WHAT was meant to be a routine journey back home from the Christmas holidays in Lovoni, Ono-i-Lau, turned into an unforgettable ordeal for a family after the fibreglass boat that was transporting them to the Lomaiviti Princess 12 capsized on Thursday morning.
Reapi Rokomoti could not hold back her tears as she recounted the traumatic experience that she, her husband and their 10-year-old daughter endured on their return from her husband’s village.
She said leading up to that day, they had seen a Facebook post announcing a boat to Lau, followed by a low-pressure warning post from the weather office, and assumed that the boat company would reschedule the run. But this wasn’t the case.
“There were four of us adults in the boat, and my daughter; the sea was very rough, and waves were high when we left the village that morning,” Ms Rokomoti said.
“When the boat capsized in the middle of the sea, the huge waves and strong winds caused it to drift away, and my family was separated from each other. My daughter was clinging to one of my in-laws whom she had been sitting with and my husband was with me in the water.
“I could hear my daughter crying and calling out, “dad, mum” and I kept calling back to her, “Bale, Bale! Don’t cry. Be strong. Hold on tightly to the fibreglass fuel tank. Don’t let go. Keep holding on and wait for help to come.”
With tears streaming down her face, she said she told her husband to save her daughter first and not to worry about her.
“We were in the water for about 10 minutes and eventually rescuers arrived and transported us to LP12.
“Our clothes were soaked through. There was nothing dry left. All our bags and belongings were completely wet. We got onto the boat and sat there, shaken, and distressed.
“We didn’t know what to do about the journey back to Suva. It was such a long distance,” she said. Ms Rokomoti said they were shown kindness by both passengers and crew, given food, and tea, and later provided with bedding and a place to rest.
“Truly, God was watching over us. The kindness shown by the crew and passengers was a blessing.”
She said that day’s experience was one that she and her family would never forget.
l Editorial Comment: P6
