At the beginning of fall 1973, newspapers
were exploding with shocking articles: a family with 4 kids was found in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean after more than five weeks of desperate survival. The dream of a lifetime turned into a nightmare
when a group of killer whales sank the family’s ship. I know it sounds like a hoax, but this story
is far too real. In 1971, 47-year-old Dougal Robertson wasn’t
a brave explorer from adventure books – far from it. He was a dairy farmer. But he had his days with the sea when he was
younger. He attended Leith Nautical College in Scotland
and later joined the British Merchant Navy. He was a great mariner, sailing the Southern
oceans, but then he met Lyn – his future wife. He couldn’t bear having two loves at once,
and between the sea and Lyn, he chose Lyn. But the sea never wholly left his mind. Dougal and Lyn settled down in Meadows Farm
in Staffordshire. Unfortunately, the farm wasn’t profitable
at all. They had four kids and couldn’t even afford
to put new shoes on their feet, let alone a good education. Dougal knew they were in trouble when they
couldn’t pay the electric bills. And he didn’t see a way to make things any
better for his loved ones. One day, one of his younger sons asked him
why can’t they go on a journey around the world. It seemed like the naïve question was the
only excuse Dougal Robertson ever needed. Soon after, the farm was sold and the whole
life savings of the family was spent on the Lucette, a 43-ft long schooner. The boat was two years older than Dougal Robertson
himself. No one in the family had any sailing experience
except Dougal. His older son Douglas recalls that they didn’t
even train in the calm waters of Falmouth before setting off on January 27, 1971. It probably would have been a wise idea, but
Dougal was eager to break free from the poverty of their old farm. The first thing they met on their journey
was a storm that almost ended their adventure. This was a gale of fearsome power, the type
where the whole sea becomes white with foam, with waves up to 40 ft high and cruel winds
up to 63 mph. A team of experienced sailors on much sturdier
vessels may find it hard to stay afloat in such conditions. But miraculously, the Robertsons endured. 18-year-old Douglas took the role of muscles
on this journey. He was doing everything a whole ship crew
would normally do. His relationship with his father was already
akin to those between a captain and his subordinate. Sometimes Dougal was even too tough on his
son; but one day that changed forever. When they crossed the Atlantic Ocean and were
sailing to Jamaica, suddenly a powerful wind gust turned the boom of the sail and it hit
Dougal in the head. He almost flew over board, but Douglas was
faster. He caught his father by the feet and dragged
him back on board. After Douglas saved his life, Dougal never
again allowed himself to be as harsh towards his son as he was before. To cross the Atlantic on a little schooner
already takes some basic experience, but nothing could prepare them for an attack by killer
whales. Mostly because they almost never attack ships
at all! All those stories about killer whales hunting
down people for revenge or out of pure bloodthirstiness are nothing more than just stories. Their name is also just a mistake: they aren’t
even whales, they’re dolphins, though the biggest of their kind. The “killer” part comes from the Orcas
being unmatched sea predators. They’re like sea wolves, hunting in packs
called ‘pods’, that can be bigger than 40 orcas; 11-tons and 33 ft long each. With this type of efficiency they’re quite
often seen hunting huge whales. In May 2017, they were sighted attempting
a coordinated attack on a blue whale – the biggest animal that has ever lived on the
Earth. In fact, this is where their name came from,
they were originally called “whale killers” by whalers that often-told stories about orcas
helping them in their hunt. Douglas Robertson recalls thinking to himself
that they were going to be eaten alive, but that wasn’t the case. It is possible that the speed and the size
of Lucette somehow matched those of a whale which made the orcas attack the ship. This theory is also supported by the fact
that the orcas didn’t proceed on attacking the ship. As soon as they figured out that Lucette was
inedible, they went away. They struck only twice, but unfortunately
it was enough to sink the schooner. They were 200 miles away from the nearest
land – the Galapagos Islands. Lucette sank in a matter of minutes. The Robertsons had absolutely no time to evacuate
properly and gather anything that would help them survive. Lyn was still in her nightdress when they
jumped into the inflatable life raft Lucette was equipped with. They had a dinghy, a 10 day supply of fresh
water and not a lot of food: a bag of onions, oranges, some sweets. They were too far away from land or any shipping
route, so no one would’ve come to rescue them. Dougal had to tell his loved ones that they
probably wouldn’t make it. But the best ideas are often born in the most
desperate situations. Douglas learned from his father that there
are certain zones in the Pacific, near the equator, that are called doldrums. These zones are rainy, but the sea itself
here is calm. To sail here was their only option. They made a sail, put it on the dinghy called
Ednamair, and made it a tugboat for their raft. Soon they learned how to catch giant sea turtles
with their bare hands. But sea turtles are famous for their nasty
claws; they’re tough creatures that won’t give in without a fight. Sores and wounds after those encounters are
a bad combination with salty ocean water. Good thing Lyn was a certified nurse. She figured out that the turtles might help
with lots of problems at once. The Robertsons learned to drink turtle blood
– they said it was almost unbearable, but whatever allowed them to survive was good
enough. Turtle fat was their only medicine. It appeared to be good for their numerous
sea sores. On the 7th day of their struggle, they saw
a ship and used one of their flares, but they were missed completely; no one noticed them. Three days later it became more and more obvious
that an opportunity to wake up every next dawn would only be earned if they fight for
their lives. The inflatable life raft had a hole too – probably
from the turtles. Douglas was trying his best to inflate the
raft once again but it was useless; there was no way to fix it. All of them had to move to the 9-ft dinghy. Still, Douglas’ plan worked. They collected enough water in the doldrums
area of the Pacific to stay hydrated, but the dinghy was unstable, to say the least. The five people inside the vessel were always
in water to their wastes; the sixth one was able to sit on the only dry spot. They took shifts, and Lyn often skipped her
shifts to let her children sit there. Rains were blessings, but they also became
a problem as it was a constant necessity to scoop out water. At this time, they forgot what a night of
good sleep felt like. Turtle blood collected in the dinghy was mixing
with water, and when this mixture spilled overboard, it attracted sharks. They were more of an intimidation than a real
threat to the Robertsons, but still a good reminder that they should be strong. They even caught one and ate it. Douglas recalls that the shark had other fish
in its stomach and that was a far greater food source than the shark itself. On 23rd day, a particularly angry turtle almost
put a bitter end to this story. It cut off all the bottles of fresh water
the Robertsons collected with its sharp claws. This could be fatal, because no matter how
much fresh rainwater was on the bottom of the dinghy, it was already tainted with turtle
blood and other possible food wastes. Lyn knew that this water would be highly toxic
and forbid them to drink it. Instead, she came up with an unpleasant, but
brilliant idea. She kept everyone hydrated through makeshift
enemas of this water. This way, toxic substances couldn’t get
into the blood. On the 38th day after Lucette sank, a little
Japanese fishing vessel, Tokamaru II, sighted the Robertson’s dinghy. They couldn’t even imagine they would find
anyone alive on the boat, but the Robertsons had survived. They could barely speak because their tongues
were swollen from dehydration. They were weak and faint, but they were finally
saved. After these events, Dougal Robertson wrote
a book about it which became a bestseller. Soon he bought his wife a new farm, but they
decided to split ways from that point. Dougal once again bought a boat, went sailing
in the Mediterranean and never stopped since then. Still, I think it was family bonds that allowed
the Robertsons to survive in the Pacific Ocean. And what do you think? Let me know down in the comments! If you learned something new today, then give
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