Rising Above the Wave

By L.E. Muesch

In the midst of a catastrophic natural disaster L. E. Muesch is forced to make a decision that means life or death for people he never knew. He lays bare the intimate details of what happened that fateful day on Phi Phi Don Island, Thailand and the toll it has taken to live with such a decision. Rising Above the Wave is the true story of what happened to L.E. and his wife on December 26, 2004, Black Sunday.

The morning after Christmas as my wife Helen and I were walking on the beach there was no indication of the horror that was imminent. The water has receded and there is a line of foam rushing toward us. The first wave sweeps us underwater and back to the palm trees lining the beach. We are swept underwater out to sea by the second monstrous wave that destroys everything in its path.

Helen is near drowning and slips into unconsciousness. Desperately I manage to grab hold of a Thai fishing canoe and we are saved. Bodies and debris are everywhere and people are clinging to anything they can find and crying out for help. With Helen's lungs filled with water and struggling to breathe I make the decision to leave the people and save ourselves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L.E. Muesch
• Release date: Jun 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458119117

L.E. Muesch

AUTHOR’S BIOL. E. MueschL. E. Muesch grew up in southern Arizona. He’s been a farmer, engineering director, and circumnavigator and author. In 2001 Ed and his wife Helen left to fulfill their dream of sailing around the world. Ed’s passions in life are sailing and writing. Following his circumnavigation he has written four books and continues to travel to far-off places that have become the inspiration of his writings. He divides his time between living in a log cabin in Western North Carolina (Appalachia) and sailing in the Eastern Mediterranean. Ed received several literary awards including, Winner in the Action Adventure category of the 2009 National Indie Excellence Awards.Ed will soon be introducing two new books, Chacachacare, and Dark Trader He will also be host of the weekly BlueRidgeReststop-PublicPodcast.com comming in September, 2011.

Book preview

Rising Above the Wave

A True Story of Survival

by

L. E. Muesch

SMASHWORDS EDITION

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PUBLISHED BY:

L. E. Muesch on Smashwords

Rising Above the Wave

Copyright 2008 by L. E. Muesch

Revision One – May 21, 2011

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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Chacachacare, Dark Trader, and other books by L. E. Muesch may be

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L. E. Muesch

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my first mate and wife, Helen, who has remained nearby to weather every storm. I have crossed many oceans and continents with her always at my side.

I also wish to dedicate this book to:

Prakoob Padungpol, the Thai fisherman who saved Helen’s and my lives.

The people who perished in the tsunami that day.

The yachtsman and yachtswomen who returned to Phi Phi Don Island at great risk to themselves to help the dying and injured.

Niracha, the nine-year-old who lost her father in the tsunami at Phi Phi Don and who represents the future of Thailand.

My dear friends Ivor and Bernice Karan, who helped us through one of the most difficult times of our lives and who have always remained close to us.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to acknowledge a very special thanks to Edit 911 Editorial Services. They put in many hours helping me to bring this manuscript to a whole new level. They ceaselessly worked to help me achieve the most from my efforts.

The front cover image, Abstract Wave, was created by Kjpargeter on August 4th, 2006 and acquired through Bigstock.com. Graphics on the front cover image was provided by Ms. Joleene Naylor of CoverArt.JoleeneNaylor.com

Manuscript formatting was provided by Bryan Coker of [e-mail].

FOREWARD

Rising Above the Wave is the true story of what happened at Phi Phi Don Island, fifteen miles from Phuket, Thailand, on December 26, 2004. Some people’s names have been changed to respect their privacy. Although I was in a state of confusion and shock the first few hours after the tsunami, I have done my best to adhere to the facts as I remember them. This is our story of what happened and the struggle we had to regain self-respect and to recover our lives after witnessing so much death.

There is never one story that represents what everyone who was a part of it experienced. I could never come to imagine the untold suffering and personal tragedies that resulted from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami—not only for those who died but for those who survived and carried away with them the memory of what happened on this small island that fateful day. My wife Helen and I survived when so many others perished. I want to believe our story in some small way will do justice to everyone who was there. I have chosen to share the actual facts, without changing any of the details of that day when I made the most difficult decision of my life. That one decision affected many lives and families around the world. Our story is intended to share, not only what happened to us during the worst natural disaster of the last century, but also how it has affected and changed our lives. It is the personal story of our continuing struggle to deal with the emotional effects of the tsunami. May sharing the truth and facts of our experience be in some small way a tribute to those who died that day.

As sailors, my wife and I were not new to natural disasters. We were on the Caribbean Island of Montserrat during a volcanic eruption and saw the devastating effects of a 120-foot-high storm surge wave at the remote South Pacific island of Niue. In both cases we were spared from the emotional turmoil and destruction that follows catastrophic disasters. Being at ground zero on Boxing Day 2004 changed our lives forever.

