Sailing Magazine
By Richard Crockett
In the middle of a cyclone, these are the real words exchanged between the crew of ‘Siandra’ as they battled for survival.
“We’ve got to pull the storm jib off!” Rains lashed at my face as I struggled to see whether Jamie had heard. Once again I screamed through the roar: “We’re going much too fast – something’s going to break!” He grimaced. I knew what he was thinking. In these conditions the foredeck would be a nightmare. Must have 60 knots here now, I thought, cowering as a wall of spray hurled itself across the deck. ‘Siandra’ shot down a wave, out of control. Eight, nine knots, … WHACK! The tiny headsail inverted with a pistol crack and the entire boat shuddered with the impact. “Let’s do it!” Jamie’s voice had an urgency to it this time.
Anyone who has been on a yacht in similar conditions can truly identify with the above.
Some sage advice given by this couple is worth noting and filing away for one day when…!
“Cyclone Aviona did teach us one important lesson: it’s no good waiting for heavy weather before you work out how to survive it. When exhaustion strikes knowledge, experience and preparation are all you have to fall back on. That time we were lucky.”
READ THE FULL STORY HERE: Pages from 1998 05 – SA Yachting – OCR
