Explorer, 71,
survives another
scary incident
Gene Savoy's voyaging
By Rod Ohira
vessel sank after leaving Hawaii
but he and his crew
were saved
Star-BulletinTouted in 1985 as the "real Indiana Jones" by People Magazine, explorer Gene Savoy has survived encounters with poisonous snakes, terrorist groups and Campas tribes in the jungles of Peru.
At age 71, he's still living dangerously.
Last month, his voyaging vessel Feathered Serpent III sank after leaving Hawaii.Savoy and other crew members were found in a raft after being located by the Coat Guard 500 miles south Christmas Island.
"I've been through an awful lot, but this particular incident -- not knowing if the radio signal was picked up and facing a hundred thousand miles of sea on a raft -- was not a pleasant thing," Savoy said.
Savoy and six crewmen were rescued at sea but the loss of the 73-foot mahogany catamaran, valued at $500,000, halted an around-the-world Andean Explorers Foundation discovery voyage to prove that ancient mariners from the Mediterranean traveled to South America.
Starting over at his age is a difficult but not insurmountable challenge, one Savoy is willing to accept.
"I'm a great admirer of (the late French oceanographer) Jacques Cousteau," Savoy said by telephone from his Reno, Nev., residence. "Cousteau lost a son in a helicopter accident and I lost a son (in 1962) in an avalanche in Peru.
"Cousteau lost a ship in Singapore in 1996 but was in the process of constructing Calypso II when he died (in June 1997 at age 87). You don't stop living and let time stop your dreams. There are no guarantees in life but I think the older you live, the more the gods are on your side.
"We've exhausted our funds and have to start over, but we're going to build another ship, this time in Australia, and be back in the water again, hopefully within two years," added Savoy, who has discovered 40 lost cities in Peru.
The skipper of the Feathered Serpent III is thankful there were no serious injuries.
"We were lucky, but I'll take luck any time," Savoy said. "We were in shark-infested waters so I'm very glad no one was injured.
"I can't say enough about the Coast Guard and the captain, officers and crew of the Ever Victory."
The Ever Victory is the Taiwan-owned, Brazilian-built, 743-foot long cargo ship that was 200 miles away but responded to a Coast Guard request for assistance.
The captain, D.M. Huang, and his three officers are from Taiwan, but the crew is from mainland China, Savoy said.
"The greatest thrill in the world was seeing the Coast Guard plane and then being rescued by the ship," Savoy said. "They lowered a rope ladder but because of the rough seas, it took an hour for all of us to get on board."
The men were rescued 1,400 miles south of Honolulu on Aug. 20, 15 days after after the Feathered Serpent III left Haleiwa for Brisbane, Australia.
Due to Typhoon Rex, the Ever Victory could not get into Tokyo until Friday.
The Feathered Serpent crew -- Savoy, Solomon Aragon of Honaunau on the Big Island, Roger Weld, Gary Buchanan, Peter Foust, Yukinori Matsushita and Koshu Kawahara -- were taken to shore at Kashima.
Most of them arrived home Sunday.
Savoy's immediate plans include setting up a Web page, writing and lecturing. One lecture is scheduled at the University of Hawaii-Manoa in early 1999, Savoy said.
