> This morning (six hrs ago) we were shaken awake by an earthquake
> which seemed to have no end! We were aboard Gallivanter and tied
> side-to a big concrete dock in the heart of Pago Pago, American
> Samoa. And after living up & down the California coast, I knew this
> was no minor tremor.
>
> After the rude awakening, Cath & I walked across the dock and
> chatted with a few of our fellow sailors, one of whom said that he's
> just done a Google search on "recent earthquakes" and said that it
> measured-in at 8.1 and the epicenter was only 120 miles distant.
>
> We returned to Gallivanter and I turned on our laptop and searched
> the same website. Sure enough there it was... "8.1 earthquake -
> American Samoa - 20 minutes ago". I clicked on the "Show Map" option
> and noticed the epicenter was located south west of Pago Pago...
> which is located on the southern side of the island.
>
> Just as I was considering the ramifications of that little fact...
> all hell started breaking loose! Our boat was on the move! My first
> reaction was to start the engine and dash up on deck to see what was
> going on. I witnessed the water around us was rapidly dropping!
> Rapidly! In a blink of an eye, we were on the bottom and the boat
> was falling away from the dock! Three of our big dock lines popped
> and we fell right over into the mud - the entire basin we had been
> floating in only moments ago had completely drained! People were
> screaming!
>
> Next - the water came flooding back in at an even more alarming rate
> and the next thing I knew we were floating directly above the dock!
> Over the concrete slab and drifting toward a young lady we knew
> (from another boat) who was desperately hugging a power pole and up
> to her chin in swirling water! I told Cath to cut the two remaining
> dock lines with our serrated bread knife and to be quick about it!
>
> Right as I put the boat into gear, we were somehow washed back off
> the dock and into the basin as I advance to full throttle and we
> accelerated through a floating debris field of floating docks, fuel
> drums, sinking boats, a shipping container and a barnicle encrusted
> wreck all of which were spinning in the torrent of rapidly dropping
> sea level. It was absolute mayhem! As we steered out toward the deep
> water in the center of the harbor I looked over my shouder and saw
> what appeared to be a waterfall pouring off the dock and shore
> beyond. Not one of the dozen vessels remained at the dock. All were
> underway in a matter of seconds... with or without crews aboard.
>
> We motored around in the middle of the harbor watching the waves of
> floods & ebbs while wondering about after-shocks and our fellow
> cruising sailors. As we passed one of our neighbors she shouted to
> us that her husband had been washed off the dock as they were trying
> to get away. She was alone and seriously concerned. Other boats
> broke free from their moorings and anchors in the initial seismic
> waves and many were driven ashore, or driven under by loose tuna
> boats.
>
> After about three hours, we felt it was finally safe enough to
> return to the dock. All we had were lengths of old line and we were
> short a couple fenders. We were the first to go in and we started un-
> tangling lines and helping others get back along side the concrete
> dock. All of the store-fronts along the water are destroyed, roving
> mobs of kids can be seen looting, the fence around the dock is gone,
> every boat on stands in a nearby boatyard were washed away. Big
> fishing boats are now in parking lots across the street. Absolute
> destruction is seen everywhere along the shore.
>
> Phones and power are down but we got back online right away and I
> immediately went back to the recent earthquakes website to see if
> things have been calming down in the center of the earth. A number
> of aftershocks as strong as 6.0 have been recorded over the past few
> hours - but thankfully no more wave action has been noticed. We've
> been making Skype calls to our families and letting others use the
> computer as well to phone home.
>
> Online news reports say that the earthquake lasted three minutes and
> the highest flood rose 25 ft above normal! There are 20 confirmed
> deaths... including our neighbor who was swept off the dock. Most
> fatalities occured in and around the harbor where we live. Boats are
> battered and nerves are fried. One friend wound-up on his boat
> nearly 1000 feet away from the water after breaking from his anchor
> and sailing right down Main St. taking power & telephone wires down
> with his mast! Some people lost everything... including their lives.
> We came through remarkably well with only minor dammage sustained to
> our toe rail when the dock lines parted and to our fender basket
> which was the only point of contact with that drifting wreck. I
> never felt any jarring loads while we were hurtling around above &
> below the concrete dock, so I believe our hull, keel & rudder
> suffered no dammage from the wildest boat ride I've ever been on.
>
> We're all okay... and very lucky. I made a new friend yesterday and
> he died today.
>
> We've adopted a tiny kitten named Lucky.
>
> And that's the way it is.
>
> All the Best - All the Time,
>
> Kirk, Cath & Stuart ~~~_/) ~~~ s/v Gallivanter
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