Rower Jari Saario, who was rescued from sea distress, arrived safely in Cape Town the night before Saturday. The man now has a story to tell.
Extreme rower Jari Saario’s sea voyage lasted 66 days. He tells Iltalehte that he is above all extremely grateful to the Filipino crew that saved him. They gave him a “new life”.
Saario arrived in South Africa’s Cape Town at midnight on the night between Friday and Saturday. The man has experienced an arresting journey, which he already feared would be his last. Although the trip also attracted criticism, the man is proud of his performance and intends to learn from his experiences.
Jari Saario tells Iltalehte his latest news. Stock photo. Rosa Bröijer
How does the ground feel now, Jari Saario?
– Surprisingly good. Really super nice. Is it the case that I’ve been at sea for 66 days, so it feels super nice to walk on dry land, Saario laughs.
Saario reached Cape Town at midnight on the night between Friday and Saturday. The man has experienced an arresting journey, which he already feared would be his last.
Honorary Consul of Finland in Cape Town Philip Palmgren assisted Saariot in immigration matters. Palmgren was also involved in the small vessel that picked up Saario off Cape Town. Palmgren told Iltalehte earlier on Friday that Saari’s return to Finland will probably happen early next week.
When will you be able to return home?
– Yes, I will try to go back from the beginning of the week, because I don’t intend to stay on vacation. Although it’s nice that I made it all the way here and everything is clear.
Saario says that he didn’t dare to book return flights for the weekend yet, because there could be delays in shipping. He also hopes that he would be allowed to arrive in Finland peacefully and that there would be no reception at the airport.
– I don’t want to go to the airport to meet people when I get home. I can give the interviews later, but first I want to go to my family.
Now Saario is happy that he got to the port of Cape Town without delays, although he also says that he misses the crew that already saved him.
– In a way, we became one family. We were together for exactly two hours less than a week. Part [miehistöstä] I cried when I left, it was a really emotional moment.
Another life
A week ago, a 19-person Filipino crew rescued Saario from very challenging conditions. According to Saario, the waves were seven meters high and the wind was about 15 meters per second. According to the crew, the air temperature was about two degrees Celsius.
– The captain had to have nerves of steel. Everyone had to do the right tasks at the right time for such a rescue to be successful.
The crew told Saario that saving him was a matter of honor for them, which they will remember for the rest of their lives. Saario is extremely grateful to the crew.
– They gave me another life. They were the only ship within range to save. When they put me on the ship, my body temperature was hypothermic. Had I been wet there for 36 hours.
According to Saario, Filipinos are very hospitable and feed him like a king. Over the course of the week, the crew had also discussed how Saario managed to survive such extreme conditions for so long.
Feedback
According to Saario, the crew of Cymona Eagle began to actively follow the Finnish media to see news about Saario’s trip. The crew also told Saario what the Finnish media wrote about him. There were plenty of positive and cheering messages, but negative feedback also reached Saario’s ears. He was criticized, among other things, for disturbing the work of the crew that saved him.
– Maritime people think a little differently about it. Many seemed to get angry that I somehow disturbed their work or life, so they had a completely different attitude.
Saario understands that there would have been no need for the Cymona Eagle’s crew to bring her to Cape Town.
– They were super happy that they saved me. They will probably have to be at anchor for five weeks soon and they don’t mind the daily cycle. Even the shipping company understands how important this was to the task and to their team spirit.
– Although some of the comments were negative, probably all Filipinos and all Finns are proud of the crew and what they have done. They are real life heroes. They did an insane and difficult rescue operation and will be proud of it for the rest of their lives.
Saario believes that he has learned a lot during the trip, and he also has a lot to give others from his trip.
Alcohol
Saario asked the crew for alcohol after boarding. Now he wonders why there was a fuss about it. For example, drinking rum, which is meant to warm you up, not intoxicate you, has been connected to seafaring for centuries.
– I don’t normally drink red wine except sometimes. If you want to look for a person who has seen me drunk as an adult, it is very difficult to find one.
Saario has also seen memes made about him.
– I’ll learn from it, but I might also feel a little bad. How bad it is for such a person, who like that [meemejä] does? I feel a bit sorry for them, and I’m not going to get hurt by them.
Saario says that he asked for the whiskey specifically to warm the body internally and not because of his craving for alcohol. Hypothermia left its mark on the man’s body, and on Saturday he plans to see his legs at the doctor for the first time.
– [Jalat] were perhaps the worst. I was frozen for a long time when I was wet all over. The legs now have marks similar to burns. But I do believe that they will get better, they were quite swollen, says Saario.
Above all, grateful
Saario plans to read all the messages he receives. He is grateful for all positive and negative feedback. He also says that he intends to look in the mirror in certain matters to learn from his experiences.
– I look in the mirror and wonder what I have to learn, but I don’t intend to come to Finland feeling ashamed. I’m proud that I dared. I hope I will be able to give lessons to many others as well.
Saario plans to keep in touch with the crew in the future as well. At least some of them also planned to visit Finland next summer.
– And they said afterwards that they really admire the fact that someone is brave enough to go and try something like that.
– Now it didn’t end as I had originally planned. I would never want to cause anyone any trouble or hurt. And they also said afterwards that they really admire that someone is brave enough to go and try something like that.
Saario reflects on how throughout history people have done dangerous feats and tried new things. That’s what he thinks he did too.
– However, I have toured Cape Horn and it will go down in history. And I hit an iceberg. It was a super difficult sea area. I have quite a story to tell.
