Indian Ocean Castaways: Epic Voyage (Part 1 of 2)

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0:58It is December 1980. In the middle of the Indian Ocean, where the northern and southern hemisphere trade winds meet, there lies a belt of low pressure called the Intertropical Convergence Zone, or the doldrums. Along this latitude, intense solar radiation warms the water's surface, causing the air to rise straight up instead of blowing horizontally. The result is a band of ocean notorious for its high humidity and calm, windless conditions. On most days, the sea here is millpond flat, undisturbed by even the faintest ripple. But not today. Today, the ghostly stillness is broken by the sound of a stuttering engine weakly powering a small 40-foot motorboat.

1:48The vessel's white paint is chipped and peeling A strange wooden contraption protrudes from the stern Something rudimentary and makeshift trailing in the foamy wake The rickety ramshackle boat appears lost Almost comically out of place Far too dinky and fragile for the vast ocean it's moving through Standing at the helm Gordon Brace lethargically scans the horizon. For almost a week now, he and his four fellow crew members have been struggling through the doldrums in search of a chain of islands that should, according to their charts, lie just south of here. But after days without luck, doubts are setting in.

2:37We were out there for some days and we couldn't find these damn islands. and Dave was getting a little bit upset with Ken because he figured Ken's navigation skills a lot as good as he claimed them to be because we were not finding this island. It isn't just their navigation letting them down. Something is wrong with their boat. For some reason, it isn't moving in a straight line. Instead, it meanders, the wooden device of the stern flapping uselessly as the vessel veers off to port, then back to starboard in a slow, listless zigzag. It's frustrating and time-consuming, but time isn't the only resource to be worried about.

3:21And so we zigzagged our way, but there was a problem with this. We were burning the fuel we had, and the fuel was a major factor for us, obviously. Gordon glances at the fuel gauge. The needle is dropping fast. It's highly unlikely they'll encounter another ship in the doldrums If they run out of fuel, they'll likely drift for months before anyone finds them Can they last that long? Gordon lifts his head and scans the boundless seascape Willing something to materialize from nothing But all around is just the flat, impassive, edgeless ocean I figured we were just going nowhere and the fuel was getting pretty low.

4:08We are now in trouble.

4:19Ever wondered what you would do when disaster strikes? If your life depended on your next decision, could you make the right choice? Welcome to Real Survival Stories. These are the astonishing tales of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations. People suddenly forced to fight for their lives. In this episode, we meet 28-year-old Gordon Brace and his wife Elizabeth, a young couple freewheeling their way through life. In 1980, the Braces are living in Sri Lanka when they meet an eccentric fisherman who invites them on the trip of a lifetime, a crossing of the Indian Ocean aboard a single-engine motorboat.

5:01Recognizing an adventure when they see one, Gordon and Elizabeth sign up and soon find themselves part of a ragtag crew of amateur sailors, attempting an ocean voyage nobody has ever completed before. I did look back at Sri Lanka as it disappeared into the distance, and then I did feel pretty vulnerable. Am I doing the right thing? Yeah. This is a bit scary. Gordon and Elizabeth were looking for adventure, but they They will soon get more than they bargained for, because what follows is a survival story for the ages, a three-month epic of grit, daring, and peril on the high seas. They will face fierce tempests.

5:42It was just this big black mass coming at us on the horizon, and we knew we were in for it. Endure the sanity-testing stillness of the doldrums. We were right in the middle now of the Indian Ocean, with no ships in sight. and ultimately find themselves real-life castaways in one of the remotest places on the planet. It's amazing how attuned your eyes come to the horizon. And Dave said, hey, Gordon, I think that's an island. I'm John Hopkins. From the Noiser Podcast Network, this is Real Survival Stories.

6:39It's November 1980 in Sri Lanka. A warm breeze skips off the Indian Ocean. It jostles the tall palms that line the harbor of Trincomale, a fishing town on the east coast of the island. Sunshine burns through a residue of hazy cloud As Gordon and Elizabeth Brace, a young married couple, stroll along the jetty Brightly colored fishing boats bob gently in the tide The water beneath their hulls so crystal clear the vessels appear to float in thin air They've been living in Sri Lanka for five months And have fallen in love with this beautiful country For Gordon, it's the island's wildness that attracts him most.

