Sept 4, 2014<\/p>\n
CBC: Newfoundland crew 'lucky' to be alive after boat sinks off Cape Breton<\/p>\n
Todd Kearley, skipper of the Bradley Venture, thanks Canadian Coast Guard, ferry for quick rescue<\/p>\n
A Newfoundland skipper says he and his two crew members are very lucky to be alive after\u00a0their boat started to sink off the coast of Cape Breton.<\/p>\n
The fishermen were on their way to a fish plant in North Sydney Wednesday afternoon when they started to take on water.<\/p>\n
Todd\u00a0Kearley, the skipper of the Bradley Venture, says the strong wind and wave conditions were too much to save the vessel.<\/p>\n
They then called for help and jumped into a life raft.<\/p>\n
Kearley says he's had a few close calls over the course of his life but this one ranks \"pretty well up there.\"<\/p>\n
He says he's glad to have had a cell phone in the life raft to keep in contact with the rescue centre. He says after his many years at sea and close calls, having a cell phone ready in a plastic bag is a good idea.<\/p>\n
He says it was a\u00a0tense hour or so waiting for rescue.<\/p>\n
\"We were just so lucky that the cooler off the boat floated by the life raft. We decided to grab the cooler because we were all thirsty after working like dogs to keep \u2018er afloat. \u2026 We were smoking cigarettes, talking about how lucky we were,\" says Kearley.<\/p>\n
Herb Nash,\u00a0a fisherman and member of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, was part of the\u00a0rescue team, along with\u00a0the Marine Atlantic ferry MV Highlanders.<\/p>\n
The ferry\u00a0blocked the wind while Nash and his crew hauled the men aboard the vessel.<\/p>\n
Nash says when he arrived only a few feet of the fishermen's boat was still above water.<\/p>\n
\"I'm glad that the three of them were rescued, no one got hurt. I know they lost everything they own there but, you know, we got them to shore and gave them some dry clothes to put on them and gave\u00a0them a pair of shoes \u2014\u00a0none of them had shoes or anything on, they had\u00a0[survival] suits on. ... We gave them something to eat and then drove them to\u00a0the ferry,\" says Nash.<\/p>\n
Since they had to leave in such a hurry, Kearley says only one of the men had his wallet when they jumped into the life raft.<\/p>\n
Kearley says Nash forced him to take $150 to help with expenses for the ferry trip from Cape Breton to Newfoundland.<\/p>\n
\"He wouldn't take no money for gas from us,\" says Kearley.<\/p>\n
\"He\u2019s a good man, I can tell you that.\u00a0I told him \u2018You know Herb, we've got a bit of money there in a bank account,\u2019 and he says \u2018If you don\u2019t take this money from me, I\u2019m not going to be a very happy man.\u2019 We could have done without, but we did need it, I just don\u2019t like to feel like a burden on anybody.\"<\/p>\n
It's not clear why the boat started to leak.<\/p>\n
The three fishermen have safely returned to Newfoundland.<\/p>\n
\"They were in good shape. They were a bit nervous and that because of the fog and the sea picking up and they were just after losing the boat. They were a bit nervous over it all\u00a0but they were happy they got on the boat, that's for sure. They couldn't\u00a0thank us enough when we picked\u00a0them up,\" says Nash.<\/span><\/p>\n