Big Sista pulled the guys for about two hours at a slow speed. You can't go that fast if there's a small boat behind. Once we got closer to Lelepa, local boats came out to help.
I've been thinking about this because there was a really big marine accident here in Vanuatu over the weekend. MCY, which is this ship I've never even heard of, sank outside of Hat Island (also close to Efate), killing four people. One of them was a baby. Big Sista went out to do rescue, and 37 of the 41 passengers were saved, but 4 drowned.
The thing that's so awful about this -- I've been reading in the newspapers -- is that the ship sank because it had a hole in its body. Literally, that's why the ship sank. I guess they had tried to repair it on the cheap and the owners of the ship figured that they'd risk it on the run to Malekula. The owner, the captain, and the supercargo have been arrested and charged with manslaughter, but it's awful that a ship that was in clear violation of all the marine codes was even able to leave.
In America, I think we complain a lot about our laws, but laws and safety regulation make our lives so much safer. We don't have to worry in the same way about bad operators who know that they are risking our lives. In Vanuatu, there are government organizations but they lack the same power that similar organizations have in America. Even just the fact that there are ships that still run when they haven't been cleared by Marine -- that's crazy.
There are about ten ships we're allowed to go on here in Vanuatu. Some of them are more comfortable than others, but they're all safe. The ship I use, Brooklyn, is a cargo ship so it's not the most pleasant ride. But the owners pay attention to safety. They don't leave port when the water is really rough and when there are repairs that need to be done, the ship gets repaired. Man.
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