Many ask, What is it like to experience a tsunami? I can only liken the experience to finding yourself trapped in a giant washing machine, spinning at high speed with thousands of sharp objects, and being forced to hold your breath until your lungs threaten to burst. When the spinning stops, it’s time to break through a sea of floating debris overhead to reach the surface, only to discover that you now have to swim but have no strength left. Only after you succeed in doing this do you have any chance of being rescued.

Because two-thirds of the earth’s surface is covered by water, 80 percent of all earthquake and volcanic activity occurs in what is referred to as The Ring of Fire. This is a horseshoe-shaped perimeter that includes all of Indonesia, southward to Australia, and eastward to include much of the Pacific Ocean. Our sea floor and vast continents are composed of many plates that are in continuous motion; this is especially true in the Ring of Fire. Along the fault lines where these plates interface, there is great kinetic energy that builds up and must eventually be released; the plates shift, resulting in underwater earthquakes. Dependent upon the size and scale of these earthquakes, there is potential for a tsunami.

The U.S. Geological Survey has estimated that the Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, 2004, off Bande Ache in Indonesia, was equivalent in power to twenty-three thousand atomic bombs similar to those dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. It was the most devastating and deadliest in history. It traveled over three thousand miles, all the way to the coast of Africa, and while no one will ever know for sure, some estimates have put the death toll as high as three hundred thousand people. It’s estimated that one-third of the people that died in the tsunami were children, because they couldn’t swim and didn’t have the strength to hold on. Many were crushed by floating debris or by the structures that were swept away in the path of the waves.

Tsunamis are commonly caused by underwater earthquakes, underwater volcanoes, and even in some cases, an underwater landslide. They travel at an average speed of 500 mph at sea. At sea, tsunamis are hardly noticed by ships because they average only one to two feet high. Because the water is moving from the surface to the sea bed, it becomes deadly as it reaches land. It can then rise up to fifty feet or even higher and will totally devastate low-lying coastal areas and often travel inland great distances. As the tsunami approaches land, it dramatically slows down, causing it to rise up. The water at the surface travels at a faster velocity than that at the sea bottom, causing it to rise up in a wave on the top.

The most common cause of a tsunami is an underwater earthquake. The Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 was the result of two plates, one of which rose over the other, thereby displacing large amounts of water. The underwater earthquake was the largest on record. Because this area was considered to be safe from tsunamis, there was no early warning system as there is off Japan.

There are telling signs of an imminent tsunami. Unfortunately, because tsunamis were uncommon in this part of the world, people were not trained to recognize these signs. Receding water, which exposes previously unseen areas of the sea bottom, is one sign of a tsunami. There are frequently several waves, each one separated by a few minutes or up to thirty minutes. The receding water between waves can be as violent and fast as the incoming waves. Frequently, people are swept out to sea even in the receding waters. It’s unfortunate that many people believe they are safe after the first wave and return to the water’s edge only to be swept away when the next wave comes.

In 2004, whole villages were swept away, and families and lives were destroyed. Infrastructure was also swept away. The economic effect upon tourism in Thailand was the result of misunderstanding. Many of the coastal areas of Thailand were unaffected, and hotels were open and ready to receive guests. Because of the emphasis on the destruction in Thailand by the worldwide news media, many travelers unnecessarily cancelled their planned vacations. This resulted in hotels and resorts laying off tens of thousands of people, thereby worsening the situation and causing economic hardship. This tragic event in 2004 wasn’t the first, and in all probability won’t be the last tsunami to hit this area.

The eruption of the volcano of Krakatoa in 1883 was well documented and resulted in a tsunami estimated to be 120 feet high. The combined effect of the volcano and collapse of its canopy resulted in the tsunami. Only one-third of the original island is left; the other two-thirds collapsed into the ocean. It’s estimated that thirty-eight thousand people drowned in Indonesia. Fortunately, only Indonesia was affected. Three hundred towns and villages in Western Java and Sumatra were destroyed. The tsunami was recorded by instruments as far away as Australia. It was recorded that volcanic dust circled the earth for two weeks after the explosion, resulting in exquisite sunsets. One year later, pumice rained down in South Africa, a result of the Krakatoa eruption.

There is a well-known story of a lighthouse keeper on a nearby island off Krakatoa in 1883. Seeing the wave in the distance from his lighthouse, he evacuated his wife and children, directing them to rush toward high ground. He remained, and only at the last minute did he attempt to leave the lighthouse. When the wave hit the lighthouse, it propelled a large coral rock at the structure, causing it to fall. Because he was at the base of the lighthouse, he survived. Unfortunately, his wife and family could not outrun the wave, and they did not make it to high ground. Although the lighthouse was never replaced, each evening the keeper sat at the foot of the structure with a lighted lantern as a warning to passing ships. It’s been recorded that he did this for many years, until he was an old man.

