Salvaging Lariekoek from La Rief Koek

La Rief Koek

Whilst Jet was sleeping (see prior posting), Ewout and Aedgard sent messages to the international rescue authorities requesting assistance to salvage Lariekoek. Within minutes a voice came up on the radio identifying itself as “Martin from Mago Island”. All agreed that nothing could be done that night, but that at daybreak contact would resume. Before catching some sleep we contacted the insurers and drafted a list of the most important items to retrieve from the boat. However, we fully expected that half the hull would have been ripped open by morning and many items swept away.

That night, conditions were good, but it was pitch dark and drifting in unknown waters in the vicinity of a reef that had just claimed a victim kept us on high alert. After an early breakfast we gathered waterproof boxes, tarps etc. Soon Aedgard and Ewout were picked up by a fast tender with two Fijians and Martin Livingston a Scottish Fijian. Martin manages the island and runs quite a show. He can swear like a drunken sailor, but has a heart of gold and ran an amazing salvage operation:

- During the night Lariekoek had moved several hundred meters over the reef.

Aedgard left the sail up hoping that during high tide the wind would push Lariekoek beyond the surf.

As Aedgard and Ewout worked down a list of important things to retrieve from Lariekoek a crowd of some 25 strong Fijians assembled. This crowd helped fill up four Panga's (i.e tenders) with *everything* that was loose on Lariekoek including the stove and the batteries.

A Panga full of gear

Martin then rolled in a large CAT excavator which gently lifted the bow, stern, and keel, whilst the work crew placed tires under Lariekoek.

Next they placed 8 *massive* mahogany(!) beams under Lariekoek. These were lashed and nailed together.

What do beams like these cost at your local hardwood specialist (note: orange music cassette for scale)?

The raft taking shape

To add buoyancy they tied some 15 empty 200 liter oil drums to the "raft".

At that point they had to wait for the rising tide before an attempt would be made to re-float Lariekoek. Time for lunch at...  ... a Hollywood mogul’s house.

This is perhaps the right time to explain that Aedgard keeps high standards. Hence, it took 17 years of cruising Lariekoek, before he finally found a reef that met all his criteria:

1) A beautiful tropical island.

Mago Island, the largest private island in the South Pacific.

2) A Friendly island manager with a great sense of humor and enormous drive and creativity.

Martin Livingston who built his own resort, winning a prize for being the best small luxury resort in the world. (Who was going to tell Aedgard that Mago Island wasn't a resort?).

3) A personal assistant assigned to do whatever it takes to get Aedgard off the island.

"Punk" Aedgard's more than capable assistant.

4) A cook who will make a great curry any time of day or night.

Melle operating the coconut grinder.

5) A good place to lay your head to rest.

 Aedgard walking to his personal cottage.

6) A good place to store your gear

One of 3 places where Aedgard's gear was brought. Did he get any work done?

7) Transport when you need it.

A Private island without a private plane wouldn't be much use to the stranded sailor would it?

On Bravado we were just left wondering whether we should tell the Hollywood mogul that being such an excellent host is NOT the way to get a yottie off your island?

Two tenders slowly pulled the raft to deeper water.

As for Lariekoek: She was re-floated and after twelve 18-hour days she was ready to complete the trip to Savusavu. She sustained significant damage, but considering the beating she received, the hull is in remarkably good condition. Quite a testament to the care Aedgard put into building her!

Aedgard and Punk cleaning Lariekoek's interior.

*Part* of one category of gear (electronics) that needed drying, cleaning, and inspecting. Many items became junk due to the salt water that washed around inside the boat during the incident.

Whilst Aedgard was working on Lariekoek, Bravado moved to nearby Vanua Balavu for shelter. This is a difficult place to get permission to cruise, but considered one of the most beautiful locations in the Pacific. We had some great contacts with the local villagers, wired up a home with LED lighting and did some other technical work for them. (Blog post to follow). Ewout divided his time between Bravado and Lariekoek, writing a detailed damage report for the insurers.

As Lariekoek became ready to continue onwards, we brought Bravado back to Mago Island and Martin gave us a wonderful tour of the island (Blog post to follow). The meal on the final night was quite a feast: Oysters, lobster, various curries etc. Fijian hospitality certainly is way beyond anything we ever expected it to be.

P.S. As word spreads about Lariekoek’s reception on Mago Island Martin runs the risk of getting many more uninvited visitors. He asked us to spread the word that he is a character worth staying clear of.


P.P.S. Naming credits for the reef go to Daniel Wlochovski, a French friend of Aedgard's, who apparently is well aware that many things in the Pacific are named after the famous English explorer Captain Cook.