When it comes to the 414-foot Octopus, nuch of the attention in the worldwide media–and that includes those of us in the marine-media business–focuses on owner Paul Allen, his ties to Microsoft, and the tales (tall tales, actually) of former Navy SEALs being part of the crew. So let me be one of the first to break with that tradition here and focus instead on the heroic acts of her crew a few days ago.
According to a few news reports, a tug used to ensure cables holding oil rigs to the ocean floor were secure sank yesterday 31 miles off the coast of Port Alfred, South Africa, in heavy seas, and its crew, which had abandoned ship in liferafts, was in jeopardy. While the National Sea Rescue Institute was able to rescue three crewmembers, Octopus happened to be in the area and retrieved seven others. Sadly one crewmember couldn’t be rescued and drowned, but if it hadn’t been for the expert reaction of Octopus’ crew, the situation could have been far more dire.
As of last night, the seven rescued crew reportedly were still aboard Octopus, as the seas were still far too rough; it was preventing them from being airlifted by helicopters. The yacht apparently is expected to arrive in Cape Town tomorrow, however, so it’s logical to assume the men will get any further medical attention needed.
In the meantime, the crew of Octopus deserves our deepest respect and admiration. They put their own lives at risk to save those of others.
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