ROSE Ringuet thought that she and her family were going to have a nice ferry trip back from Nelson bay, but when a horrific storm hit the waters, passengers on the ferry were left fearing for their lives.

After noticing that many of the other passengers on the ferry had not boarded, Rose began to worry about the storm that was quickly approaching.

Joined by her partner, brother and sister, they boarded the ferry alongside with two other passengers and had only just set off, when the storm began to gain on them.

“I looked at James (the Captain of the ferry) and asked if we would make it back.

“He promised us that he would get everyone back to shore safe,” said Rose Ringuet.

“The storm started getting worse, and the ferry began to go side to side, virtually kissing the water on each side.

“The waves were horrible and we crashed over every wave, almost filling the boat with water.

“For a good 25-35 minutes, my family feared for our lives.

“I had never been in a storm as bad as this was.

“My sister couldn’t swim and my partner has a disability and I began to think that ‘this is it’ and started to plan for the worst,” Rose told News Of The Area.

As the ferry hit the cross water (where the ocean goes into the river), Rose described this as the worst section of the trip with raging waters unlike anything she had ever seen before.

The moment that the ferry reached the shore Rose and her family began to clap and cheer for the captain and even shouted “Hip hip hooray”.

They could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

They were safe.

“He (James) had control of the ferry the entire time.

“From the get-go, he told us that he would get us home safe and he did.

“I cannot thank him enough for getting us through, without his skill and control, we wouldn’t be alive.

“However, I don’t think I will be getting onto a ferry anytime soon unless I know for sure that the weather will be okay,” said Rose.

 

By Tara CAMPBELL