7:23It's verdant jungles, white sand beaches, and pristine coastal waters. His connection to the natural world runs deep. It stretches back to his childhood in southeastern Africa, where the forest and savannah were his classroom. I was raised in the bush in Zambia by an old Afrikaner guy. and he took me into the bush when I was a youngster when I don't even think I was eight years old and I remember him saying to me, take those shoes off and he taught me to walk bare feet in the bush and how to stalk properly, how to track and what to eat and not to eat and how to survive and so on. So I guess you could say Africa, the wild places are in my blood.

8:07I grew up in the wild, I grew up in the bush. Gordon's love of the wild places extended to the ocean. When he was still a young boy, his grandparents took him to the coast of East Africa, where he caught his first glimpse of a coral reef. I did my first dive off the coast of Kenya when I was six, and I was hooked. I'm still astounded by marine life and the diving, but it's married to the wild places, it's married to the bush. I love both. I love the wild places, I love the bush, and I love diving too, and I love the open sea. After finishing school, Gordon decided not to continue with the traditional education.

8:44Instead, he left home with nothing but a suitcase, a passport, and a hunger for new experiences. He headed first to Europe, and it was while traveling through Denmark that he met a like-minded young woman named Elizabeth. She was about 18, I was 19, and we hit it off very well. She's stunningly beautiful at us. She was very good looking. But she didn't know it, if you know what I mean. If you meet her within five minutes, you can't help but love her. She's fantastic. Within days of meeting, the pair were inseparable. Soon they were married. With nothing tying them down, Gordon and Elizabeth, both hungry for more adventure, set off to see the world.

9:28Their travels took them everywhere. From Europe, they headed to the Caribbean, then Africa and Australia. They worked odd jobs, selling shells they found on the seafloor, or driving tractors in the Australian outback. Whenever they grew bored of a place, they'd move on, blowing in and out with the seasons. Living life in the fast lane was thrilling, but it could also be dangerous. There was the time they were caught in a tropical storm while canoeing in the Caribbean, or the time they nearly capsized while rafting on the Zambezi. On these occasions, Fortune seemed to be smiling on them I've had so many incredible things happen to me And I've survived them That after a while you kind of think You know, this is more than coincidence I'm getting away with stuff that I shouldn't be getting away with For some odd reason I seem to have this little guardian angel watching over me Five months ago, Gordon and Elizabeth decided to come to Sri Lanka On the recommendation of some friends They've rented a bungalow on the beach And Gordon has found work as a lifeguard at a nearby hotel It's an idyllic spot And for now the couple are quite content to while away the days here About a week back they got chatting to a guy at the hotel bar After Gordon mentioned that he hailed from East Africa A man brought up a friend of his A fisherman originally from Kenya Who now lives here in Sri Lanka The fisherman's name instantly struck a chord Ken Alton It was a name Gordon had heard before Ken Alton, in my part of the world, is very well known Six foot seven of him He was an East African rally driver He was a polo player But he was very well known as a big game fisherman I think he's had about five world records in his time I think he still holds a real record for the Meco If I'm not mistaken but he's quite a character, infamous character.

11:29The notorious Ken Alton, right here in Sri Lanka. This they had to see with their own eyes. After driving to the other side of the island, Gordon and Elizabeth now walk along the jetty at Trincomale, scanning the faces of the fishermen. At the far end of the dock, a weather-beaten motorboat strains gently against her moorings. And on deck, suntanned and sinewy, is the man whose name is legend in Gordon's part of the world. The infamous Ken Alton. Rally driver, polo player, shark wrangler. But as they approach the boat, their confidence falters. He is intimidating. He's a huge man, very powerful.

12:15And not an ounce of fat on him. He was 52 back then, but he'd give most 20-year-olds a run for their money. Gordon summons his courage, clears his throat, and calls out to Ken The grizzled old fisherman turns around and straightens up to his full height, over two meters tall After confirming with a growl that he is indeed Ken Alton, the big man listens as Gordon introduces himself There is a brief tense pause as Ken tries to place the name Then a grin cracks across his leathery, salt-crusted face. Ken says he remembers Gordon's family and even recalls one or two stories about him as a child. Having established this remarkable and unlikely connection, Ken invites the couple to come aboard.

13:09Sitting on deck, he begins telling them all about his time in Sri Lanka and how he's thinking about packing in his fishing operation and returning to Africa. he wanted to go back to kenya and he decided he's going to take his boat with him because that's all he had was his boat so i kind of looked at him and it's like oh you know that seems a bit crazy and then we started talking and he said no he's going to do it and he said as far as he knows nobody has ever crossed the indian ocean in a single engine motorboat gordon looks around at Ken's boat. It's about 40 feet from bow to stern, maybe 12 across the beam with a raised flybridge perched above the main deck.

