Bearspaw student reflects on shipwreck experience
By: Sarah Junkin
Samantha Schaerer
A Cochrane High School graduate is gradually readjusting to life on dry land after a spectacular shipwreck that saw her stranded on a crowded lifeboat for more than 40 hours.
Samantha Schaerer, 18, of Bearspaw had been taking some university classes aboard the S.V. Concordia, a floating classroom for the Nova Scotia-based West Island College International that capsized 893 kilometres off the coast of Brazil.
“I had wanted to travel after high school, but I also wanted to take some courses,” Schaerer said from her Bearspaw home Feb. 25 of the Class Afloat program.
With her parents’ support, she left in September, and says she fell in love with sea life.
“We learned so much about maintenance, sailing, day watch and so on,” she explained adding after adjusting to a life without the modern conveniences such as texting and Facebook, it was “nice to be away from all that.”
The Concordia ship, a floating classroom. Photos submitted
But on Feb. 19, Schaerer was in a classroom with some of the other 48 students on board when she became aware that a storm was brewing.
“I knew something wasn’t right,” she said, describing water coming up into the mess area and onto the deck. “I was a little scared, but the crew . . . were pretty organized considering the situation.”
All 48 students, eight teachers and eight professional crew members abandoned the sinking ship, spending the next two days crammed together on four life rafts waiting to be rescued.
Samantha Schaerer of Bearspaw (grey sweater), who was on the boat, is now safe at home with her family.
“We huddled together and sang a bit,” said Schaerer. “And we talked a lot about what we’d do when we got home.”
When finally a plane flew overhead, the students knew help was on the way, but even as a cargo ship came into view, the ordeal wasn’t over yet.
“It was very rough and we could only get two on the cargo ship until the next day, so that was tough,” Schaerer said.
Students and faculty are loaded off their lifeboats.
But by the end of following day, all 64 passengers had been safely transported to Rio de Janeiro, where they made contact with their families.
The students left most of their possessions on the ship that sank within 30 minutes, but it’s her classmates Schaerer would most like to see.
“I miss them a lot,” she said adding, she’s preparing to complete her courses at the college’s dry land campus.
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[...] Bearspaw student reflects on shipwreck experience Cochrane Eagle March 3, 2010 [...]
Hi Samantha, you have lived an amazing experience. I can’t imagine what you and your mates endured. I am a volunteer on the 1877 Tall Shipp Elissa in Galveston TX. and we go through abandon ship drills in preparaton for our day sails 3/19-29. Your ship is a topic of discussion and our drills have been lot more serious since the sinking of the SV Concordia. All the best to you and your mates. Brian