MERCER ISLAND, Wash. — A Mercer Island man was rescued from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean while sailing from Brazil to South Africa.
"You got a second life,” said Balthasar Wyss. “An opportunity at another life and it does something really interesting to you."
Wyss was able to escape a sinking sailboat and fought to survive the rough waters on a life raft for five hours.
"Tremendous thing for you, when you're about to die or you think you're going to die and you know there's somebody out there who cares about,” said Wyss. “Who cares for you. It's just unbelievable."
An emotional Wyss is grateful to be back at his home on Mercer Island, just a couple of days after a trip he'll never forget.
"It was a little bit of everything,” said Wyss. "It was a dream trip and a nightmare trip at the same time."
Wyss met two men through a website that connects captains with crew. Their journey was supposed to be four weeks of sailing on a 54-foot-long sailboat from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Cape Town, South Africa. Wyss said it was a great trip until they encountered Mother Nature halfway through.
"There were like 28-foot-tall waves coming and crashing over you and over the boat,” said Wyss. “And winds of 40 knots plus, so incredible severe storm."
Debris from the ocean damaged their boat, which started to sink. The three issued an SOS over satellite, which triggered an international rescue operation.
The next morning, as the boat’s condition continued to worsen, the three men prepared the life raft. To ensure it detached properly, the captain, Benno Frey, stayed on the sinking boat to unhitch it so Wyss and the other crewmate could go free.
"The greatness of humanity, that some people go all the way and then some more to save other peoples' lives, which is an incredible thing and I'm going to be grateful for the rest of my life," said Wyss.
Wyss said he and the other mate were in a 5-foot-by-5-foot life raft for five hours until an oil tanker spotted them. Wyss said he couldn’t thank the crew of the oil tanker and the captain of the vessel, as well as Captain Frey, enough for their life-saving measures.
"They are, for me, symbols of the best of humanity,” said Wyss. “That they are so compassionate and care for others which is just unbelievable."
Wyss and his other crew mate stayed on the oil tanker for four days until they got to Cape Town before flying back to their respective homes.