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British teenager saved after drifting for two days in Atlantic on a lifeboat
Rashid Razaq22 Feb 2010
A British teenager survived on a lifeboat in the open sea for nearly two days after her ship sank off Brazil.
Sarah Calascione, 19, was among 41 students who endured torrential rain and powerful waves on rubber dinghies in the Atlantic for 40 hours before they were spotted by military search planes.
Strong winds created a downdraught that caused the ship to capsize within 15 seconds, with the students and 23 crew scrambling for lifeboats.
The gap-year student from Kingston-upon-Thames told today how she feared for her life. “I didn't think we were going to be rescued. It was horrible. The radio equipment was damaged so we only had an Epirb [Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon] which sends out a satellite signal but that wasn't picked up straight away,” she said.
“It wasn't until 30 hours later that a plane saw our liferaft. I managed to scramble off the ship and I wasn't injured except for my back.
“I had only been on the ship for a couple of weeks and this was supposed to be a five-month adventure. My whole dream disappeared in 15 seconds.”
Ms Calascione was on a five-month round the world voyage on the Canadian sailing ship Concordia when a storm struck on Wednesday. Students had paid £25,000 each for the voyage.
The vessel's American captain William Curry, 59, said the conditions were more severe than anything he had seen in 40 years of sailing.
Ms Calascione, who attended Tiffin Girls' School, was with two other British girls, Nicole Turner, 18, and Gabriella Haines, 16, who donned immersion suits and climbed into the boats.
The teenager's mother, Caroline, 48, a painter, and father Jonathan, 48, a partner in a consultancy firm, first learned their daughter was missing on Friday morning when they were contacted to say there had been an “emergency situation”.
Mrs Calascione said: “We were told there had been a distress signal and spotter planes and navy boats had been deployed but there was no sign of the Concordia.
"It was a very harrowing and emotional experience. It wasn't until we received a phone call from Sarah on Saturday that we knew she was safe.”
Ms Calascione, who will start a history degree at Exeter University in September, was finally rescued when a Brazilian naval frigate arrived.
Her mother said: “Sarah is used to the sea and has done a lot of sailing, but nothing could have prepared her for this. She praised the captain's actions and was fully supportive of him.”
Ms Calascione was due to arrive back to London on a flight later today.
Reader views (1)
So what happened to the other 2 british girls?
- Jaffa Cake, london,England, 22/02/2010 10:45
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