Woman Found After Floating For Days

[Jai Dee]

Woman found after floating for days

An Australian woman who vanished last week from an island off southern Thailand and presumed drowned has been found alive in Indonesian waters.

Dominique Courteille, 57, was picked up on Monday by a fishing boat after apparently drifting in a dinghy for several hundred kilometres.

The Perth mother of four, who is described as being in a serious condition, disappeared early last Thursday from Lipe Island near Satun.

The keen yachtswoman was the subject of a three-day air and sea search by Thai Marine Police, but the hunt was called off late Sunday.

Australian consular officials confirmed her miraculous rescue late on Monday, but could add only sketchy details.

Courteille, who has been living in the southern Thai coastal city of Phuket for 18 months, was in a serious condition and was unable to speak after floating at sea for many days without food or water, one of her crewmen.

She had gone missing around 2am last Thursday when she left shore aboard a dinghy to return to her 11-metre yacht Sonnet after a night out on Lipe Island.

Her two male crew reported her missing when she failed to return.

Crewman Manfred "Richie" Neustifter, 24, originally from the Gold Coast but now also living in Phuket, said he and Swiss colleague Conrad Ohlier, 43, "just hugged each other" when they learned of their skipper's rescue.

The pair said they had been given a "tough grilling" by police who thought they had been involved in the woman's disappearance.

Neustifter said: "I don't know when they picked her up but they said an Indonesian fishing boat found her in Indonesian waters - that means she has floated through the Malacca Strait.

"They said she was not able to speak. So, it appears she could still die or be in a critical condition. I don't know what she survived on."

The three had been sailing Courteille's yacht back from Langkawi Island in Malaysia - a journey of about 140 nautical miles.

Courteille was born in Belgium, but spent many years in Australia. Her ex-husband and four children live in Perth, Western Australia.

Source: AAP - Tuesday Mar 7 08:26 AEDT

[george]

Phuket-based yachtswoman survives five days adrift in a dinghy

PHUKET: -- “I never lost faith,” Australian Dominque Courteille, 57, told Phuket Post from her hospital bed as she described her five-day ordeal at sea in a dingy with no fresh water or food. “I prayed to my god. I knew I would survive, I knew I would be found.” Ms Courteille, her face scarred by almost a week beneath the fierce Andaman sun, arrived back on Phuket on Tuesday morning (07/02/06) with the captain of the fishing boat that had found her adrift off the islands just south of Langkawi. She was admitted to Bangkok Hospital Phuket for tests and to recover.

Her epic struggle against the elements began on the night of Thursday 2 March, when she attempted to return to her 11-metre yacht, Sonnet, after enjoying an evening with her crew on southern Thailand’s Koh Lipe, in the Butang islands just north of Langkawi. But wind and a king tide defeated the motor of her small dinghy and Dominique soon found herself drifting away from the islands.

“She just disappeared into the night,” Ritchie Neustifter, 24, told the Post. “We thought she’d gone back to the boat and the dinghy had drifted away, but when we got out to it, we could tell she hadn’t slept on board.”

Mr Neustifter had joined the yacht in Langkawi to help sail it back to Phuket. On discovering his skipper was missing, he and fellow crewmate, Conrad Ohlier, 43, set out to search the beaches of Koh Lipe and the surrounding islands, believing that Ms Courteille had made returned to shore to wait out the heavy current. “We were searching for any sign of her – even just an oar – but there was nothing.”

The crew then sent out calls on channel 16, the emergency channel and set about a search of the cone of possible drift, guessing that the king tide – the biggest of the year, Mr Neustifter said – had dragged the small dinghy back towards Malaysian waters. “We didn’t realise there were any officials on Koh Lipe. We thought it was just a few beach restaurants and bars. Then we saw these two people walking along the beach. They weren’t in uniform, but I guessed they were marine officials or something,” Mr Neustifter said.

Twelve hours after the discovery that Ms Courteille was missing, two Thai naval vessels and a helicopter began a wide spread search of the area, by this point, however, it was likely that she was already some way into Malaysian waters.

Her engine dead and only her oars and failing strength to keep her going, Ms Courteille, continued her fight against the unrelenting current. “I could see island’s in the distance and just kept rowing towards them. But the current was too strong,” she told the Post. Just out of the trade and fishing lanes, her cries of help to the several boats she saw in the distance could not be heard.

As the days passed and her situation seemed all the more hopeless, Ms Courteille, who is originally from Belgium, refused to give in to the hand that fate had dealt her. As the heat and sun began to bear down on her each day, she climbed out of the dinghy and swam in its shadow. Each evening, in the dying light she would inscribe her thoughts onto the Hyperlon skin of her inflatable dinghy with a ballpoint pen, take aim at the fast disappearing island’s on the horizon and begin to row. “I know it sounds weird, but I survived by drinking my own urine,” she said.

