Island Girl: A Broken Dream

The Pudney family’s dream of sailing across the seas ended when their wooden catamaran broke apart in rough waters near Cox’s Bazar. Their 16-year-old son, Albert, did not survive.

The family of four from New Zealand had travelled between Bangladesh and New Zealand for two and a half years while building the 58-foot Island Girl. They chose a dockyard in Cox’s Bazar for its craftsmen and access to the timber needed for the project. The boat, which cost around Tk 1.5 crore, was intended to become their home at sea.

John Edward Pudney, 74, his Chinese wife Bella, 34, and their sons Ralph, 13, and Albert, 16, had lived aboard the catamaran for six months while it lay anchored near the BIWTA jetty on the Bakkhali River. The vessel had two wooden hulls joined by thick logs, with a living area and steering position on a broad platform.

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Suddenly, a huge wave came over

The family was travelling toward Chattogram to address visa complications when Ralph noticed that one of the logs connecting the hulls had cracked. John tried to turn the boat around, but waves broke the remaining supports. The central section collapsed, and the four family members were thrown into the water.

“Suddenly, a huge wave came over,” John said. He told The Daily Star that he could not swim and clung to pieces of the wreckage until Ralph helped him climb out. The boat split into two within seconds. Albert’s body was recovered days later near Ward 1 of Cox’s Bazar municipality after an extensive search.

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I had no strength