Date: Thu, 7 May 2015 10:54:49 +0000
From: Robert Me <winchesterbornbred@hotmail.co.uk>
Subject: M/V Lady Jean Peterson/9

Dear readers, one thank you for reading this story and two, would you
please donate to nifty because without them I could neither write or you
read. They do a great job and could do with a little financial help. Many
thanks.
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Scott and Andrew got to the bridge and Paul updated them. Freddy and
George were also on watch. They went to the chart and looked at the
position. The distress call had been made 20 miles to the north east of
them.
"The only call was 5 minutes ago and nothing since."
"Ok, send out a general call to Iceland, Norway and the Faroe's and ask
them if they got the call." Scott hardly got that out when there was
another call.

"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. This is the Icelandic trawler Magnasson. We have
engine failure and taking on water and abandoning ship. We are 62 degrees
north...." And that was all. Scott tried to call her time and again, but
nothing.
"Marked it!" Freddy called out and they all went to the chart and also
marked it on the map.
"Freddy, turn to the mark and come back to 8 knots, this will now get
rougher. We are at least 2 hours from the Magnasson at this speed and all
we can hope for is this storm lessens." Scott went to the radio and
called the Icelandic Coast Guard reporting the distress call and that
they were heading towards the ship.
"Thank you Lady Jean Peterson, we were just about to call you. The ship
only has a skeleton crew of six and is heading to Kristiansand in Norway
for scrap. The Norwegian Coast Guard are aware, but both of us are out of
helicopter range. Norway are flying off their Orian search aircraft and
should be over the area within half an hour, but the weather is bad and
very little visibility, but its hoped they will pick up a distress signal
from the survivor suits. You are the nearest ship Captain but two others
are also heading towards the site. Good luck." Scott pressed the alarm.

"Right, this will now get very rough. Freddy I want to make as much speed
as we can without ripping the ship apart, take her to 10 knots and I will
ask for more if the Jean can take it. Everyone except Freddy,
Tommy, Neil, Jerry, Reggie and Paula get into survival suits when I tell
you. Andrew and George you obviously know what you will be doing and we
all hope you have survivors to pull out and Reggie and Paula have them to
work on. Paul, Jan, and Colin get the RIB ready in case we can launch
her, but I doubt it, not if the sea stays like this. Marcel go to the
hanger when I tell you and if you can, start her up, but again it does
not look good. It will be at least an hour before we get to the search
area, so after you are in your gear try and relax and all of us hope for
a massive slice of luck, without it the guys are in big trouble. Jerry,
lets see just how good the cameras are, you will be our main lookout.

The Jean was being thrown all over the place and even more as Scott asked
for another two knots, but at least Andrew had forgotten his sea sickness
with all that was going on. As for Scott, even though he had worked out
the current and wind direction he knew he was totally in guess mode, but
he headed towards the search area taking those two guesses into account
for when they started their search.

They eventually got to the search area and he had the Jean bought back to
5 knots. There was no way the RIB or the helicopter could be used and so
he sent them all up on the top bridge with night binoculars to look out.
Scott was now at the limit to where he had guessed the survivors may have
drifted and at least he could turn into wind and the Jean became more
stable as her bow plunged straight into the waves. He kept going to the
camera screens, but there was nothing.

"Colin come back down and operate the search lights." Colin arrived and
switch all four on. "Okay, Colin you take the bridge lights and scan the
sea from 90 degrees to the ship and forward and Tommy do the same with
the stern lights and aft."

They were now at the point of the last known position and Scott had to
make another guess, but he was sure from what he knew and if there were
survivors, he surely was in the right area.

"CONTACT!" Colin yelled out. And there he was lit up in the beam of the
forward search lights. Andrew and George flew down to the winch and with
George at the controls and Andrew with his strop on waited for Freddy to
get them down wind and as close as he could. Scott said a quiet prayer.

The survivor was now close enough and George hauled Andrew up and over
the side and at the same time extending the gib and placing it over the
man. George got Andrew as close as he could and then ran the cable out
and dropped Andrew from 20 feet up. He gradually took Andrew within arms
length of the guy and they all watched as Andrew fought to get the other
strop over his head and body forcing it under his arms. With a wave
George began to raise the cable, waited until the wave was at its highest
and lifted them both up and bought them onto the deck. Reggie Paula and
Andrew lifted the guy into the sick bay and everyone breathed a sigh of
relief. One down, five to go. They had all just received a massif boost
and at the same time an even more massive slice of luck, the wind dropped
so much Marcel told Scott he wanted to try and take off. Scott smiled at
him and got smiled back. "Ok Marcel and don't worry if you loose her.
Good luck." Jan went with him to help out.

