Calif. sailor, rescued from disabled boat, arrives home with mixed feelings on journey's end

Tuesday, January 9th 2007, 9:31 pm

By: News On 6

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) _ A beaming Ken Barnes stepped off an airplane Tuesday and into the arms of joyful friends and relatives who had kept vigil for days as the sailor awaited rescue on his disabled boat 500 miles off the tip of South America.

Barnes, 47, arrived at John Wayne Airport in Orange County shortly after 9 a.m. on a flight from Dallas after beginning the long trip home from Chile on Monday. He was rescued late last week by a Chilean fishing trawler after a violent storm prevented him from becoming the first American sailor to circumnavigate the world solo and nonstop, starting from the West Coast.

Barnes told reporters he was frustrated he was not able to achieve his dream, but added he would do it again _ if he had the money.

``Did I lose everything, or did I gain? I think I gained. I gained a lot,'' said Barnes, flanked by his longtime girlfriend and his parents. ``There's consequences to any action, but we all have dreams. You've got to live life, you've got to do what you need to do.''

Barnes said he spent Sunday night in a Chilean military hospital in Punta Arenas. He was treated for a gash to his right calf that had become infected. He thanked the Chilean navy and the crew of the fishing trawler, the Polar Pesca I, that eventually plucked him from his boat in the frigid waters off Cape Horn.

``They turned around in 90- to 110-knot winds on their fishing grounds, pulled their nets and started coming to me in 10- to 12-meter seas,'' he said. ``That takes a lot of guts. ... That crew deserves all the thanks in the world.''

Barnes, who sold his home and a thriving pool maintenance business to finance the trip, said he first became worried around noon Tuesday, Jan. 2, during a fierce storm. A strong wind came up about the same time a 25-foot breaking wave crashed over his boat. The Privateer rolled 360 degrees, breaking two hatches and two masts and sending the boat's batteries shooting through the floorboards. Three feet of water quickly filled the boat.

Fearing the worst of the storm was yet to come, Barnes activated the boat's emergency distress beacon, leading to his rescue early Friday.

Barnes has not said whether he plans to reimburse the Chilean government for the cost of his rescue. The Chilean Maritime Governor for Punta Arenas said the Chilean Navy spent about $200,000, including fuel for a tugboat, helicopter and two airplanes. The trawler captain has said he lost about $50,000 a day after diverting to reach Barnes.