Photos Courtesy Don Mark

A 42-feet aluminium yacht was towed into Neiafu port last week after it was caught on a reef about four miles off Hunga Island, Vava‘u.

The Canadian yacht Page, registered in Vancouver, British Columbia, was passing through Vava’u when it became tangled in the reef. The Canadian owners, Tod a Vancouver pediatrician, and his wife Louise, radioed for help at 4:00 am, 6 August and were rescued by fellow yachtsmen and locals.

Don Mark, a Canadian ex-pat who took part in rescue effort said, “It was obvious Louise and her husband Tod on board were in dire straights… the Page was high up on a breaking reef on a moonless night.”

He said that another Canadian, Paul on Bella Via who was anchored off Lape Island, about a kilometre away, also responded, and helped by Alan Bowes and a crew from Mouno Island Resort, and other locals they were able to locate the position of the Page, which had let off an emergency flare.

After two days of methodical manouvering, the Page was eventually pulled off the reef by John, the skipper of the super yacht Dorothea 3, and was towed into Neiafu Harbour by the local tug boat, the Hakau.

 “Some of the best and safest sailing waters in the world are here in Vava’u and yet the ocean always has the ability to bite you when you least expect it,” said Don.