There was no way he could take off and hover and get up to the Bridge and
so Marcel would have to fly from the hangar and fly by the small screen
on the hand set. He started up and after his checks he called for Jan to
open the rollup doors. He told her to get by him and she watched as
Marcel wound the engine up to take off speed and instead of pushing the
helicopter out onto the flight deck, he released the clamps in the hanger
took it to 5ft and then flew out and then climbed quickly over the stern
fighting all the time to stay in control.
"I'm up Skip!"
"Great stuff, bloody wonderful. Ok fly forward of us 100 yards, but we
are turning 180 and going back the way we came. Keep flying 30 degrees
port then starboard."
"Ok Skip." They continued to search for another half hour and all the
while Scott thinking of his next course.
Meanwhile Reggie called so say the survivor was in reasonable shape and
not injured. "Hypothermia of course but he is responding well. But we
need to find the others very soon Skip, they will not last much longer."

"Freddy, go to 10 degrees port."
"Skip."
After 10 minutes like that Scott told Freddy to go to midships. "Marcel
climb to 200 feet and go forward another 100 ft then do 45 degrees port
and starboard. Ten minutes later:

"SKIP! I'm over them!"
"Them?"
"Yes Skip there are four roped together! Follow my lights."

It seemed to take hours, but it was in fact only a minute. George and
Andrew worked brilliantly together as George put Andrew over the side and
after the expected struggle, got the first man into the strop and both
men bought on board. This was repeated three more times and although the
four were in a pretty bad state they were in the best hands it was
possible to be in. They would all pray that Reggie and Paula could save
them.

"Skip the wind is getting up again and I'm finding it hard to control her
and my fuel is getting low as well.
"Come back Marcel, you have done wonders."  Marcel finally managed
to land after several attempts, but he made it and got the machine back
into the hanger and secured the rotors. Jan hugged Marcel tight. "Well
done my lovely man, you have saved four men tonight." Marcel beamed at
her and also hoped Scott would hug him as well!

Although the helicopter could not fly now, the sea was reasonable and
Scott nor the crew would not stop trying to find what turned out to be
the Captain even though if he was not already gone, there surly could not
be much time left for him. He went back to where they had picked up the
first guy and with no other plan in mind steered a course that would take
them to where the four were picked up hoping that as the captain was the
last to leave the ship, he would be drifting more or less on the same
course as the others. It was a sheer guess and hope. It was Tommy who
gave them hope.

"I see a beacon! Ten degrees off the starboard bow!" The searchlights
picked him up and for the last time Freddy took the Jean to him. Scott
and the crew did not know until Andrew was lifted up he was now in the
basket as they assumed that if he was found, he would almost certainly be
unconscious and it would be very difficult to get him in a strop. As it
was it took Andrew some time to bring him into the basket and Andrew
could see he was in a very bad way.

Scott asked Paul and Jan to go to the sick bay and see if they could help
in anyway and Scott waited for George and Andrew to come to the Bridge.
While he was waiting Marcel came on and indeed got his cuddle from the
very man he wanked about most nights. He cuddled into Scott as hard as he
could while Scott thanked him for his incredible work. "Well done Marcel,
you were bloody brilliant!" Then Andrew and George came onto the bridge.

"My hero's! Yea Gods you have done a magnificent job, we are all so proud
of you and now off you go and get warmed up. I will be down in a minute."
What my cabin or yours Skip?" George laughed out load and went off the
bridge. Scott hung on to Andrew a little longer and he left as well.

Iceland Coast Guard were informed as they made each rescue and were
pretty pleased it has to be said. "I will contact you again when I know
more about the crews conditions, but I am guessing the Captain maybe in a
bad way. I'm going below to get an update."
"Thank you Captain and congratulations to you and your crew, we will be
praying for more good news."

Scott got to their cabin and found a naked Andrew just coming out of the
shower. He went to him and wrapped his arms around his hero. "Christ you
and George did a fantastic job Andrew. Thank you so much." Andrew just
cuddled in and indeed was proud, he had every right to be, they all did.
"Look sweetheart I have to go to sick bay, but you must email your
family, all this could be on the news by now and they will know its us
and will be worried. They kissed and Scott left to get to the survivors.

Reggie and Paula were too busy, but Jan had enough information to tell
him that the five were suffering with hypothermia, one had a broken leg
and another a broken arm. "Reggie says he is sure they will recover and
not in serious danger and don't seem to be in shock. These Icelanders are
made of strong stuff it seems. I have no idea about the Captain though
Scott, its going to be touch and go if looks are anything to go by."

Nobody could relax and all but Reggie and Paula were on the bridge
waiting for news. George and Colin had gone down to get food and drink,
but nobody was that interested and they just stared out of the windows or
look at one another saying nothing. Scott had contacted Iceland to give
them as much information as they could. "I cannot sail at more than 8
knots to try to keep the ship a little more steady, but I am now into the
wind and as soon as I can I will of course increase speed. Its going to
be a long wait and we just have to hang on for the doctor to tell us
about the Skipper." It was another hour before Reggie came onto the
Bridge.

