ON February 16, 1989, the inter-island vessel Evelyn ran aground on the treacherous Nasilai Reef at dawn.

The Fiji Times reported the following day that 17 passengers and eight crew were safely evacuated in punts by Nasilai, Kiuva and Vadrai villagers after one of the passengers, Joji Bakoso, made a heroic swim across four miles of treacherous seas to Kiuva Village for help.

There he raised the alarm and within minutes, a fleet of small crafts with volunteers put out to sea in a rescue mission.

Within an hour, all five women passengers and three young brothers on board were brought to shore.

When The Fiji Times visited the disaster scene, the Evelyn was being pounded by heavy seas and the stern was breaking up.

It was listing badly.

Strong waves around the reef made it difficult for The Fiji Times team to reach the ship.

Passengers and villagers had started to throw food crops, coconuts and voivoi into the sea when The Fiji Times had arrived.

The Evelyn had left Nairai at 10pm on February 15 for Suva with the passengers who had gone to the island to attend a funeral.

But disaster had struck when the ship was trying to manoeuvre around Nasilai Reef early at dawn.

The passengers that The Fiji Times spoke to said the lighthouse at Nasilai was not working.

Mr Bakoso said the ship’s captain could not have safely guided the ship around the reef without the lighthouse.

“That was impossible, especially on a dark and cloudy morning like today,” he said.

Most passengers were jolted out of their sleep when the ship suddenly crashed into the reef.

One of the passengers, Joji Amenatave Tuisawau, told The Fiji Times at Nasilai Village, where most of the passengers were resting, that the ship had hit the reef without warning.

“I was sleeping when I suddenly felt this jolt and I knew that we must have hit something,” he said.

“When I looked out, I saw that the ship was on the reef.”

Mr Tuisawau said when the captain tried to reverse the ship into the open sea, strong breakers battered it.

“All we could do was stay still and pray that the ship did not capsize.”

He said it was raining and it was very dark.

“We had to wait for daybreak before we could do anything.

“The captain, Mr Varesiko Kavika, had fired flares to try to draw attention from any ship or boat nearby.

“I had to look for lifejackets to give to the women and children so that they could be prepared if the ship capsized.”

At daybreak, Mr Bakoso began swimming to the shore.

Villagers of Nasilai, Vadrai and Kiuva who had noticed the Evelyn on the reef took to sea.

The male passengers and some of the villagers had to form a human ladder to transfer the women passengers and children to the waiting punts.

“There was a lot of crying on the part of the women.”

The villagers of Nasilai prepared a feast for the passengers when they got to shore. They also gave them dry clothing.

The naval boat, Kiro, arrived later in the morning to try to salvage the Evelyn.