Two Danish men rescued off of the Serrana Bank
The ingenious methods which they employed to bring about their rescue from the Serrana Bank, off the coast of Panama where their auxiliary yawl “Restmore” went aground about 18 days ago, were described here Saturday by Dr. Heins Mass Proton and Captain Peter Dohm, two Danes who were brought to the Isthmus Friday aboard the freighter “Andrea F. Luckenbach”.
The two men traveled the 14 miles from where their yawl went aground on North Cay to the light house on the South West Cay in a small fishing boat. They carried with them the signal light from the yawl.
Although they knew it was against the navigation laws to tamper with the lighthouse, the two men reasoned that a break in its regular signal would attract the attention of mariners. So Dr. Protzen held his coat over the light for five minutes at intervals of ten minutes while Captain Dohm flashed a SOS signal with the yawl’s signal light.
When those measures had no immediate results, the two men fashioned small boats of driftwood, painted them bright colors, affixed the Danish Flag and included their position and plight. These they set afloat in the strong current, hoping that they would be picked up by some passing ship.
The broken signal from the light house finally brought the Andrea Luckenbach to the rescue, however, when Captain Henry Hill approached the Bank under orders from the U.S. Hydrographic Office to investigate ‘reported-tampering with the Serrana Banks light. Hardly believing their luck when they saw the freighter drawing near, the two men jumped into a fishing boat and approached the vessel, waving the yacht’s flag and shouting.
The Restmore is not a total , wreck as was reported here, the two men emphasized, but had only run aground and when they left her two days ago, was in excellent condition except for a few small holes into her hull. With the aid of another vessel, she could be refloated and brought into Colon.
The yawl left Kingston, Jamaica, about three weeks age en route on a round-the world trip via the Panama Canal and the South Sea Islands. Once out from Kingston, they were forced to take in the main sail because of the heavy swell and heavy trade winds and ran with the storm jib. Because of an overcast sky, they were unable to get the noon sight for three days and evidently miscalculated their position in the two mile strong current.
At daybreak on the fourth day, the two men lashed the helm and prepared to get some much needed rest, twenty minutes after they had scanned the horizon and found it clear of anything which might have indicated danger, the little vessel went aground,
Their condition during the 18 days on the Serrana Bank was uncomfortable but not desperate, they said Fishermen in small boats from the Cayman Islands offered what help they could in the line of food which was termed edible but not palatable.
Captain Dohm and Dr, Protzen are old friends, having been members of the same yacht club in Denmark. Captain. Dohm acquired the 10-ton sailing vessel Restmore some time ago and together with his wife and family spent the past years sailing the seven seas, visiting more than 300 ports,
On his last trip across the Atlantic, he made the voyage from the Canary Islands to the West Indies in a record time of 30 days. From Jamaica, he set together with Dr. Protzen started out on the globe girdling cruise
Dr. Protzen is a resident o Miami Beach, Florida and has studied in Europe and in the United States as an Exchange Student of the Institute of International Education, In the States, he was a student of both Cornell University and the Dickinson Law School at Carlyle, Pa.
Captain Dohm, owner of the yawl, is the author of a number of articles on yachting and adventure and writes for Danish newspapers and yachting magazines. Both men are 30 years of age.
Attempts are being made here by the two men to obtain aid in getting the Restmore off the Serrano, Bank. Saturday it was deemed improbable that the U. S. Navy would assist unless some Navy vessel was in that vicinity. Meanwhile the two yachtsmen are staying at the Balboa Quarantine and are trying to contact friends in the States and in Denmark.
| Name | Andrea F. Luckenbach |
| Type: | Steam merchant |
| Tonnage | 6,565 tons |
| Completed | 1919 – Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp, Quincy MA |
| Owner | Luckenbach Steamship Co, New York |
| Homeport | New York |