SandS said...


with a happy ending

Have a look at tobiasbucek.blogspot.com/ go to climbing from a boat. Its a bit of blog about our recent "climbing" cruise" of Bass Strait.I have left the boat in Launceston for ongoing Tasmanian cruising. WRG to the "happy endings" my son Toby was accompanied by his girlfriend so there may well have been happy endings. The few times I have ventured back to Tassie with my wife has been so very cold that no happy endings can be reported. -3 deg o'night last trip so thermals, plus 3 layers puts an end to that. I am heading back solo in the morning for a few days. Do solo happy endings count?

SandS said...


with a happy ending

Does not seem to be many happy endings, what about some disastrous ones?

This is a bit of a story, i will try to keep it brief. I was out in the bay at Port Fairy on my seaway 25 with my regular crew testing the storm sails in a bit of a blow. We sailed back up the river and because the breeze was in the right direction sailed into the pen. This must have looked impressive as we were shortly aproached by a visiting yachty who asked if any of us could help them sail their racing yacht back to Geelong. They were a bit short of crew for the trip home. I had been racing at Port fairy for a few years but hadnt done an ocean trip. I got the wifes permission and off I went. There was a front passing which was forcast so we sat it out and at about 3 oclock in the afternoon headed off behind the front in about a twenty knot south easterly. this was all going to plan but instead of easing, the wind continued to build. by the time we were off Port cambell were in 40 plus knots with gusts up to 50 knots and it was still building. This was a professionally raced yacht and the two full time crew were down below with their heads in buckets.the storm boards were in and we were stuck on the notorious ship wreck coast lee shore, trying inch our way out to Cape otway. At this point we had reduced sail to a triple reefed main and were surfing down waves with the log consistantly reading over 16 knots. This is in a 32 foot 1/2 tonner that weighed about 3 ton I believe. There were only two of us on deck. Fortunately the skipper was an exceptional sailer. We eventualy had to take the main down and run under bare poles. We were still running at 11 or 12 knots. The two main problems were getting enough sea room to round Cape Otway and avoiding a pitchpole at the bottom of the waves. Graham, the skipper, was having to run across the bottom of the troughs to avoid the bow going down and to try and work our way off the lee shore. As we turned beam on to the wind we were just knocked flat in the water on nearly every wave. My job was to wrap my legs around a winch and hold the skipper in place until the boat came back up. I remember the wind speed reading 75 knots and we were surfing down a wave at 11 knots at the sametime. Many people dont believe me when I tell them but the boat was 32 foot long, the waves were close to vertical and the face of the waves were, I estimate, 5 to six boat lengths. I was having a chuck every half hour or so once we were running under bare poles. The final straw for me was just as we rounded the Cape Otway light when , I thought, we were knocked flat but both ended over the side of the boat hanging off our harnesses. I remember thinking, I hope Im in this boat when it comes up, I didnt have the strength to climb back in. When the boat came back up I was scooped up in the lifelines and landed back on the deck. Nicest hard landing I ever had. I didnt realise until a year later when I caught up with Graham that we had actually pitchpoled. That was 5.30 am and I finally removed the storm boards and brought the two seasick crew back on deck so I could climb into a bunk. I never thought a boat full of deisel and vomit and a wet sail for a blanket could be so good. To cut the story short it was 3.00am the next morning before we parked the boat at Geelong and went our own ways.Graham told the boat owner he would never go out into Bass Stait again in a yacht under 40 foot. He raced to Port Fairy the following year in a new 40 footer. I now own a 41 footer.

PM2

Thanks for that story.
Whilst it did make me chuckle it also reminded me that the Strait is a tough place and that boats will put up with a lot of punishment.

On another note I recently lent a copy of Fatal Storm to a mate who was interested in my pursuit of a boat.

Now this guy has done a little bit of dinghy sailing and has also been shot at several times in various war zones. He is level headed and very capable in whatever endevour he pursues - ideal crew or so I thought.

He returned my book and vowed never ever to leave the heads and possibly never set foot on a sail boat again!

Bugger

kenif said...

PM2

Thanks for that story.
Whilst it did make me chuckle it also reminded me that the Strait is a tough place and that boats will put up with a lot of punishment.

On another note I recently lent a copy of Fatal Storm to a mate who was interested in my pursuit of a boat.

Now this guy has done a little bit of dinghy sailing and has also been shot at several times in various war zones. He is level headed and very capable in whatever endevour he pursues - ideal crew or so I thought.

He returned my book and vowed never ever to leave the heads and possibly never set foot on a sail boat again!

Bugger

Yes boats will handle a lot . Its us that usually fail in some way.