Sailing Into Peril 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
I recently completed reading the Darvin Awards (hardcopy). I noted the observation that there are fewer submissions for ladies, and thought I would submit this account.
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Sailing into Peril
This is an eywitness account.
I was the 'Commanding Officer' of a 75 foot Navy Diving Tender, designation YST 10 (Yard Diving Tender 10). We were training future naval officers how to navigate in the Strait of Georgia, North West of Vancouver British Columbia. It was a lovely June afternoon, with a clear blue sky and a gentle breeze. One of my trainees spotted a flicker of fire on the horizon - where there should have been nothing but water. We immediately turned toward the fire and turned up the radios so we could hear any distress calls.
As we watched the flicker turned into a small pillar of fire. Then we heard the distress call.
Two businessmen had to decided to give their wives the vaction of a lifetime and rent a sailboat. The plan was to sail into Desolation Sound and spend time in the Marine Sanctuary watching the killer whales and exploring. The previous day they had sailed from Vancouver into a stiff breeze. Both ladies got very seasick and demanded an end to the dream vacation.
By noon the second day, the ladies decided that the vacation might be the wonderful time their husbands had planned. They created a baked Alaska to surprise (show forgiveness to ?) thier husbands. Unfortunately they decided to light it on the ladder to the cockpit - under the mainsail!
The flicker that turned into a flame was the mainsail catching fire.
They were rescued by a Chinook Helicopter from Canadian Forces Base Comox. I don't know what happened to the two couples or what reports were published int he media - I was at sea for several more days, most of my information came from the distress call made by one of the husbands. More information came from the Chinook. We were supposed to salvage the yacht but it burned and sank.
Lieutenant David Swan
Canadian Navy Submitted on 02/11/02
Submitted by:
David Swan
Reference:
Jun 1983
Copyright © 2002 DarwinAwards.com
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