Chris Doran sat in a life raft 60 miles off the coast of New Caledonia and watched his 57-foot motor cruiser slowly sink into the Pacific.
The Coal Point man, his cousin Kevin and crewmate Ben Johnson had left Espiritu Santo, the main island in Vanuatu, 36 hours earlier and were winding through New Caledonia's reef system, along the same route used by cruise ships, when the boat's propellers struck a rope, ripping a hole in the hull.
"It all happened just before dawn yesterday morning," Mr Doran told the Newcastle Herald on Friday from on board the Pacific Dawn, the 245-metre P&O cruise ship that plucked the men from the ocean after responding to a distress call.
"We picked up an old ship's rope in both propellers. The boat shuddered and came to a stop, probably about 5.30 in the morning.
We weren't confident when we jumped in the life raft ... that was just pure luck they were in the area.
Chris Doran
"We realised we were taking on water, found part of the rope hanging out the back. It was too rough to get it off. The pumps came on. We had a manual pump going, but we just couldn't keep up keeping the water out."
The men sent out a mayday, gathered up their belongings and launched the raft.
They had a satellite phone, VHF radios and a "ditch bag" full of food and water on board and EPIRB beacons in their life vests.
Mr Doran, who is from a prominent Newcastle family heavily involved in the building industry and the brother of architect Steve Doran, said the men did not feel in immediate danger but expected a long and anxious wait for help.
"No, we weren't confident when we jumped in the life raft," he said.
"The closest [help] at that time was about 12 hours away. We knew that.
"And then we got a phone call from the Pacific Dawn captain on the bridge to say we're 55 miles away and full steam ahead to get to where you are.
"That was just pure luck that they were in the area."
Mr Doran estimated they were in the raft for between 90 minutes and two hours before the Pacific Dawn loomed into view, but even then he was unsure how the 70,000-tonne cruise ship would get them on board.
"I was wondering that when I was sitting in the life raft with it was coming towards us.
"They were absolutely flying, the spray's coming off the ship. I thought, 'S---, they might run over us.'
"They pulled up about 200 metres from us. The captain turned the ship with the thrusters, so they put us in the lee of the ship, away from the wind, and they put a life-raft boat down with about five or six crew on it, and they came out to the life raft, pulled us all on board pretty quickly and all our bags."
The men climbed a 10-foot rope ladder and stepped to safety through a hatch in the hull.
"I've got to say P&O, the captain and his crew, just first-class," Mr Doran said. "The whole rescue, they had us on board within 15 minutes of arriving on site."
Mr Doran said it had been "horrible" watching Liberty, the boat he bought six years ago, go under, but "at least we were safe".
The boat had been sailing around the Pacific for five months and was on its way home to Australia.
Mr Doran and his cousin, who is from Salamander Bay, will arrive in Brisbane with the Pacific Dawn tomorrow and are expected back in Newcastle in the afternoon.
Mr Johnson, from Sydney, said he was "thanking his lucky stars".
"Just seeing the sight of her coming along," he said. "I was just so, so grateful. I'm still pinching myself. I still can't believe I'm on P&O and I'm heading to Brisbane."
P&O issued photographs of the men smiling and thanking crew members on the deck of the ship.
The company said it was "wonderful to know that the three seafarers are safe and well".
"We wanted to let you know that Pacific Dawn has this morning led the rescue of three seafarers adrift in a life raft near New Caledonia after abandoning their stricken yacht that was taking on water," it said.
"Marine rescue authorities in Noumea asked Pacific Dawn to divert ... after receiving their distress call."
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