We were at anchor in Chamela, 70 miles south of Puerto Vallarta, when we heard an emergency call on the Amigo Net in the morning. The sailboat MOKISHA had rudder problems and was unable to steer. With Tom and Colleen aboard, they were approx. 45 miles WNW of Chamela, and drifting SW, away from land, at 2 knots...!

Included here is the story I wrote and sent to Latitude 38, about this incident, and some of our pictures, as well as pictures taken by Dewey and Nan of THE GREAT ESCAPE.

Rescue of the MOKISHA:

"On February 7th, the 38ft Catalina MOKISHA came up on the Amigo net at 8am with emergency traffic, relating that they had a stuck rudder, had no steerage, and were experiencing high winds and rough seas. At the time, they were located about 48 miles NW of Chamela and drifting SW at 2 knots. Tom Collins and Colleen Wilson, on MOKISHA, had left from Mag Bay (Bahia Magdalena), midway down the Pacific Coast of Baja, and intended to make a non-stop shot to Manzanillo.

The Amigo SSB net controller, on 8.116 MHz, immediately shifted gears and focused on how to help MOKISHA. Tom and Colleen, who were experienced and capable sailors, were responsive to the many suggestions that were provided by quite a few cruisers to help them get their rudder unstuck. Nothing worked.

We were among a few cruisers anchored at Chamela at the time, listening to the conversation on the Amigo Net, and making suggestions. DOLCE VITA, GREAT ESCAPE, PIPE DREAM and SIESTA, all alumni of the Baja Haha, developed a contingency plan to have the faster catamaran DOLCE VITA go out to tow MOKISHA into safety at Chamela, a 100 mile round trip. Before DOLCE VITA was dispatched, it was agreed on the Amigo net that the Mexican Navy should be contacted first, to see if it could offer any assistance. Frankly, many of us did not have high expectations, not knowing what the Mexican Navy was willing and able to provide. Ron, on ELISIO, anchored in La Cruz, Banderas Bay, agreed to contact the Mexican Navy, which came up on the Amigo Net frequency right away.

I volunteered to explain the problem and see what could be done, since Spanish is my native language (born and raised in Cuba). Many the cruisers on the Net listened as we started our dialog in Spanish with the Mexican Navy. Within a short period of time, at about 10:30am, Jorge, from the the Sector Naval Vallarta, announced that a fast Mexican boat was about to depart Puerto Vallarta to intercept MOKISHA. We were told the ETA would be noon. What? No way! We did the math and concluded that the ETA given by the Navy was way too optimistic. It turns out the modern, sleek 35ft Mexican rescue boat, which they called the "Patrulla Interceptora 1136", was capable of 40 knots, and showed up on the scene at noon, as predicted. Holy tamales! The Interceptora was sent with a diver and tools on board to attempt to repair the damage and allow MOKISHA to be on its way. If this failed, the Mexican Navy was dispatching a larger boat to effect the tow to safety at Chamela. The Interceptora, we were told, would normally not tow a boat. However, after an attempt to board almost resulted in a collision, the captain of the Patrulla Interceptora opted to tow MOKISHA out of the heavy seas and to safety at Chamela. The larger, but much slower, Mexican towing ship was dispatched and left Puerto Vallarta later in the afternoon, anyway.

The Mexican Patrulla Interceptora, with MOKISHA in tow, headed towards North Chamela, using the waypoint information provided by the Net to the Sector Naval Vallarta. The latter was in contact with the Patrulla Interceptora using a private Mexican Navy frequency. The towing party was making an average of 6.5 knots toward the entrance waypoint at the northern end of Chamela, headed right on the rumbline, with MOKISHA reporting their position, bearing to waypoint and ETA to the Net every hour on the hour.

The wind calmed down some by the time MOKISHA arrived at the outer waypoint in Chamela at around 10:30pm. GREAT ESCAPE hoisted anchor and headed out to sea, armed with flashlights and spotlights to make sure the Interceptora would see them. Once on VHF range, we were able to speak directly with the Interceptora. The captain admitted he was not familiar with the entrance, so GREAT ESCAPE assumed the role of the port pilot and guided the Interceptora and MOKISHA to safety on a dark night.

Once safely at anchor in the Chamela harbor, the boats brought food for MOKISHA and the crew of the Interceptora. The Mexican towing vessel was expected at 3am. By daylight, it became clear that MOKISHA's rudder post had been bent, apparently by hitting some heavy object like a whale or a container. The much larger Mexican Navy tow boat did arrive, and towed MOKISHA the rest of the way to Puerto Vallarta, a total of over 200 miles, at a cost to MOKISHA of $400 US. I think a US towing service would have charged A LOT MORE!

Several times, we expressed our thanks to the Mexican Navy on behalf of all the sailors who cruise these waters. We were overwhelmed by the decisiveness, capability and skill of all the personnel we talked to.

This was indeed a happy ending to what could have been a difficult time for the crew of the MOKISHA. And it demonstrated the camaraderie of the cruising community here, ready to help in any way it could."