001

Addendum, August, 2001

Grant is at home and has recovered very well from his injuries.  He says that his knee is still a bit stiff but that he's getting around OK. The insurance company has settled the claim and Grant is now considering another boat. It's great news to hear that he is rarin' to go again. Can't keep a good man down, especially an Auzzie! We want to again acknowledge the efforts of Barillas Marina, the El Salvador Navy, and the  El Salvador military  hospitals for providing the care necessary to save Grant's life.  To Kathleen and Dale on SV Karina D, and to Kathy and Barrie on SV Joss, Grant owes you one.

Ed and Norma

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