But, on Sunday, the Thai navy gave up the search. The crew of Sonnet, convinced now that they would never see their skipper again alive, made sail for the port at Satun. “We thought she was gone. On the way to Satun we dropped flowers over the back of the yacht in memory of her,” Mr Neustifter told the Post. In Satun, an Australian embassy official took possession of Ms Courteille’s personal effects and the crew returned, distraught, to Phuket.

But just one day later, a fishing boat from the Yee Long Trading company, found the exhausted Ms Courteille clinging to her oars. Two Thai crew on board helped the Taiwanese captain haul her virtually lifeless body and her dinghy aboard, and helped to revive her. When she was eventually able to speak again, the first thing she asked for was a mobile phone to call her close friend at Phuket’s Yacht Haven Marina. “She could hardly speak. She sounded exhausted, disorientated,” the marina employee told the Post. “She thought it was 10am, but it was after 4pm.”

Ms Courteille arrived back in at Deelok fishing port in Phuket on Tuesday morning with her saviours and was immediately taken to hospital by the tourist police for a check up and well-earned rest. But from her hospital bed, later that morning, she told the Post that she felt fit and in good spirits. “I’m in a hurry to see my friends at the Yacht Haven,” she said with a defiant smile.

--Phuket Post 2006-03-07

[sriracha john]

Not many people take on Mother Nature and come out the victor....

Good for you, Dominque...

Great inspirational story of never giving up...

[jaapfries]

Woman found after floating for days

An Australian woman who vanished last week from an island off southern Thailand and presumed drowned has been found alive in Indonesian waters.

Dominique Courteille, 57, was picked up on Monday by a fishing boat after apparently drifting in a dinghy for several hundred kilometres.

==============================================================

A "keen" yachts-woman she may be, but also a pretty naive one. When she returned from shore to her yacht in the dingy, she must have had a few too many, because even an idiot knows about the very strong currents in that area. It was no coincidence that she "floated away" - you can totally count on it.

In hindsight, I am surpised that she made it "all the way" from Langkawi, a trip of a mere 140 miles, for Pete's sake ! ! ! !

This mother of four should start looking for a new hobby, like knitting, or pottery.

Born on the ocean and respecting her more than life !

Jaap Fries

[britmaveric]

Wow impressive - shows the will to survive can be rather strong.

[TRD LOVER]

WOW!! GREAT STORY.. I LOVE STORIES LIKE THIS.. I will pay the price of admission when the movie come out.. Way to go girl.. but one hel_l of a way to get a tan..

TRD LOVER

[astral]

A "keen" yachts-woman she may be, but also a pretty naive one. When she returned from shore to her yacht in the dingy, she must have had a few too many, because even an idiot knows about the very strong currents in that area. It was no coincidence that she "floated away" - you can totally count on it.

In hindsight, I am surpised that she made it "all the way" from Langkawi, a trip of a mere 140 miles, for Pete's sake ! ! ! !

This mother of four should start looking for a new hobby, like knitting, or pottery.

Born on the ocean and respecting her more than life !

Jaap Fries

Keen maybe but not very experienced to make a mistake like this.

She is lucky to be alive.

[gburns57au]

first heard about this yesterday...she was presumed dead....then saw her on the news tonite...she seemed to be in good spirits and was talking ok....there was no motor on the dinghy and she was rowing back to the yacht. She survived by drinking urine and shading under the dinghy during the day....a remarkable woman indeed...she was an experienced yachtie by the way.

[Pond Life]

Its an unpleasant fact that more yachties die in dingies on the way back from the pub than do on the high sea's. Tough girl for sticking it out tho'.

[cobra]

An incredible story by any standard,

Again and again, never give up.

A satellite phone would have been nice, even a cell,

but most would be reluctant to carry such on a short transit from dingy to mooring.

[britmaveric]

An incredible story by any standard,

Again and again, never give up.

A satellite phone would have been nice, even a cell,

but most would be reluctant to carry such on a short transit from dingy to mooring.

Locator beacon would have been helpful, course lil hard to find you when they presume your dead.

[khall64au]

Lucky, lucky lady. Gotta admire her will!

Having sailed in a few regattas over the past few years, I've come to the conclusion that alcohol and dinghies in the currents of these waters are a dangerous combination. While partying on deck in the wee hours, I have spotted a few people in trouble with dinghies that nobody else noticed and raised the alarm to save them from uncertain perils.

One lady had slipped overboard from a yacht while the rest of the crew were sleeping and I, luckily, heard her faint cries for help above the loud music onboard. She was swept past our boat at a distance in a rapid current that was taking her out to sea. Dangerous business, this sailing, sometimes!