13:55It's the kind of vessel you'd cruise around the bay for a leisurely fishing trip, not one you try to sail across an ocean. It's like 4 ,000 sea miles. 4 ,000 sea miles on a single-engine motorboat with a four-foot draft is a little bit tilting towards more than a calculated risk. But as Ken describes his daring plan, there is something exciting about it too. It's a madcap scheme, no question, but the sheer audacity of it does carry an undeniable allure. Perhaps, sensing Gordon's interest, Ken leans forward. If they fancy it, he could always use a couple of extra deckhands. Gordon smiles. It's a tantalizing offer.

14:40But before even entertaining the idea of joining Ken's crew, he's got some questions. For starters, there's the issue of fuel. On a boat this small, how does he intend on carrying enough spare diesel to get himself all the way to Kenya? Ken nods and begins to explain. A while back he got talking to a family here in Sri Lanka who were sailing their yacht around the world. As they were crossing the Indian Ocean, navigating through the Chagos Archipelago, the family came across a deserted island. They disembarked and ventured into the palm trees, where they made a curious discovery. A huge stash of diesel drums, full to the brim.

15:24The family left the drums where they found them, and continued on their voyage. That was the main reason that Ken thought he could do this. Without that, this trip would have been a no-go at all. So when he told us all of this, and he said, if we can get there, then we've got that diesel, we can get to the Seychelles, and then from the Seychelles, we can get to Kenya. Gordon digests this information. It still sounds like a crazy gamble, risking their lives on the basis of hearsay, a story told to Ken by a family of sailors. But before he can voice his concerns, Ken cuts in. He didn't pull the wool over our eyes.

16:09You know, he said, look, I'm going to tell you up straight what we're trying to do. This is dangerous. This is very, very risky. So don't give me an answer now. He said, you know, go and sort out your affairs and then think about it and then come back and give me an answer.

16:29Gordon and Elizabeth drive across the island in contemplative silence. Before they arrive back at their bungalow, they pull over to sit on the beach and watch the sun sink in the Indian Ocean. Elizabeth turns to her husband. And she looked at me and she said, you want to do this, right? And I said, yeah, you know I do. She always said this about how I think I'm invincible. And she mentioned that then. And I said, yeah, you know, it's not just me, it's also you, you know. So she said, no, man. I know you'll never forgive me if I say no. And so it wasn't an hour or two later. We didn't even go home.

17:09We just came back to him and said, hey, we got to go and sort things out and we'll be back. We're coming.

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19:47It's a few weeks later. On the east coast of Sri Lanka, a crew of sailors is putting the final touches to their boat ahead of departure. Gordon and Elizabeth aren't the only people Ken has managed to recruit for his grand voyage. Dave Faulkner is a 20-year-old surfer from New Zealand who responded to an advert Ken placed in a local pub. Dave's one of those guys, a bit like my wife. You can't help but like the guy as soon as you meet him. I don't know if they realized how serious that expedition was. He was young and full of gung-ho. Yeah, sure, let's do this. I'd say a little bit naive, maybe, but a wonderful guy.

20:28You know, curly hair, great smile, always good spirits, good humor. Then there's Nicole, an old flame of Ken's whom he's kept in touch with and has invited along for the ride. She's a charismatic mid-thirties Parisian with a short crop of wavy brown hair Straight away her and Elizabeth got on well It was nice for Elizabeth to have some female company And she climbed in and helped out Easygoing as well, very pleasant, very charming But nobody has a bigger personality than the captain In the six weeks they spent getting the boat ready for departure Gordon witnesses Ken live up to his fearsome reputation irascible, volatile, occasionally downright frightening.

21:14With a mad glint in his eye and a cigar often clamped between his teeth, he's like an angry drill sergeant crossed with Blackbeard. You do not want to get on the wrong side of him. On one occasion, in order to raise some money for the voyage, Gordon and Ken take a group of German tourists out shark fishing. They head to an area Ken says is usually brimming with mako sharks But on this particular day, their lines remain slack No matter how much chum they splash into the water We were having no luck Nothing, no sharks at all And we went to a different area, we chummed again And then one of the German guys in English Started effing and blinding and saying This is a rip-off, there's no sharks here it's a waste you know ken grabbed him by the seat of his pants and ran him off the boat into the chum and made this guy tread water there and the guy was screaming his head off he said hey relax there's no sharks here you said so yourself you've got nothing to worry about why are you screaming that's ken still when he isn't traumatizing tourists ken is a good captain open-minded and competent His boat is called the Maikon, a portmanteau of his own name and the name of his former business partner, Mike.

