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    The first thing that Peter Khaku did after reaching the Vasai coast on Friday morning was say a quiet prayer. The 45-year-old fisherman then just broke down.
    Khaku and his 14-member crew had left the Vasai coast in his family-owned boat â??Pratiphalâ?? on Saturday to catch fish. But they could sight land only six days later as they got caught in a furious storm, 90 nautical miles from the Vasai coast.
    â??It was an unforgettable sight. There were tidal waves 18-20-ft high and the boat was threatening to capsize. We wondered if we would ever be able to see our families again,â??â?? said Khaku. The storm hit â??Pratiphalâ?? on Monday around noon.
    â??For the next 14 hours, we battled the storm. Our seniormost crew member, 60-year-old Walter uncle, was handling the steering. We dropped anchor and started pumping out the excess water,â??â?? he said.
    The crew was hungry and thirsty, but the storm had damaged their rations, consisting of rice, spices and vegetables.
    â??All of us had butter biscuits for the rest of the journey. Our drinking water supply was also limited,â??â?? said Khaku. â??The popes and fishing equipment were destroyed, the fuel tank was damaged and one of the cylinders running the engine died. There was no mode of communication either.â??â??
    Two teenagers, Christian (15) and Roshan (18), were out at sea for the first time in â??Pratiphalâ??. Christian, a school dropout, said he had never seen the sea so furious.
    Khaku said he has sailed for almost 35 years but has seen such a storm only once earlier.
    â??It was during the Seventies when I was helping a family friend on his boat. I was barely 10 and had to prepare and serve tea to other crew members. A storm had hit us then, but nothing prepared me for the ordeal we went through this time,â??â?? he said.
    According to the fisheries department, around 300 boats had set out for sea across the western coast on Saturday. Following torrential rains, around 85 boats sailed towards Jaffarabad port in Gujarat while the others managed to return to the Pachubunder in Vasai.
    However, three boats, â??Pratiphalâ??, â??Christrajaâ?? and â??Subhikshaâ??, with 44 fishermen on board could not be reached. Late on Thursday night, officials were finally able to communicate with the crew of â??Christrajaâ??. â??It is off the Dahanu coast and there are some other fishing boats near it too. The 12 crew members of â??Christrajaâ?? are safe and the ship will turn towards Vasai soon. â??Subhikshaâ?? managed to dock at Jaffarabad after its engine failed and will now be towed back. Its 17 crew members are safe,â??â?? assistant director (fisheries) Vinod Naik told TOI.
    While Pratifal and Christraja boats from Pachubandar in Vasai, Subhiksha is from Kochiwade in the Vasai-Naigaon area.
    On Friday, the village had a festive look, with the crew of â??Pratiphalâ?? attending church and later having a feast with family and friends.

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