AP News, January 9th, 2008
After struggling for weeks aboard his storm-damaged yacht, American sailor William P. Archer III watched his sailboat sink into the ocean — just as he was rescued by a passing tanker in rough seas off the Bahamas.
Archer, who had been attempting a solo Atlantic crossing, fired a distress signal from his life raft Thursday to catch the attention of the passing freighter, which changed course to scoop him out of a life raft.
"The timing did work out. I have to be appreciative of that," Archer, 32, told The Associated Press in a phone interview Tuesday from Miami.
His troubles began 10 days into his six-week journey from Cape Verde, when storms destroyed the boom and shredded two sails on his 39-foot vessel, Alchemy. He had hoped to reach the Caribbean island of Antigua within a month.
When the weather cleared, he charged a course toward the Bahamas, but then hit more storms and "things got progressively worse."
Archer, who works as a sailing instructor in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., used his motor to avoid rocks in the Bahamas chain, until his engine failed. Then the sailboat began filling with water.
He was too focused on surviving to worry about the danger, he said.
"The priorities take over: Stay off land, keep the boat afloat, big picture. If you start thinking nobody will take your mayday call, that will just tear you apart," he said.
When the tanker Omega Lady Sarah pulled alongside his life raft, Archer had not eaten solid food in seven days, and found it difficult to climb a rope ladder up the ship's massive hull.
"It was like standing next to the Chrysler building laying on its side. It boggled the mind," he said before boarding a flight to New York for an appearance on NBC's "Today" show.
Archer said he had planned the voyage for 10 years — "just for the sake of doing it." His family alerted the U.S. Coast Guard when he failed to arrive as scheduled the day after Christmas.
He said he would not hesitate to try again, despite his ordeal — "If I had my next boat, I'd be planning my next trip."
