Interview: Why swordfish can be dangerous to yachts as well as orcas

Mr Stephani, how did the hole get into your boat?

We didn't know that at first either! But the local fishermen here immediately said that it must have been a swordfish. Not only did we have a neatly punched oval hole about 30 centimetres in size without a scratch in one of the hulls. There was also an imprint on the opposite wall, typical of the flattened lance of a swordfish. A fish like this can reach speeds of 100 km/h and then has as much power as a small car at 30 km/h!

How did you discover the leak?

We were travelling to the Galapagos Islands and the sun was just setting when there was a rattling noise in the boat. I looked everywhere but found nothing. Until I opened the hatch to the galley: there was 1.50 metres of water, everything was floating. My first thought was: There's no way, how am I supposed to make coffee in this mess? I closed the lid again and hoped that everything would be fine when I looked in again. But that didn't help, the water stayed.

What a shock! How did you react?

I woke Andrea up and then we travelled at full throttle for two hours with both outboards towards the island of Española. The bulkheads in the hull held tight, but we were really deep in the water on the port side. We radioed a pan-pan and a mayday, but got no response - nobody was close enough to us. Andrea then used Starlink to contact friends in Panama who had an agent in Galapagos. Five minutes later we were connected.

What happened next?

We dropped anchor off the island in pitch darkness. After a while, the coastguard came and dropped six people off with a pump, equipment and good humour. One of them sang the whole time. After three hours in the rooms, we travelled six hours to San Cristóbal. We have never met such friendly people! The next day, around 20 people came on board: navy, police, health authorities, immigration, a doctor. We filled in forms while our blood pressure was taken. Less than 24 hours later, our "Gleda" was standing in the sand in the middle of a sea lion colony.

And how do you repair a boat in Galapagos?

There's no boatyard or material here, but we always have everything with us: tools, epoxy and mats. Fortunately, everything was stored on the starboard side and stayed dry!

Can you now sail on with peace of mind?

You may feel a little queasy at first, but that will certainly subside after a few days. After all, a collision like this is about as rare as winning the lottery! So we're delighted to have made it and are now sailing on to the Marquesas.