After giant whale sinks boat in the Pacific, Tennessee man helps with the rescue

Tommy Joyce was talking to his dad when an unknown number appeared on his phone.  

Moments later, the phone call with his father was dropped.

The spotty signal was expected, though. His father was in Dickson County, and Joyce was in the South Pacific, aboard a 45-foot sailboat named Southern Cross, halfway between the Galapagos Islands and French Polynesia, along with his wife, Katelyn, and friend Natalie Rudman. 

Joyce decided to call the unknown number back. 

Someone answered. He immediately heard an excited voice, uttering words he still remembers.

“You are friends with my brother Rick from Raindancer," the voice said. "This is not a joke, Raindancer just sank. They hit a whale and the boat sank. Rick says you know what to do.” 

Rick Rodriguez and three friends were on board Raindancer, on the same route as Southern Cross. They were “buddy boating,” to use sailing parlance. 

Joyce sent a message to Rodriguez: "We got you bud." 

The crew believes a Bryde’s whale crashed into Rodriguez’s boat. As the sailboat started to sink, the crew quickly grabbed supplies and boarded a lifeboat and dinghy. 

The Southern Cross was just under 200 miles away at the time. 

"As soon as we learned about the situation, we put a post on Facebook and set up a WhatsApp group," Joyce told The Tennessean. "Tried to contact every single boat they could." 

The story of the rescue has made national news.

“The sailing community is so tight," said Joyce, who is still sailing in the Pacific. "Everyone is trying to help everyone else." 

The closest boat was a 45-foot catamaran named Rolling Stones, captained by Geoff Stone. Stone’s brother saw a post in the social media group about the sinking boat. They changed course to help.

After 10 hours adrift in a lifeboat, the passengers from the Raindancer boarded the Rolling Stones.

‘Always wanted to do this big trip’

Joyce grew up in Dickson County, and his family owns Middle Tennessee Lumber. He was deputy assistant secretary for global energy security and multilateral engagement at the U.S Department of Energy until early 2021 when a new administration took office.

The Joyces saw an opportunity during the presidential transition. 

“We had always wanted to do this big trip,” Joyce said. 

So the couple set off on an adventure at sea. Along the way, they met Rudman, a freediving record holder from South Africa who teaches freediving and yoga in the Caribbean. 

Joyce, who is 40, said he reached his milestone birthday while crossing through the Panama Canal. 

Joyce said they have spotted whales during the trip. They’ve literally knocked on wood when talking about it, hoping to keep their distance. 

“We’ve seen a few in the Galapagos," he said. "We saw two a couple days after we left.”

Another emergency 

The whale wreck wasn’t the only issue the Joyces have encountered. 

About three days after the Raindancer went down, the Joyces heard another mayday call about a man who suffered a stroke on a boat.  

Joyce credits the power of the SpaceX-backed Starlink internet service for providing immediate communication in the Pacific. 

“This is out of the ordinary" he said. "We have a satellite internet that’s fast for the first time ever.” 

Once again, the Southern Cross crew began reaching out to nearby boats through social media and other methods.

“They were running out of fuel,” Joyce said. 

Ultimately, another boat rescued the man and brought him to shore. 

Joyce's father, Bill Joyce said the family worries about their son and daughter-in-law at sea. But they're able to temper their concern, knowing they are skilled sailors.

"When you are a parent and your children are at sea or war or battling some illness you spend a lot of time praying for their welfare," Joyce said. "We couldn’t be prouder of Tommy and Katelyn and their crew member Natalie in facilitating the rescue of their four friends on the Raindancer."

The crew has been sailing for more than three straight weeks now. But it won't be much longer before they complete their 3,000-nautical-mile journey to French Marquesas in French Polynesia. 

Tommy Joyce said they doesn’t expect to stop there. His crew has chronicled much of the trip in a blog.

“Then we'll continue heading west to New Zealand or Australia,” Joyce said.