More than three dozen people are feared dead after the M.V. Matui ferry sank on Sept. 11, 2026, off the coast of Vanuatu, an island nation located in the South Pacific. A Toronto native, who lives in Vanuatu but is back home visiting family, spoke with Speakers Corner about her own experience onboard that same vessel just over a year ago.“I am deeply saddened by the news but I’m also not surprised,” said author Kat Finnerty.Finnerty and her daughter boarded the ship after they visited the island of Ambae to climb Manaro Voui, an active volcano in 2024.“After the trip we had to get back to Santo, an island located about 90 kilometres from Ambae, but there were no planes available to board.”Finnerty and her daughter then went to the port to find a ship, when they met the crew of the M.V. Matui, designated as a cargo ship but one that often takes on passengers as well.“They said they could take us back. We paid $30 for the trip,” she recalled. “It started off great, the weather was beautiful but then when we hit the open water, things took a dangerous turn.”Finnerty says the next several hours were terrifying as turbulent seas rocked the boat and water was seen pouring in. Her daughter became violently ill.“At one point, I looked at the captain and he just turned to me and said, ‘This is not good.'”From climbing volcanos, to other thrills, Finnerty has spent much of her life chasing ultimate adventures.“And this was the one time I said ‘Kat, I think you’ve pushed it too far.'”The trip was supposed to last four hours but it turned into 12 by the time the ship finally ended up making it safely to shore.“We felt so lucky to have made it but now I see just how lucky we were,” she said, reacting to the news of the boat’s demise. On Sept. 11, the M.V. Matui, with 53 people on board, sunk after encountering bad weather. Fourteen people have been rescued, 39 are still missing and feared dead, according to the latest reports.“Some were crew and most of them were people coming home,” she said.The ship is believed to have sunk some 22 hours before anyone knew. The public was only alerted after one of the passengers swam to shore.“They didn’t even know for 22 hours that something happened to that boat – for 22 hours people were swimming in shark infested waters,” Finnerty said.The Vanuatu government has launched an investigation. According to Vanuatu’s Daily Post, the M.V. Matui was not authorized to carry passengers. The newspaper also reports the company was warned about overloading of personnel and cargo by inspectors the day before the sinking.“This is a real tragedy but hopefully we can learn from it,” Finnerty said. She authored a book about overcoming personal disasters based on her lived experience.“I’ve overcome quite a bit,” she told CityNews. “I was diagnosed with M.S. when I was 24 and I could not walk for almost 10 years.”The message in her memoir, ‘Never Let a Good Disaster Go to Waste: Making Sense of a Life of Absurdity,’ is how disaster can bring about positive change.She’s hopeful that happens when it comes to maritime law in the South Pacific.“They will definitely tighten things up and put some safety measures in place,” she said.Finnerty will leave Toronto to head back to Vanuatu next week where she’ll likely meet with family members left grieving for loved ones lost and plans to help anyway she can.