Two local women who set off on a boating and biking tour in Croatia never imagined their trip would result in a dramatic rescue on the water.
Janet Hawkinson and Nancy Haupt, both of Pine City, decided to take a girls’ getaway trip in late September and early October after their husband’s said they weren’t interested in a trip overseas. They decided on an active trip of boating and biking to explore Croatia’s Dalmatian coast along the Adriatic Sea. They would be biking during the day and staying on their boat, which served as a “floating hotel,” at night. The boat would take them to a new location along the coast each day.
Haupt had traveled abroad before and for Hawkinson, this would be her first trip overseas. The pair traveled with a group from Minneapolis and tourists from other countries.
In the early morning of day three of the trip, the sea was high and the winds were strong. The plan was for breakfast at 8 a.m. and on their bikes by 9 a.m. However, the boat they were traveling on ran aground on rocks two miles from shore. The captain tried to maneuver the boat off the rocks without success as the wind and rain repeatedly slammed against the lodged boat.
Then came a scene straight out of the movies.
The boat tilted strongly to one side. The food and dishes on the tables slid to the floor with a crash. Glasses chattered. They were stuck in rough seas in the middle of a hurricane storm with strong waves.
“We felt the boat lurch as it grounded on the rocks,” recalled Haupt. Passengers frantically headed to their cabins to get their lifejackets. The pair were forced back outside in the wind and rain to retrieve their lifejackets.
The wind was fierce, blowing Haupt’s glasses from her face. “We clung to the side rails to maintain our balance, and we struggled to get our cabin door open since we were on the windy side of the boat,” recalled Hawkinson. Once back in their cabin, they searched under their beds for their life jackets and put them on.
They then returned to the dining area where many of their fellow travelers were gathered. A call for help had gone out to the Coast Guard and the local fire and rescue staff at Lopar. The plan was to evacuate the boat once help arrived. The guests were instructed to go back to their rooms and bring back only their essentials. They were told to repack all other personal belongings into their luggage which would be retrieved at another time.
The guests were informed that the water was too shallow for the Coast Guard to access and that their rescue would have to come from the Lopar Fire and Rescue, a mostly volunteer unit.
Then arrived a Zodiac boat which was able to pull up to the larger ship they were on. Hawkinson and Haupt got on the rescue boat on the third trip. “The fire and rescue crew were decisive, leaving little doubt they knew what they were doing,” recalled Hawkinson. The captain and first mate stayed with the stranded ship. Once the tide came back up, the boat was pulled off of the rocks. It reportedly had only sustained scratches to the bottom but the sanitary plumbing had spilled into the inside of the boat.
The guests were transported to the fire house where they were met with the Red Cross to determine if there were any medical issues or need for medications. Water, juice and sweet rolls from a local bakery were set out for the weary and frazzled travelers.
The cause of the unfortunate situation is still under investigation with the possibility that the ship may have been on the wrong side of the buoy.
The trip didn’t end so bad as the guests were taken to a five star hotel where they remained the rest of the trip, and their luggage was delivered to the hotel. An excursion boat was found that would take them to different destinations.
A few days later, the guests were called together to meet with the owners of the tour company to discuss the situation. The captain of the ship offered his sincere apologies, and the owners of the tour company listened to our version of what had happened. The company is still determining how or if there will be refunds back to the travelers.
“It wasn’t the trip we had planned, but it was an adventure we will never forget,” recalled Hawkinson. “We truly had an amazing time!”
Haupt said that it’s hard not to think about the situation each day, but she is thankful no one was hurt. The group definitely bonded from the experience, she added. “I know that this is a rare occurrence, but it will not affect my future travel plans,” she said. “We are very glad that we went; we had a great time and a lot of fun in spite of this calamity. It’s such a beautiful country.”
Source : Pine County News
