Elite Navigator crew happy to be back on shore and plan to get back to sea as soon as they can
Rescue hasn't really set in, say men who were lost at sea for more than 2 days
Toby Peddle, one of seven fishermen who spent more than two days drifting in a life-raft on the Atlantic Ocean, still can't believe his good fortune.
Even after being welcomed home Saturday to a cheering crowd in New-Wes-Valley, on Newfoundland's northeast coast, it still didn't feel real.
"It's overwhelming. Like it hasn't really set in yet. Like how lucky we were, right? It's overwhelming," Peddle told CBC News on Sunday during an interview with four of the crew.
Peddle's vessel, the Elite Navigator, had been missing since Wednesday evening, its last known location about 300 kilometres northeast of Gander, prompting Canadian Coast Guard vessels and helicopters as well as other fishing boats to scour the area, stymied initially by fog, until the moment rescuers spotted a flare the last one the men had.
EugeneCarter, captain of the Elite Navigator, said it was incredible to be brought into Valleyfield the "Valley" in "New-Wes-Valley" with people in boats alongside them.
"It was just crazy. It's unreal.Words can't describe," Carter said.
Despite the ordeal, they aren't deterred from going back to the water.
Peddle said he hoped to get back fishing that evening, whereas Jordan King said he'd give himself a week.
"Plan to go back when I can," he said.
Carter said it would be a couple of days before he was ready to go again.
"Then I'm good to go again. I don't want the fish to get away, right?" he said.
David Tiller said he's looking forward to getting out on the water again because groceries are expensive.
"So we gotta get out and get some fish," said Tiller.
Fire on board
Carter says they were making supper Wednesday when an alarm went off and a fire was discovered in the engine room.
"Toby grabbed the fire extinguisher, tried to extinguish it but as soon as we thought it'd gone out, then it pretty much jumped right back at us, twice as bad," said Carter.
The calls of "fire" rang out to wake everyone up, he said.
King, who was in the bunk when the call came out, moved quickly to get the crew Peddle, Carter, King, Tiller, Andy Hunt, Robbie Firmage and Harold Howell ready to abandon ship.
"I'm still in me underwear, running around the deck. And Eugene said, 'Go grab the cord and pull the life-rafts,' so that's what I did," said King.
One of the life-rafts deployed, and the crew members two of whom can't swim, noted King piled in.
It was still, like, a shock to us, but like we always do, we started cracking jokes at each other.-Eugene Carter
After getting into the raft, Carter said, they tried to stay positive. Tiller started "interviewing" the other crew members, said Carter, asking them what the experience was like.
"It was still, like, a shock to us but like we always do, we started cracking jokes at each other," he said.
Carter said the crew were optimistic they would be rescued.
"We just kept ourselves believing that within a few hours the chopper was going to be here."
The crew works well together, said King, and he knew they would get through it.
"It's just frustrating that the fog and the weather was preventing us from being found earlier," he said.
On his last night in the life-raft, Peddle said, he was worried about his condition because he was wet and cold.
"I was getting colder and colder. I said just, 'This is not good for me.' But when I heard that chopper come over us all, the warmth was back in my body, I tell you that."
Someone called out "Chopper, chopper, chopper," said Carter, so he grabbed their last flare, and when he looked up, the helicopter was over him.
The helicopter crew appeared to miss the flare and moved on, he said, but suddenly, when he looked around, there were a number of boats in the area. The flare had been spotted by someone on the coast guard vessel Teleost, and the helicopter turned around and shone a light down on the life-raft, said Carter.
King said two divers jumped into the water and swam toward the life-raft to make sure they were all right, and then a smaller vessel from the coast guard picked them up.
"And we were happy," King said with a chuckle, adding he was grateful for the coast guard's help.
"They took good care of us and treated us well. I'm glad they were there."
Families kept hope
All the while, back on shore, the men's families were anxious for news.
When Carter's mother, Brenda Carter, heard the crew was missing, she didn't know what to do.
"My whole body just tingled," she said.
Carter's father, Jeff Carter, said he initially didn't believe the vessel was missing.
"I was a hard one to convince that there was really something wrong," said Jeff.
Peddle's father, Trent Peddle, said he felt helpless.
"This is your boy, what do you do?" he said. "When you get a call like that it changes you. It definitely changes you."
Connie Francis, Tiller's girlfriend, said she moved into action when she was told the Elite Navigator was missing.
"I just got everybody together and started praying. And I never gave up hope on him. So it's a miracle," said Francis.
Feeling of relief,says premier
Premier Andrew Furey said everyone in the province is relieved that the search concluded with all seven men now being called "the lucky seven" being found alive.
"Too often in Newfoundland and Labrador, we don't get this outcome. And these guys are real, real heroes," he told CBC News.
Too often, he said, the outcome in circumstances like this is a memorial erected after a tragedy. Furey says he wants to put up a monument to mark the rescue.
"It's my commitment to them that we erect something to celebrate this, this lucky seven here in New-Wes-Valley. So it's important to memorialize people, but it's also important to celebrate moments like this."
Furey also said he promised to get the crew tickets to next month's Nickelback concert in St. John's.
"They want Nickelback tickets I'm getting them Nickelback tickets."
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With files from Arlette Lazarenko
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