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COMMODORE’S CORNER...continued |
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course it didn’t respond. We gesticulated madly that we wanted to turn in as you couldn’t be heard in the strong wind. The boys at first thought we were just waving and waved back. Finally when the testosterone cleared and their brains engaged they realised they were blocking our way and promptly gave us sea room.
What should have been an easy end to our sail was made so much more difficult. Our approach plan and process for furling the sail in the strong winds were in tatters. We made a real hash of it. And all because of a bunch of dumb blokes lacking in consideration and seamanship (the law of the sea in this case is that the overtaking boat shall keep clear at all times).
BOATS BEHAVING BADLY—PART TWO Bare Boat Charter in the Whitsundays. In the Whitsundays you can listen in to the radio traffic of the charter boats. We do this occasionally as it can be quite amusing. The date was 12/07/11 and we were sitting out the strong winds at Shaw Island. The charter boats of course are out enjoying themselves as they only have a limited number of days to do anything. Sense doesn’t come into the equation. Anyway, a call comes on the radio for assistance from the base station for a charter yacht sailing through Hook Passage. The conversation goes like this (names removed):
Yacht: “Base, we’re currently sailing through Hook Passage. We’re towing the dinghy but it’s upside down with the motor still on. We’ve managed to remove the anchor, but the dinghy is too heavy to get it up the right way. Can you send out the chase boat?” Base: “Romeo, Yacht. You can’t keep sailing with the boat upside down. Please stop and turn it up the right way, or the motor will be ruined.” Yacht: “Negative, base. We’ve tried and we can’t do it. And the conditions are too rough. We can only keep sailing. One of the ropes and pulleys holding the dinghy has broken off.” Base: “OK,OK. Please sail to Cid Harbour. We’ll send out the chase boat to meet you there.” Yacht: “Romeo, Base.”
About ten minutes goes by. The wind gets a bit stronger.
Yacht: “Base, we can’t tow the dinghy any more. The other rope and pulley broke off too. Can you send us out another dinghy and motor? We’re near the Hook Island resort.” Base: “Ah, Um, Eh, OK, yacht. Please anchor in Hook Passage and await the arrival of the chase boat.”
Grant and I say to one another that we are glad that isn’t our boat in charter with the motor and dinghy being towed upside down! About half an hour goes by.
Chase Boat: “Base, we’re at the resort. There’s no sign of yacht.” Yacht: “Base, we’re no longer at the resort. We’re almost to Cid Harbour. We saw the chase boat go by about ten minutes ago.” Base: “Chase boat, did you copy that?” Chase boat: “Yeah, mumble mumble, copy that, we’re on our way…”
What better way to spend a rainy and windy morning than to listen to the comedy of the “Chook Channel”?
BOOM BRUISES BRAIN Question: What is the most number of times a person can bang their head on the boom in one day? (It is a very hard object so you would think if you hit it once you would be more careful next time. Or is it the more you hit it the less it hurts. Or perhaps each time you hit it you kill off brain cells and are therefore less likely to remember it is there?)
Answer: Seven. The captain now holds the record and I have no intention of competing in this activity! |