[Boon Mee]

Australian boater survives five days drifting at sea by drinking her own urine, says it wasn't that much worse than Foster's

[khall64au]

How's this for quality journalism?

Yachtswoman All At Pee

Updated: 17:01, Tuesday March 07, 2006

An Australian yachtswoman has survived for five days at sea by drinking her own urine.

Dominique Courteille, 57, a mother of four from Perth, was left without food and water after being washed out to sea off the coast of Thailand in a dinghy.

The woman shielded herself from the fierce tropical sun using the wall of the dinghy and drunk her own urine to stay alive.

Amazingly, she suffered only sunburn and a slight electrolyte imbalance.

"If I want to survive, I have to manage myself," the Belgian-born Courteille said she kept telling herself.

"I swim and hold the boat in the day to avoid from the sun and I have to drink my urine."

Ms Courteille was rowing to her yacht moored in Phuket harbour when the tide washed her away.

She was eventually rescued after calling friends on her mobile phone.

- SKY News

[BigSnake]

Oh!! You lucky girl, way to go. Now, wonder if you will have to pay the government for the time and manpower use in searching for you?? Indeed good to see a happy ending.

[Jingjok]

What an inspiring story. Well done, Ms Courteille.

I know nothing about yachts and marine nav, but am a pilot and know a little about ELBs (Emergency locator beacons) one of which I always carry when flying over water. (Albeit an ancient 121.5 MHz unit)

These days there's a new generation of small cheap(ish) 406MHz units which transmit to geostationary satellites. My question is - presuming many yachties will be reading this thread - is is the Thai SAR service equipped to act on a 406MHz alert? Are the waters in these parts covered by the service?

If so, it might just be worth investing in one to carry discreetly on friend's boats and some of the hugely dodgy tourist and hired craft around here.

[jaapfries]

first heard about this yesterday...she was presumed dead....then saw her on the news tonite...she seemed to be in good spirits and was talking ok....there was no motor on the dinghy and she was rowing back to the yacht. She survived by drinking urine and shading under the dinghy during the day....a remarkable woman indeed...she was an experienced yachtie by the way.

================================================================

. . . . . . she was an experienced yachtie by the way ? ? ? ? ?

What's the point of gaining experience and then NOT putting it into practice, mate ? ? ?

Let's see now:

Background-check reveals that she was born in Belgium and became an Ozzie' later - I call that "the worst of both worlds" . . . . )L.O.L.

AllBlack Supporter

[baabaabobo]

Woman survives four-day ordeal at sea

Australian mother-of-four Dominique Courteille, 57, survived an ordeal of four days adrift on the Andaman Sea and in the Straits of Malacca in a dinghy.

Speaking to the media at Bangkok Hospital Phuket (BHP) today, the Belgian-born naturalized Australian said that on Thursday she and her crew went ashore on Koh Lipe, in Satun Province, to eat at a restaurant, leaving her yacht Sonnet moored only 150 meters offshore.

Later that night, she returned to the yacht alone as the other crew members, Manfred “Richie” Neustifter, 24, and Conrad Ohlier, 43, had decided to stay on the island a while longer.

However, the dinghy’s engine ran out of fuel as Ms Courteille was returning to Sonnet, and a combination of high winds and abnormally-strong currents swept the now-powerless boat out to sea.

“I went straight past the yacht and tried to row as best as I could but I’m not the strongest of rowers,” said Ms Courteille. “I then tried to signal to other yachts with my oars and I shouted for help, but pretty soon they were too far away and couldn’t hear me.

“At first I was very relaxed because I was sure that my friends, who are good sailors, would notice me gone, and come to find me. But it was nighttime, so it was very difficult for them [to do so] and by that time I had already been taken too far out by the current, which was much, much stronger than usual.”

She said, “It was terrible because there was shipping passing and it consisted of cargo ships and fishing boats, all of which were much bigger than my dinghy. I was going very slow and the waves were high. I was trying to get them to notice me and I shouted and shouted, but the wind carried my voice away.”

Ms Courteille went on to explain that each day of her ordeal she tied a rope around herself and slipped into the sea, so as to avoid direct sunlight.

Contemplating death, Ms Couteillle wrote on the dinghy’s sides, “I did not commit suicide! It was an accident with the engine that sent me off into the blue. I am very sad to die because I would have loved to see you live. I’m astonished that no one has come looking for me, because I’m three miles from the island and, after that, nothing. I love you all. Think of me from time to time while dropping a flower in the water.”

Help finally arrived yesterday in the form of a Indonesian fishing boat from the Yee Long Trading Company. The crew members took her on board and fed her biscuits and water, her first food for four days; all that she had consumed during her ordeal were her own urine and six antacid tablets.

