2 April 2010
All things come in threes as Thetis has just found out and not always in a good way. Many rally yachts at anchor in the northwest bay of Tahuatu, Hanamoenoa, decided on a get together on the beach.
Chopping open a coconut the young lad crewing on Thetis chopped off a finger as well. The digit could not be saved but if you are going to lose a finger then the index finger is best. I spent many years with a hand surgeon famous for his pioneering work in reconstruction of thumbs from the hip bone so I should know. Paul from WARC stepped into his place aboard Thetis and on their way back to Hiva Oa with the casualty the engine broke down. Sailing in very light winds they only just managed to clear rocks opposite the breakwater with 5metres to spare. Then this afternoon having moved from last night's anchorage up to here in Hanamoenoa where the accident occurred David and I decided to go ashore for a walk and snorkel from the beach.
The surf was running quite strongly but David timed it superbly well and we landed without mishap. However Klaus from Thetis was not so lucky. As he made his final approach, a huge roller lifted the tender high, flipping it over and throwing him head over heels onto the shore where he landed heavily on his shoulder. David and I ran along the beach to help him but even I was knocked over by the force of the incoming waves. We retrieved the oars which had broken loose as well as the tender which had flipped upside down. Klaus was lying immobile on the sand but he recovered enough to walk beyond the surf to rest and recover. Enlisting the help of Jan, Patrik and Lars from Ronja, and Paul we got Klaus back aboard safely with his tender in tow.
An open evening invitation from Jeannius was extended to all the boats at anchor, nine in total. Their catamaran was the perfect boat to hold such a crowd of us. And so the day ended on a much happier note.
Susan Mackay