"Awards and recognition are great, but nothing was better than the smiles on the faces of the survivors and their families."
Peter Davidson is a humble man but a remarkable Australian.
On December 26 th 1998, 114 Yachts left Sydney harbour in the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race- only 44 finished. Of the remaining vessels, 12 yachts were abandoned, 5 yachts sank, 6 men lost their lives and over 50 yachtsmen had to be winched to safety.
The event is recognised as one of the worst Maritime disasters in Australian history.
Peter Davidson, paramedic aboard the first rescue helicopter to reach survivors, talks about what it took to rescue 8 men from the stricken vessel "Standaside" in the midst of some of the worst conditions in sailing history.
Sea conditions described by many of the survivors and rescuers as "a Hurricane" - waves running and breaking at over 25 metres (that's as tall as a six story building) and winds gusting at over 120 km/hr. Conditions into which Peter was winched to conduct the most testing rescues of his career. |
