Elysha Piller is home following the sinking of the tall ship SV Concordia last week off the coast of Brazil.
The Nova Scotia-based ship carrying dozens of students went down about 550 kilometres southeast of Rio de Janeiro in rough seas. Officials from West Island College International, of Lunenburg, stated that all 64 people aboard were rescued from four life rafts by merchant vessels early on Feb. 19.
The 48 students and 16 teachers and crew were moved to a navy frigate and taken to Rio de Janeiro, then brought back to Canada.
The world became aware of what happened early on Feb. 18 when Brazilian search authorities received a delayed distress signal from the 57-metre ship. They contacted the rescue co-ordination centre in Halifax, which alerted the school.
The sailing vessel capsized at about noon on Feb. 17, after being caught in a microburst – a rare and sudden downdraft of air in a small area. The steel vessel sank within 20 minutes, but all 48 students, eight teachers and eight crew were able to get into life-rafts.
They spent up to 40 hours on the south Atlantic in strong winds, heavy rain and waves up to four metres high, collecting rainwater to drink and keeping a lookout for rescuers.
Brazil’s navy said it picked up the distress signal from Concordia and alerted merchant vessels. Three hours later, a military plane spotted a life-raft in the area where the signal was sent.
The plane was able to tell the merchant ships where to look for survivors. By the time a navy rescue ship arrived, all Concordia passengers and crew had been plucked to safety by the Hokuetsu Delight and the Crystal Pioneer.
Shelley Piller, whose daughter Elysha was aboard the Concordia, said she heard from school officials late Thursday night the ship had sunk and everyone spent 18 hours in life rafts.
“We were just absolutely horrified and we’ve been up all night,” Piller said in an interview with CBC News from her home in Kenilworth.
The tall ship left Lunenburg last September carrying students in grades 11 and 12 and the first year of university. Most were Canadian, with others from the U.S., Mexico, Japan and other countries.
The Concordia was built in 1992 in Poland and, according to the school website, the vessel met “all of the international requirements for safety” and passed inspections by the U.S. and Canadian coast guards.
“The skill and compassion demonstrated by Brazilian rescuers is a tribute to their training, spirit and seamanship,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement.
“Their efforts are deeply appreciated by Canada and will undoubtedly serve as an inspiration to the young Canadians who were aboard the SV Concordia.”
By Monday, the Canadian students were back home in Canada.
An Air Canada flight carrying the 42 students from Sao Paulo arrived at 5:43am eastern time at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, where many were being greeted by relieved parents.
Airport officials were expected to take some time to process the students, whose original documentation would have been lost when their ship sank.
From Toronto, they were expected to travel to their homes, which stretch from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, and north to the Yukon.
Members of the Piller family were contacted by the Wellington Advertiser but declined to comment.