Pol Sgt Yaomarn Chumchen of the Tourist Police told the Gazette that she was rescued around 5 pm. He explained that the Indonesian boat arrived in Phuket 12 hours later and that Ms Courteille was first taken to the fishermen’s accommodation in Pae Diok on Koh Sireh. Tourist Police officers later drove her to Bangkok Hospital Phuket for treatment for exposure and dehydration.

A former air hostess of Sabena Airlines and occasional professional translator, Ms Courteille is “a very lucky lady”, said Mr Neustifter, of Australia’s Gold Coast. “We’re looking at a living miracle,” he said. “It’s unbelievable.”

Ms Courteille managed to find something positive from her ordeal, telling friends that at night she had seen beautiful constellations. “You know, I was never afraid; I was sure that something [good] was going to happen.”

Dr Santi Lertnukkhid of BHP said, “She was in surprisingly good condition and was quite strong when she came in, considering that she has a history of congenital liver disease. This experience has been tough for her, but she survived.”

Source: The Phuket Gazette

[falstaff]

Indeed a lucky lady,however I do question the fact that she took to her dinghy at the time she did and with no communication device .

Surely not the lucid action of a seasoned yachtswoman ? As an ex matelot I consider that the lady concerned was indeed rather irresponsible in her actions, however " alls well that ends well "

[leisurely]

Will she donate any profits from the inevitable film to those who searched for her?

[Farma]

Dinghy survivor is broke, say friends

Wednesday Mar 8 15:55 AEDT

The Australian yachtswoman who survived five days at sea drifting alone in a rubber dinghy off Thailand is broke and can't afford a flight home, friends say.

Dominique Courteille has undergone more medical tests at a Phuket hospital.

She told AAP after her rescue she wanted to see her four children again.

But friends in Thailand said the 57-year-old Perth woman has few resources and is unable even to raise the $A1,000 needed for an airfare home.

Courteille's yacht, the Sonnet, is worth nearly $A100,000, but she has told friends that she has debts to settle in Thailand.

Nick Wyatt, manager of Phuket's Yacht Haven Marina, said: "We would dearly love for her to go back to Australia to be with her family.

"But I don't think she can afford the trip.

"I think it would be best for Dominique to be back in familiar surroundings after her amazing ordeal and survival.

"And certainly she would receive excellent medical attention in Australia."

Courteille's drama began at 2am on Thursday when she tried to reach her yacht just offshore of the Thai island of Lipe.

Her dinghy rapidly drifted out to sea in a strong current after her outboard motor stopped.

She was adrift in the Malacca Straits - one of the world's busiest sea lanes - for five days before she was picked up by a fishing boat.

During her ordeal she drank seawater and her own urine.

Although Courteille insisted in an interview with AAP that she always believed her prayers would be answered and she would be rescued, it became clear that she did, indeed, contemplate the possibility of death.

She wrote a surprisingly coherent diary (in French, the Belgian-born woman's native tongue) in biro on the sides of her dinghy.

Intended for the eyes of her four children, it began with the words: "I did not commit suicide!

"It was an accident with the engine that sent me off into the blue.

"I am very sad to die because I would have loved to see you live.

"I'm astonished that no one has come looking for me, because I'm three miles from the island and, after that, nothing. I love you all. Think of me from time to time while dropping a flower in the water."

Doctors said she showed few signs of her ordeal except for sunburn and dehydration.

"She's a tough woman, there's no doubt about that," Wyatt said.

AAP 2006

[Old Croc]

Australian boater survives five days drifting at sea by drinking her own urine, says it wasn't that much worse than Foster's

She must have tried that crap in Belgium because no one in Australia drinks it.

[falstaff]

Methink I may somewhat of a cynic or a realist ,which one I know not but after reading all the comments from all sources concerning the lady I am of the opinion THERE MAY WELL BE THE AROMA OF A DEAD RODENT ARISING FROM THIS MATTER!!! .

The truth does seem rather obscure and comments seem a little odd too,I wonde is this a scheme in the making for the raising of monies or a flight back to wherever ?

[Gonzo the Face]

First of all , Happy that the lady is safe and sound. Wishing her a speedy recovery.

But as to the reporting..... does anyone else find a lot of confusing statements; contradictory reports, in the quoted news coverage ???????

[oysters]

Just heard news she cant even affird an air ticket back to perth and owes 100,000 aussies dollars to thai business intrests.

Something just doesnt ring right with this whole story

[simon43]

Scoop!!!! I have tracked down this lucky lady!! I just spent the last hour or 2 chatting with her. She is currently 'hiding' from her usual abodes due to all the press interest. (Actually, it was pure chance that I met her having a Thai massage on the beach...)

For the very small sum of 2 million baht I will be a total cad and tell you all exactly where she is!!!!

Simon