By Leila Samodien
As the deadly typhoon Mirinae battered their yacht in the middle of the South China Sea, all the three young Capetonians aboard could think about was abandoning ship in an attempt to survive.
Instead, they stuck it out on the 13-metre catamaran - and lived to tell the tale.
Thomas Donaldson, Michael Allan and Johann Spies, all in their early 20s, are still at sea after surviving the harrowing storm just over a week ago, during which they lost their rudder and port engine.
In an email to his father, John Donaldson of Marina da Gama, Thomas told of battling 100-knot winds with 30m waves breaking over their yacht and rain that came down "like hail being fired from a gun".
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Things had become so bad that they had pulled on all their survival gear, packed up their belongings and prepared to board the life raft.
"We were on the verge of abandoning ship," wrote Donaldson jun. "I was just waiting for the boat to go over, but for some reason it seemed to defy the laws of physics. We only had 29 horsepower to push a nine-ton boat with two more tons of water and fuel, and I honestly can't believe that it saved us. I really thought we were done for."
Skipper Spies was at the helm, with the less experienced Donaldson and Allan, who both live in Marina da Gama, helping.
But it wasn't long before the team lost the rudder and the port engine.
Mirinae claimed at least 57 lives, 20 of them in the Philippines and even more in Vietnam. It left thousands homeless.
John Donaldson said the trio had waited out the storm in the Philippines for a few days. They left the region about 10 days ago, thinking they had missed the worst of it, but when they had got out to sea, the typhoon turned and caught them.
"There was a time that they were right in the eye of it. Thomas told me it was really peaceful," he said.
"But when they got out of the eye, it hit them hard, even harder than when they had first gone into the storm. They really couldn't believe they had survived it. It was as if angels were holding down the sides of the boat."
In a vivid email to his family, Donaldson jun wrote: "It really wasn't funny. If you have ever had the feeling that you were about to die, try it for 12 hours! It's one of those things that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. When I get back to land it won't be soon enough.
"I really thought we were done for. All you could hear besides the howling wind and rain was the prop coming out of the water, and then smashing back in again as the pontoons jumped up and down. At full power we were doing less than half a knot against the swells, if not backwards, and more than 16 down the other side. Which is pretty fast when you consider that the boat can only do 6 knots on flat water with both engines running.
"I don't think I'll ever be as scared again"
He added: "All I could think about was why the hell I just stopped smoking, 'cause now I'm about to f****** die."
The three yachtsmen are still on their way to Phuket off Thailand to deliver the new catamaran.
Their journey started in China about three weeks ago.
"I expect them home (in Cape Town) only in another 10 or 11 days," said Donaldson snr.
"They still have a good few more days in getting to Phuket, though. And to think they still have to deal with the pirates on the Malacca Strait."
But while the three have survived a typhoon at sea and are sailing a new yacht that has taken a harsh beating, they have no plans to give up.
"We can't always understand it, but boys will be boys," said Donaldson snr. "At least they'll have a few fun stories when they get back."
Donaldson has used email to stay in contact with his son, who gives him regular updates about their adventures.
- This article was originally published on page 3 of Sunday Argus on November 15, 2009
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