Fair Jeanne Fire- Cadets tell their Story

by LJ Matheson, Kingston This Week on 19 Jul 2007 When a group of sea cadets boarded the sail training vessel Fair Jeanne last week, little did they realize they would have to put their firefighting drills to a life-saving test.

'We thought it was just another drill,' said Andrew Rittershofer, 13 of Pennetanguishine, who helped his crew mates stay focused during a fire aboard the ship that started in the engine room on Friday, July 13, as it sailed past Amherst Island in Ontario Canada.

He was one of the 21 sea cadets from across Canada aboard the ship for a five-day training cruise designed to provide experience in seamanship, firefighting, survival and abandon-ship drills.

'It was crazy. We did so (badly) on a previous drill, they told us to be prepared for another one ... We really did think the (Mayday) call was a drill.'

On day three, sea cadets attending the Boatswain course at HMCS Ontario Cadet Summer Training Centre were scared, but held their heads through what some of them deemed the last time they will set foot on a tall ship.

At 4:40 p.m. that afternoon, HMCS Ontario Operations received a 'Mayday' call from the STV Fair Jeanne which was positioned about seven kilometres off Amherst Island.

'The cadets kept their heads,' said Simon Fuller, the owner of the tall ship. 'They were exemplary in their actions to keep the fire contained by keeping the deck wet.'

Fuller added that crews are now in the process of cleaning the smoke and water damage from the ship.

'We’re hoping to have it cleaned within 10 days time, but there was some major water damage when the bilge water came up about three feet – there is a film of oil on the water and it is being evacuated into an environmental truck.'

Fuller said that he was proud of the skill and performance of Captain Kathryn Whittaker and the crew for the competent way they handled this incident.

'All their emergency drills and training came into play,' he said. 'You train for this kind of thing and you hope you never have to use it, but when you do, you’re thankful that no one was seriously injured … It could have been a lot worse.'

Coast Guard vessels from both Canada and the United States helped in the rescue effort and at 5:30 p.m., CFB Trenton had dispatched a Griffin Helicopter and CC-130 Hercules to be on standby from 424 Squadron.

Patrick Desmarais, 14, was taken by helicopter to Kingston General Hospital with a head injury he sustained after slipping and falling on the deck.

'I lost consciousness,' Desmarais said. 'I don’t remember anything until I woke up in the hospital.' He was released that night, but as of Monday, the young cadet said he was still feeling faint.

Four other cadets were taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries. All were released and sent back to barracks, many of whom suffered from nausea and hypothermia.

'I ate a lot of crackers to keep from getting seasick, but people were getting sick everywhere,' said Skye Fourger, 13 of Chesterville. 'We had hit a storm before the fire and the boat was rocking a lot. A bunch of us were really sick, but it’s times like these that we were able to work together and appreciate one another.'

Jessica Fraser of Edmonton said she’d never do another stint on a tall ship as long as she lived.

'No way, that’s it,' she said. I lost feeling in my leg and they said it was caused from stress. I’m still stressed. And I lost a bracelet that my great grandmother had given me. I can’t find it anywhere.'

Many of the cadets said their personal belongings, such as clothing and pillows, were scorched beyond repair. They received new clothing when they hit dry land.

The cadets wanted to state that, contrary to what other news media reported, no one broke any bones and the ship did not sink.

'I’ve had fights with people telling them that the boat wasn’t sinking,' said Robert Small of Kingston. 'Just let people know that we didn’t sink and no one broke a leg.'

'This experience really opened our eyes and showed us how to appreciate each other,' said Fourger. 'We were lucky to have each other.'