Lady K Sailingvideo
A Sailing Couple’s Ocean Nightmare
1 June 2026 · 12 min · 28K views · Pacific Ocean
Sailor battles storm on dismasted catamaran at night
What this video covers
Dusty and Helena of Sailing Barking Cat lost their mast in the Pacific Ocean during a passage from Australia to Fiji aboard their catamaran La Vida, triggering a mayday and rescue by the cruise ship Carnival Splendor.0:31 The crew had prepared carefully — waiting out a 4-metre swell for a better weather window, using PredictWind, provisioning cooked meals, preparing grab bags, and fitting their dogs with life jackets — but problems compounded steadily from day two.2:21 A wave damaged the trampoline area, a batten worked loose, seasickness set in, then water intrusion forced Helena into the storage compartments in a wetsuit to manage leaks.3:51 Both engines failed: the starboard had a battery or starter fault, the port overheated and lost cooling, likely a failed impeller; contaminated diesel was also suspected.5:21 With no engines and only 2–3 knots of boat speed under sail, they could not outrun the approaching storm.6:56 Wind instruments were knocked out by a squall.7:14 Then the mast came down, tangling in rigging alongside the hull and threatening to breach it.7:23 Dusty kept the crew calm, issued clear instructions, activated the EPIRB, and made the mayday call before conditions peaked.8:34 All four people and both dogs were rescued.9:42 The practical takeaways named: engine maintenance (impellers, filters, fuel, batteries), the compounding effect of small failures, and calling for help before the situation becomes unrecoverable.10:38
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