OK, I'm, going to break this story down into a series of as short as possible paragraphs. I think some history prior to the event is important.
I arrived in New Zealand single handing my Islander 33. It had been a rough passage from Rarotonga and there were repairs needed and if possible, a refill the crusing kitty. It was onset of winter in the southern hemisphere and the weather in Auckland was akin to Seattle's in the winter. Not one condusive to working on a boat.
I saw an advert on the bullitin board at the Royal Auckarana Yacht Club (sorry if misspelled) for a crew to fly to Antigua, pick up a boat and deliver it thru to NZ. The boat was a brand new Camper Nicholson 39 ketch delivered to Antigua by an English crew. The vessel was owned by a Japanese businessman who had two of his own crew onboard. I applied and got the position. Never seemed odd to me that a suitable crew couldn't be found amongst the NZ sailing community, who are avid sailors. Turned out there was perhaps a reason, perhaps they knew the skipper. I had inquired whether he was an able sailor and was told yes, not told he had drinking issues. My error.
We arrived Antigua where, after their first interview with new skipper, the two Japanese crew left the boat. What?! This was not supposed to be a "watch on watch" sort of deal. I was promised that other crew was going to be picked up on route. A bad decision to leave without extra qualified crew. On board at this point was skipper, Mark; his girlfriend, Beverly as cook, myself as crew.
I'll be kind to the boat and simply say it was problemmatic. Major steering problems, deck leaks, roller
furling failure and the Ford Leman diesel engine (that was operator error).
Arrived Panama with partial steering (we broke first push pull steel tape off Curacao) and contacted Camper Nicholson and awaited replacement parts. One month spent waiting and wasted and Mark too, always to be found in nearest bar. Decided to leave with existing steering, communication with Camper Nicholson indicated that the "cables" would be sent ahead to meet us in Galapagos, a bad decision. We added a young frenchman as crew who was no sailor but avid to learn. Watches consisted of Mark and Bev sharing one eight hour period and the young frenchman and myself the next. Better than watch on watch (4 and 4). And fortunately the young frenchman was a quick study.
A stop at Las Perlas then a side trip to Isla Del Coco...Cocos Island, Pirate Morgan's old lair. At this point I'll pause and and describe engine controls: two levers: one throttle and one shift, IMHO not the best for a sailboat. In tying off to a tuna ball at Cocos, I'm at the bow, skipper is at the helm; in error he grabed the wrong lever and over revved the engine. Then in further error he grabbed other lever and took it out of gear. The engine blew a huge cloud of white smoke out
exhaust and shut down. We were then a sailboat.
We arrived at Galapagos, an uneventful trip save that we encountered abit of weather and roller
furling headsail jammed and would not roll up. Without an engine we couldn't power into the wind (to keep it luffing) and wrestle it out of its track. It soon came apart and flogged itself to pieces. The boat had a staysail with hank on sails and so we still able to sail although we are now traveling at a reduced rate of speed.
Last round up into wind to
anchor in Galapagos and other push pull steel tape steering "cable" broke. True story, and the Italian who designed that POS steering system should be made to cross an ocean using it.
"Cables" had arrived, however, without a way of charging batteries we convinced the Port officials to let us stay and repair engine. At that time cruising visas for Galapagos were required to be obtained prior to arriving at the Galapagos. We started to tear down engine only to find the push rods bent and one rocker arm broken in half. The rubber timing belt had stripped several teeth. We had spare timing belt. We had the manuals. We hammered the push rods into some semblance of straight. With
epoxy and filaments from a piece of roving we bandaged the rocker halves together. We were able to start engine, though only run at idle and not running in gear. We would have the engine properly repaired in Tahiti. We also picked up a young New Zealand adventurer looking for a inexpensive (read that: free meals and no pay) way home to NZ. Like seemingly all Kiwis, he had some familarity with sailboats.
That was all to get you up to speed as to our situation prior to Mark's overboard experience.
We were about halfway to the Marquesas, it was night, moon had not yet risen and light seas and wind. I was asleep in my bunk in the forward cabin and the young frenchman was awake reading. Mark decided we should be flying a
spinnaker. Bad decision. Doesn't call "all hands on deck for a sail change" but with boat on
autopilot goes forward preps the
spinnaker pole and runs the sheets and guys. Then he doesn't take a wrap around the
winch but hand over hands the halyard. Very bad decision.
Spinnaker pops and fills and he, in further error, hangs on and is lifted off his feet, lets go and falls backward overboard. This account was told to me by the young Kiwi.
A scream, and yelling and I'm being shaken awake by the young frenchman. I charge aft and into the center cockpit and find that the Kiwi is frantically tearing at the tied in MOB horseshoe at the stern. Now the boat has a split backstay with two MOB setups. One securely tied and one ready to go. This in case of losing one in bad weather. But he's pulling at the tied in one. Immediately I'm aft and throw the loose one and yell into the darkness "Swim to the light!". I cannot see him. MOB has horseshoe pole and strobe light.
At this point, we are still on
autopilot with a
spinnaker in shambles on the foredeck with sheets and guys loose sail partially in the water and pole askew. The main is vanged out to the starboard rail. I told the near hysterical Bev (she lost her brother in a sailing accident) to get that sail on deck NOW. I told the Kiwi to release to vang. And the frenchman was right there with "What do you want me to do?"..... "Get my glasses", which were in the pocket on the leeboard of my bunk.
I started the engine and turned on the deck
lights. Main was not free and I looked to see that the Kiwi trying to undo the
shackle by hand rather that simply pulling the lanyard and popping the snapshackle. The frenchman sees it too and pops the
shackle. The two go forward and help bev get everything on deck. With main sheeted in and deck clear of spinnaker and
lines, engine running I disengaged autopilot, put it into gear and began the slow idle back to the light. All the time hoping the engine would stay together. All in all, perhaps twenty minutes to get back to the light. Mark was there, at the light and we brought him aboard via the
ladder on the stern.
We had a few small events between there and Tahiti, a stop at Nuku Hiva where we cleared into FP.
In Tahiti there are two places yachts reside. On at the quay, stern to and the other the beach, "la plage" (probably mispelled) with bow
anchor and stern
line ashore. We tie to the quay. And before we are finished with that we realize the young Kiwi is gone. He left without a bye or anything, although the frenchman said he knew he was leaving. I never saw him again and figure he must have left by plane. The young frenchmand wanted off and Mark tried to keep him citing an obsure rule of sea law regarding crew. Bad decision, frenchman's uncle worked in FP govenment. He threatened to impound the vessel and start a complete investigation. So in the end besides securing the young frenchman's release from the vessel, he secured my release as well. I had had my fill. Bev left by plane. Mark contacted his drinking buddies in NZ and was getting a new crew flown in from NZ. I returned to my boat in NZ via a Russian passenger liner, the "Taras Schevchenko" which was under contract with a British company to carry passengers from Southampton to Auckland and Sidney. That's a trip I'm glad I made, an enjoyable ending to a miserable delivery.
Sorry to be so long winded. But simply saying that "the skipper failed to take a wrap around the
winch" wasn't complete enough.
Wiley
.......i2f