"Right Skip the good news, the five are recovering well, just a broken
arm and leg for two of them, but they are in no danger and in a day or so
the fit ones will most probably be up and about. Now the Captain, its not
good and he is a very sick man. He must have either hit something trying
to abandon ship, or hit something on the way down, he did not have time
to put a helmet on. His head injury is serious and I already know if he
survives, his sailing days are over. Paula and I have stabilized him and
made him as pain free as best we can. He needs to be put into an induced
coma to have any chance of survival and he has to be got to a specialist
unit as soon as we can organise a pickup. I need to talk to a specialist
in Iceland.
"Can I increase speed Reggie?"
"It will be a rough ride I guess Skip, but yes we need to get within
range of a helicopter very quickly, he is comfortable enough and will not
suffer any more that he is now." Reggie went over to call Iceland and
organise a talk with a doctor and Scott ordered a gradual increase of
speed to 10 knots.

They all knew that luck was very much on their side, but at the same time
were more than happy about the way they took advantage of it and worked
so well together. This unexpected emergency showed them all what a great
crew they had become. The only down side of course was the condition of
the Captain, but the fact they had found him and got him onto the ship,
gave him at least a fighting chance. He was about to have an even better
chance as the storm at last subsided enough for Scott to go to 15 knots.

Four hours later and with the Captain still hanging on he was airlifted
off the Jean and flown to Reykjavik. Some weeks later it was recognised
that the treatment Reggie and Paula gave him, saved his life.
Later the same day another helicopter arrived and took the other crew
back to Akureyri where they had sailed from and thanking the Jean's crew
for their rescue and would see the families that they were sure would be
mourning them and not welcoming them back home. The following day Scott
got a message asking for them to go to Akureyri to be officially welcomed
and thanked for their work. Scott agreed and made arrangements to call in
at Dalvik when they left Akureyri for an overnight stay before returning
to Southampton. Jerry made an edited film of the rescue and sent it to
William who then passed it on to all the tv news stations and the Lady
Jean Peterson and her crew became quite famous for a few hours in the UK.
Scott had it sent to the Iceland stations and they became famous for all
time.

There is an island opposite Dalvik called Hrisay and Scott sailed the
Dalvik side of it when they passed by so he and Andrew could go down
memory lane. They were sailing at 25 knots and overtook a ship Scott had
seen before moored up in Dalvik, the Bjorgvin who gave out three blasts
on her horn. Scott replied with three of his own. On the bridge of the
Bjorgvin a young lad had a pair of binoculars stuck to his eyes and
stared at the black guy he had seen many times on the news. They were met
by a dozen small boats and escorted all the way down to Akureyri where
there was a massive reception waiting for them. As they approached the
harbour Scott asked for the cannons to be fired at full power and Marcel
took off and stayed ahead of the Jean with the Icelandic flag slung
below. All this impressed their hosts no end.

Once they had tied up the media and politicians came on board and they
did not stop shaking hands with all of them for the next three hours.
They were shown around the Jean and Marcel had no problem giving his own
show all of which would be on the news programmes later that day. Scott
was asked for an interview and he and the crew went to the lounge while
all the visitors crammed together asking a billion questions.  At
last the visitors left the ship, but a lot of work needed to be done
as Scott had agreed that the ship would be open from 9am to 12 noon the
following day so that the pubic could come on board to have a look at her
before they set off for Dalvik, meanwhile there were still hundreds
outside the security barriers taking photos.

"Skip there is a delivery for you." Jerry called over the intercom. He
went down the gangway and took delivery of a large cardboard box and
lugged it on board and opened it, 12 bottles of champagne from his
father. Party tonight then. He went to the cabin and video called William
and spoke for an hour going over the rescue again.

They sat for their evening meal and did not stop talking, they were still
on a huge high. It was then Scott mentioned about getting another
Helicopter. "Marcel did a great job of course and having two during the
rescue may not have made much difference, but I was just thinking about
just how long Marcel could fly before having to come back to refuel and
if we do meet any pirates with just one helicopter we could be without
cover until he could get back up again. So, my thinking is to get another
one and recruit another pilot, from memory I have quite a few to choose
from. What do you lot think, Marcel?"
"Good idea Skip. Can I help choose another guy?"
"There were a couple of girls Marcel, I think we could do with another
lady with us." Marcel's face fell and the rest split themselves.
"I cant say what I want to say Skip, but a boy would be very nice please!
"I will only be taking the best Marcel regardless of sex. I remember now!
Oh yes, I cant remember her name, but she almost got taken on Marcel, she
is brilliant!"
"I still cant say what I want Skip!" He smiled at Scott and knew he was
kidding, he hoped so anyway.

"By the way, where did this "Skip" come from?"
"We heard Paul refer to you as that and we just followed him, not that
anyone would argue with him anyway, but speaking for myself I like it,
its good to have you called something official and at the same time
informal." Colin apparently spoke for them all.
"How about calling me that only when we are at sea?"
"What's your name?" Andrew thought he was hilarious.

The Bjorgvin moored up and the young lad who had been staring at the Jean
as she passed, went to his skipper and got permission to leave the ship.
He ran all the way home and had a shower and changed, he wanted to get to
Akureyri.
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winchesterbornbred@hotmail.co.uk