The crew of the Aislig Bheag can today report the dramatic rescue on the
high seas of a highly distressed fender:
The rescue effort began in earnest a little after 4pm on the first Dog
Watch (Rover) after John spotted the white head (of said Mr. fender) bobbing off
the port side. Conditions were challenging with high seas (1ft swell) and
gale force conditions (3.5knts) but in spite of these adverse conditions the
skipper’s fast reactions, (think well oiled mechanical gears not fibre optic
cables), kicked into gear as he brought the yacht head to wind and a text book
emergency stop (backing the jib under full canvas and heaving in the
main). John shouted out “all hands on deck!” and the crew speedily
assembled in the cockpit as the yacht charged towards the bobbing victim being
submerged intermittently by violent breaking waves.
Michael with reckless regard for his own safety dashed valiantly to the bow
with a boat hook poised like a harpoon above his head while John steady at the
helm steered the boat expertly on a rescue course. Where the victim came
from and how long he had been in the water nobody knew but the atmosphere on
board was electric: as they waited, seconds seemed like minutes, and the crew
collectively held their breath. John, in his mind, was recalling the
thousands of times he’d sailed on and off a mooring ball in a calm bay in
Scotland, “when he was a lad”, but took nothing for granted. The high seas
and strong winds made the approach treacherous and he wasn’t about to let the
poor sod in the water get bashed against the hull more than was absolutely
necessary to the telling of this dramatic tale.
As we drew up alongside the victim Michael lent over expertly to fish the
head out of the water wielding his boat hook like sailors of old with a deft
hand and a daring flick of his risk. Unfortunately the deft hand and
daring flick missed their intended target by a couple of feet and the hook
flashed harmlessly passed the outstretched hand (line). Now it was a real
emergency as the victim ran quickly down the side of the boat. First Owen,
then Gaetano, then David swiped for it, pirouetting dangerously against the
lifelines, but both missed.
Quick thinking as ever the Skipper threw himself underneath the stern rail
while Alison grabbed wildly at his thrashing legs to keep him from going over
the side and with a last grasp of his outstretched hands the Skippers fingers
managed to latch on to white cord. With all his might he dragged the
victim up the side of the boat. But at what cost? John found himself
paralysed, firmly stuck under the stern rail neither able to raise himself nor
let go of his prized catch. He held on doggedly and whispered words of
encouragement into the sea as three of the crew rushed to his aid and pulled him
bodily back on board.
Once all were safely back in the cockpit broad smiles broke out on the
faces of the crew as the rescue victim, a white Taylor Made fender, complete
with barnacles, rested exhausted on the floor of the cockpit. In the
annals of sailing history and in the adventures of brave men on the sea, this
must surely be up there as one of the greatest moments of courage and daring on
the high seas?
And in other news: there is no wind at present but we did have two good
days of sailing and witnessed two magnificent sunrises with a playful pod of
Dolphins on the bow; we saw a second larger Whale which thankfully was behind us
and not in front of us; and Gaetano finally cooked us a delicious Italian
specialty of ‘Pasta and Tomato Sauce’ (“Like a momma used to make!”) which
raised the spirits of the entire crew enormously and gave us all a sense of that
well being that comes with a bowl of hot food 600NM offshore.
Our backdrop tonight is of a brooding sea and a blanketed grey sky with
squalls on the horizon but after today’s heroics we are confident as a crew that
we can whether the storm*
*NB if Neptune is reading this don’t take that as a challenge – 15knts
would be perfect thanks, we all need to sleep!