22:37There's a lot of work to be done to get the boat ready for the voyage, anti-fouling the hull, loading her up with food and supplies, adding a mast and sail to the bow as backup for the 175-horsepower engine. But eventually, the day comes. On December the 14th, 1980, the Mikan motors quietly across the harbor, journeying white foam in the dark sea. Gordon stands on the main deck with Elizabeth. They are bound for their next great adventure. But something about this one feels different. As the Mikan passes the breakwater and enters the fathomless ocean, it's clear they are on the cusp of something momentous and irreversible.

23:21You've got to have some fear. Fear is healthy. There's nothing wrong with fear. But when we left that harbor, it was such a beautiful scenery as we went out into that open ocean, just cutting through that water. I did look back at the yachts and look back at Sri Lanka as it disappeared into the distance. And then I did feel pretty vulnerable. I wouldn't say doubt, but this is like, am I doing the right thing here? This is a bit scary.

23:59It's December 1980 in the Indian Ocean. The Maikan has been at sea for about a week, and so far has been plain sailing. They're on track to reach the Chagos Islands by Christmas. There, if all goes according to plan, they'll retrieve the diesel drums, refuel, and be well on their way to Kenya by the start of the new year. Sea conditions are calm and the weather is fair. Indeed, Ken chose December for this voyage to avoid the Indian Ocean's cyclone season, which normally runs from May to November. So far, his forecasting has been accurate. The crew members spend their days relaxing, playing card games or listening to music on the radio.

24:44They only leap into action when there's movement on one of the fishing rods, which they keep permanently cast off the side of the boat, trailing bait in the water. During the night they take it in turns to keep watch from the flybridge, occasionally adjusting the tiller to maintain course.

25:05One evening, Gordon is leaning against the starboard railing when he hears Elizabeth's voice calling out from the front of the boat. She's staring straight ahead Her pink headscarf flapping in the wind Way off in the distance An ominous band of dark cloud Has swallowed the horizon Ken told us that the cyclone season For that part of the world should be over So the big tropical storms In that part of the ocean should have been done And that's one of the reasons He chose that time of the year This was a late one I had a picture of it coming, Elizabeth sitting on the bower. It was just this big black mask coming at us on the horizon, and we knew we were in for it.

25:52As darkness approaches, the Mikan and the five souls on board plunge headlong into the gathering storm. It's Elizabeth's shift, but Gordon volunteers to take her place at the wheel. I said to her, look, you stay below, I'll take it through the storm. and Ken's, this was strange with Ken. As fearless as he was and powerful as he was, I think this scared him because he who jumped in his bunk, Elizabeth said that he rolled over in the fetal position and faced the wall and just went to sleep. The rest of them just battened themselves down. While the others hunker down below deck, Gordon gets into position on the flybridge.

26:36With what remains of the daylight, he is able to look ahead at the vast interminable ocean, churned by the storm into a mountain range of foam-crested ridges and deep black valleys. Gordon grips the wheel, fighting to keep the Mikan at 90 degrees to the oncoming waves. You've got to keep the nose in the wind all the time. You cannot think about direction, you think about where the wind is. And what you want to do is when these waves come, and they were monstrous waves, So when you go up them, you want to throttle her down so that you come down the other side of the wave into the valley. And you cannot judge it correctly each time.

27:13It's impossible. And then it falls, and the sound when it falls, it sounds like the boat is shattered to pieces. Blinded by darkness and spray, Gordon does what he can. Again and again, the maikin tilts almost vertically as she surges up the face of each oncoming wave, then shoots off the lip and crashes down into the trough with a sickening hull splintering crunch. Gordon gasps for breath in the fleeting intervals between the waves. I mean, that wind, it stung me. It was so fierce. I mean, trying to keep it out of my eyes and trying to keep her in direction. And I was on a swivel chair and trying to turn away from it, but you've got to keep facing that all the time.

27:59I didn't know if that boat was going to survive. Gordon's exhausted, but he mustn't lose concentration. If he misjudges the wind direction and turns at the wrong moment, the force of the air will cause the myken to broach, heal over, and capsize. In the dark, he hears the waves before he sees them, rolling peals of thunder materializing into giant walls of water webbed with foam. And they just keep coming. Several hours in, the monotony of the onslaught is broken by a new sound, a deep, tremulous rumble of pure kinetic energy howling in the blackness. A monster is approaching.