Sailing Magazine
by Richard Crockett
This editorial from September 1995 is a first-hand account of a dismasting as experienced by Jo Hunter aboard ‘Chanson De Lecq’.
“I managed to make some syrupy coffee before mind and body suddenly ground to a halt. Only then did I start to feel fear, lying there shivering, hearing the roar of another approaching wave, waiting for the crash and sickening shudder of the boat” said Hunter.
All yacht owners who venture to sea should read this feature article and determine for themselves whether they are ready for that defining moment when the mast comes tumbling down. Jo Hunter elaborated further on this subject as follows:
“Losing the mast is something most of us would rather not think about. It may cross your mind from time to time as a worst scenario, but is pushed quickly away as unlikely. It’s the sort of thing that usually happens to other people. Likewise, jury-rigging a vessel is something you don’t spend too much time considering; there are usually a hundred and one more relevant bits and pieces to sort out. Until it happens to you. Until you find yourself looking down instead of up to admire your mast, sails and rigging. Until you find yourself several hours later with nothing remotely mast- like left on deck. Until you find yourself nearly 2 000 miles from your next landfall and no other way of getting there but using what is left, with a bit of imagination, to construct some kind of rig to sail under. Until you and your boat’s survival depends on it. Funny how sometimes these things do happen to you.”
READ IT ALL HERE: Pages from 1995 09 – SA Yachting – OCR
