ROWERS whisked up by Serenity.
Two rowers who found themselves in dire
straits after capsizing their boat 777kms
off the west coast of the Canary Islands were
rescued by crew onboard Crystal Serenity.
The duo, Tom Fancett from the U.K. and
Tom Sauer from the Netherlands, ran into
trouble whilst competing in the 2011
Atlantic Challenge Race to row across the
Atlantic, and spent 10 hours in a tiny life
raft after a large wave sunk their boat.
Fortunately for the seriously stressed sea
farers, Serenity was on a Tranatlantic cruise
en route to St Maarten, 200kms from the
rowers, and was able to respond to a
rescue call from the Falmouth Coast Guard.
After receiving the call Serenity’s Captain
Okland sailed full speed through worsening
weather to rescue the pair, locating their
flare in rough seas five hours later.
A medical check onboard revealled both
survivors to be healthy, with the men telling
crew they were very happy to be alive.
“While these young men hoped to cross
the Atlantic in a most basic fashion, they
are certainly experiencing the crossing in
the most luxurious environment – an
ironic, and heartwarming, turn of events,”
said Crystal’s President Gregg Michel.
