Race 3 - Day 15
Crew Diary - Race 3 Day 15: Cape Town to Fremantle
15 November
Today is 15th November and it's my birthday. As it turns out, it was a day I won't forget in a hurry.
All started well. A special breakfast of cereal, boiled eggs and toast with well wishes from my fellow crew to be followed by a quiet watch up on deck. Now that the long promised wind change has arrived, the boat is a lot flatter while still maintaining good speeds. Things are far more comfortable and all was well.
That is until a loud 'thunk' was heard. To me it sounded like we had hit something in the water, but the reality was worse. The large steel shackle that connects the forestay to the deck had snapped (the forestay is the strong steel cable that supports the mast and also where we attach the yankee sails).
It looked like our Leg 3 race was over. Without being able to use yankee sails, our speed would be severely limited and would likely delay our arrival in Fremantle by days. Even worse was the possibility of having to motor the rest of the way.
But all was not lost.
If you're around my age you may recall a TV series called MacGyver, where the main star was able to get himself out of many hairy situations using common items at hand and always managed to come up with a plan. Well, on the Pink Panther we have our own MacGyver in the form of skipper Lance!
Once the forestay had been secured and the mast supported with a spinnaker halyard, he was off to find a fix.
The initial problem was that we did not have a spare shackle. So the first task was to see if we could find a shackle somewhere else on the boat that could be repurposed. As luck would have it the bobstay has a suitable one. The only problem was the bobstay shackle is connected to the front of the boat right at the water line. John V was suited up and dropped over the side, but found himself up to his neck in the water with the shackle constantly disappearing under the surface. Lance then called for all hands on deck and got us to stand at the back of the boat. Amazingly this raised the front of the boat by a foot! Although enough for John V to have a good go at releasing the shackle, it remained firmly stuck.
However the full crew gathering was not wasted. I was on the helm at the time so the crew took the opportunity to perform a fine rendition of Happy Birthday.
Since the bobstay shackle was no longer an option Lance, James et al. moved on to plan B, then plan C and so on, eventually coming up with a workable solution. Last I saw was Lance balancing on the bowsprit, hacksaw in hand, with James close at hand surrounded by the contents of the tool box.
Long story short, a while later the two returned from the bow with a triumphant look. The repair work was complete and we were able to sail again.
Although the broken forestay had cost us the best part of a day's sailing we were extremely lucky that the weather was calm enough that the boat did not sustain significant damage (a collapsed mast for example) and we were able to carry out repairs. Had the weather been rough it could have been a very different outcome!
My birthday celebrations finished with a great meal (courtesy of the day's mothers, Graham & Eric) which included rice pudding and not one, but two, birthday cakes, complete with icing (thanks Graham). Another team singing of Happy Birthday rounded out the end of a day that could potentially have been disastrous, but was saved by team work & ingenuity.
On reflection, my 51st birthday reminds me of the old Mastercard moments advert (which goes something along the lines of: Family Dinner: $120, Movie Tickets: $30, watching the joy on your children's faces: Priceless)
My version would be the Clipper Race: $ A small fortune, Accommodation & travel: $5000, sharing my birthday in the middle of the ocean with a fantastic group of people: Priceless!
Written by Steve Schoultz
Remember to Think Pink.