By Laura Salas
On Thursday, Terry Jo’s skin had been so traumatized she could no longer feel the sharp rays of the sun.
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As her raft was raised to the tops of cliffs and lowered into mysterious valleys, Terry Jo found on herself heading towards a sleep that verged on a death.
Arthur Duperrault and his wife had what seemed like the perfect life. He was a successful eye doctor, and the two had three children together. The oldest, Brian, was 14. Terry Jo, Brian’s little sister, was 11. The youngest of the bunch was seven-year-old Renee.
The family lived a quiet and ordinary life in Green Bay. They were indeed in need of an adventure.
On her fourth day at sea, Terry Jo managed to get her eyes open. Insensible, Terry Jo couldn’t make out what she was seeing.
It could be a great whale, a big ship, or, perhaps, the shadow of death. Soon, she saw heads and waving arms. Soon, she heard voices. Terry Jo was miraculously rescued.
Captain Harvey’s journey went quite differently than Terry Jo’s. The day after Bluebelle sunk, an oil tanker on its way to Puerto Rico spotted Harvey’s dinghy and stopped.
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Upon the dinghy were Harvey and Renee Duperrault’s dead body. Harvey introduced himself to the tanker’s captain as captain of the missing Blubelle. In the following days, Harvey would tell his story, thinking he was the sole survivor. He believed Terry had drowned.
To the Miami Coast Guard, Harvey said that a sudden squall had harmed the sailboat. Masts and rigging went down, taking his wife and Arthur’s family with it. He said he found Renee floating in the water, tried to revive her, but failed.
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Harvey has said that gas lines in the engine room exploded, causing the ship to swarm with fire and eventually sink. He was the only survivor, and everyone else drowned right then and there.
