From PEOPLE Magazine
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Of the 19 people onboard, only eight made it to land safely; nine died at sea, among them Captain Davis; two remain missing and are presumed drowned. Contrary to early reports, life jackets did not spell the difference between life and death. Half of the eight survivors, including Buell, neither wore nor clung to an orange vest. As debate rages about whether Taki Tooo should have stayed home—and whether life vests should be required—Tamara and her parents, Mitchell, 60, and Linda, 55, who own Taki Tooo, shared their stories with PEOPLE correspondent Ron Arias.
Tamara: It was a little scary [out there], but I kept thinking, "We've just got to keep going." We slid down the other side of the first wave, and that's when I saw the big one—really big, above my head—coming so fast we didn't have time to do anything. It hit us like a wall of bricks. It just slammed into us and over we went. I bounced off the bay bottom, rose back to the surface, got a big breath of air. There were a few people around me. I remember seeing one body floating out, and I was sure he was already dead.
Mitchell: I was standing on the jetty and I saw the wave hit. I thought about the people and what a terrible thing was happening. I ran to the beach to help.
Soon Linda, who was onshore monitoring crew communications, received a call from another boat.
Linda: "The Taki Tooo has gone over," he said. The first thing I did was call the Coast Guard. They said, "Ma'am, we've already got a helicopter on the way." I couldn't believe they were that fast. Then all of a sudden it hit me: My daughter was on that boat.
Tamara: I tried to backstroke, but then the waves would hit me and I'd gasp for air again. My surfing experience helped, because you know that when a wave pushes you under, it rolls you like a rag doll. You know not to fight it; you just tumble with it. I could hear my lungs gurgling every time I breathed. I didn't think I was going to make it. Then I noticed my feet were touching the ground. I couldn't walk, I was so exhausted. I got to where I could crawl, so I dug my hands into the sand and yelled.
Linda hopped a ride to the dock and ran to the beach.
Linda: As I got within earshot, a friend shouted, "Tammy's okay! We've got her!" My knees gave out. I collapsed.
Linda found Tamara in an SUV.
Linda: I put her head on my lap and tried to get her warm. She kept saying, "My head hurts," and she couldn't talk very well. She was just so cold. Like ice. Her sweatshirt was soaked. I cut it off her [with a pocket knife]. Then I put newspapers on her. There were no blankets.
At the hospital Tamara was treated for hypothermia and exhaustion, then released at 6:30 that evening.
Linda: We're still pretty much shell-shocked. I feel so sorry for the families. [In Garibaldi] we've had our share of people who died at sea. It's never, never easy to accept.
Tamara: I had a lot of respect for the ocean before, but I have a whole lot more respect now.
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