Today, there are many Tsunami Warning Centers and systems worldwide. These include the U.S. West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and the International Coordination Group for the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific (UNESCO/IOC). The Indian Ocean nations are now partially online with a fully operational Tsunami Warning System planned in the near future.

The U.S National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program includes the DART Project to develop a capability for the early detection of tsunamis in the open ocean. The Center for Tsunami Mapping Efforts was created to assist the Pacific States in the development and maintenance of maps, which identify areas of potential tsunami flooding.

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Web Site Sources of Information

United States Geological Survey: http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/tsunami/index.htm.

Basics of Tsunamis, Research Studies, Tsunami Animations, Hypothetical Tsunamis and URML Models. Also; http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ring_of_Fire.

National Weather Service Pacific Tsunami Warning Center: www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc

Up-to-date list of seismic activities potentially resulting in tsunamis.

International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC): http://ioc3.unesco.org/itic

General tsunami information with links to additional data.

CHAPTER ONE

Sitting at a table located on the stage with other speakers, I listened to the president of the International Trauma Surgeons Organization (ISW) introduce my friend, Ivor, and me to the audience. We had been invited to attend the gathering in Durban, South Africa, for the purpose of providing a firsthand account of the December 26, 2004 tsunami at Phi Phi Don Island, Thailand. Although there were many doctors present who had volunteered their skills following the tsunami, they nevertheless wanted a personal account of our experiences, as actual survivors of this major calamity that resulted in the estimated deaths of three hundred thousand people.

I didn’t want to be there, and had only accepted the invitation because my friend Ivor had personally appealed to me to be a speaker. We had sailed together, facing many challenges and obstacles along the way. More than anyone else, Ivor had listened to me when I needed someone to listen after the tsunami. No one could want better friends than Ivor and his wife, Bernice.

We had been looking forward for some time to spending an entire month seeing South Africa, Zambia, and Mozambique with our good friends. We talked of visiting them in South Africa many times when our circumnavigation was ended. Little could we know that one event, on that fateful day of December 26, 2004, would forever influence and reshape the rest of our lives.

Ivor and I and our wives arrived in Durban, South Africa, the day before we were to give our presentations. I took advantage of this time to make sure my PowerPoint presentation would work using their equipment. I was happy to discover everything was fully automated and they had experts there to be certain all went well.

The local news media cornered us in the hotel lobby, which resulted in an impromptu interview. The day of the presentation came. Following introductions, and as my friend Ivor began to speak, I peered out into auditorium, now filled with several hundred doctors, journalists, and members of the news media. Only the faces of those sitting in the control room at the back of the auditorium were clearly visible to me. Television cameras with small red lights were scattered just below the stage to record our story.

The auditorium was a massive one with rising levels of plush velvet-covered seats reaching to roof level. Although I had given presentations to large groups of people, the scale of this exceeded what I was accustomed to. Many years ago, I had given up memorizing speeches and preferred instead to speak from a general outline, which was what I planned to do on this day. I knew from past experience that to share such a personal story, it must come from the heart, and I would not let them down.

I had mixed emotions about being here, and I suspected Ivor saw this as a means of helping me to achieve closure and move on with my life. As Ivor began to talk at the podium, I searched the audience for my wife Helen, who was always a great consolation to me. Although we agreed beforehand where she would sit, I had difficulty locating her because of the semidarkness. Looking toward the general area, all I could see were indiscernible outlines of people in the audience.

Sliding my hand into my pocket, I felt Pal, the small stuffed furry seal I always carried with me. Pal had become a surrogate friend to me, especially since the tsunami, and he accompanied me everywhere. No one except Helen was aware of Pal’s existence. Knowing he was there in my pocket gave me a source of strength and encouragement.

Accepting that I would be unable to locate my wife Helen, I allowed my mind to drift back in time to when our story first began and the reason I was here today. I remembered happier times when we had made plans to retire and begin our circumnavigation. We had sailed many years and worked hard at acquiring the necessary skills and financial independence to undertake such a challenge. I was aware I would have to retire at the age of fifty-five if I were to ensure having the good health necessary to undertake such a venture. I gave my employer two years’ notice, and although tempted, I refused to alter my plans for a circumnavigation.

Circumnavigating is different than coastal cruising and requires additional skills and, more importantly, a different state of mind. Understanding this, Helen and I divided our responsibilities: she would become a registered First Responder, or Emergency Medical Technician, as it’s commonly referred to. My responsibility was to become a licensed ham (amateur radio operator). Helen was already an experienced sailor, having the strength and will to undertake long-distance cruising. Our plan was to locate a blue-water yacht, add all the necessary equipment, execute a successful shakedown cruise, and gain more offshore experience before taking the next, and final, steps toward a circumnavigation.

Within a brief period, we had purchased a forty-three-foot ketch for its beautiful traditional lines and rig. We renamed the boat Tahlequah. It was a Cherokee word meaning two is enough. We knew that the ketch, although on the heavy