New vessel for Dundee couple who survived boat sinking by clinging to an esky, as old boat is finally retrieved from the ocean
HOURS spent clinging to an esky in the open water after their boat sunk has been no deterrent for Territory couple Veronica and Geoff Warham, who have bought themselves a new boat – and given it an especially meaningful name.
Northern Territory
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HOURS spent clinging to an esky in the open water after their boat sunk is no deterrence for Veronica and Geoff Warham.
The rescue of their beloved boat named Madfish is a story in itself, complete with Territory grit, mateship and unpredictable weather.
In September, the Dundee couple had gone out for the day intending to take their boat to the Peron Islands but it abruptly sank resulting in them clinging to their EvaKool Esky until help arrived.
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A few months on, the couple decided to take the plunge and bought a Quintrex Top Ender from In and Outboard Marine.
The couple’s son-in-law Chace Karpenko – determined to get the Warham’s boat back – led the retrieval of the boat along with a group of willing mates the weekend after it went under.
The group had never retrieved a boat before, least of all one from 15m below sea.
Mr Karpenko said they worked out a plan to ensure everyone was safe and the boat could be raised from the bottom of the ocean.
However, on the first attempt the water was too turbid and they couldn’t locate the vessel.
The next weekend they went out and using a sounder were able to locate the boat not far from where the Warham’s set off their EPIRB.
The group dived down and found the boat intact and resting on its side.
They managed to bring it to the surface and tow it about halfway back to Dundee before they were smashed by a storm.
The rough weather and a setting sun forced them to sink the boat again and return the following day.
“When we went down again it had flipped upside down; it was a big effort to untangle the ropes,” Mr Karpenko said.
Nevertheless they persisted and managed to skol drag the boat to the surface using two 350 horsepower boats.
He said they would be looking to get a marine engineer to assess the vessel to determine what went wrong.
Earlier this month, the Warham’s bought themselves the brand new boat naming it EverKool – after the esky that saved them.
“We thought about it and maybe we are getting a bit old and maybe go on charters,” he said.
“We thought about going on charters once a month or something but we love night fishing so with a bit of luck we will go out and camp in the boat and do night fishing.”
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In and Outboard Marine co-owner Stewart Zanker said they picked up a 5.9m side console boat with all the modern bits and pieces.
“They are a Dundee people and pretty resilient. They had a mishap and it’s not going to stop them from living the rest of their lives boating,” he said.
He urged people to make sure they had the correct safety gear and to know where everything was kept.
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