Malolo Lailai Bound.
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Part 2. |
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By
Peter Andrews, © 1998. |
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"There
were whales and dolphins, so many that after a while you didn't
bother getting up if you were already comfortable doing something
else". |
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"As our latter day Captain
Bligh was lecturing everyone on the rigours of swimming at their
own risk, two thirds of the ship's crew jumped overboard into
the three thousand metre abyss, to swim with the turtle". |
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"Joining
the ship at Norfolk Island was not only difficult but delayed
for a couple of days because of the weather. The horror stories
from those who were out there when they finally made it ashore
and from those hanging around were far from anything you would
read in some glossy travel brochure". |
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"When
there was enough light I attempted to take a few photos of the
swell but it was rather difficult as there was a lot of movement". |
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"It is bad enough when
one is sea sick as they may set someone else off. But what do
you do when most, including the permanent crew were hopelessly
sick? There was only a couple that weren't and one was a lady
in her seventies, walking around collecting... Well, I think
we will leave it at that". |
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"The
deck was dangerously wet and slippery, and with what light that
was available, it was little to play with. I suppose a couple
of blurry shots and the memories of the day will suffice" |
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"Steering
the ship was a feeling of pure exhilaration as through your own
hands and feet, you can feel the whole ship riding down the swell
to a point at where it seems to stall in the trough. The swell
then rolls under the ship, thrusting it back up to the peak,
then the ship gently slides down back of the swell into the next
trough as the swell rolls forward... We were literally surfing
the 'Bounty'". |
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Approaching the entrance to Suva, Fiji. |
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Almost eight years after my first tall ship voyage
on the 'Bounty', information has come to hand on what happened
to one of the missing yachts that was mentioned in the above
article. Unfortunately, the yacht, 'Rockin Robin' with four experienced
and well prepared crew were forever lost to the South Pacific.
The Master of the vessel Grant Wiltshire 62, his son Robert 34,
father of three Jeff Smith and Andrew Young. |
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After a year of preparation and planning for
what was to be a sailing trip of a lifetime, they were to meet
their families in Fiji. But in the middle of the night on the
8th of June 1990 and around 500 nautical miles off Bundaberg
-- with wind gusting to 60 knots generating a swell of up to
10 metres, the crew of 'Rockin Robin' issued their mayday
and activated an Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon
(EPIRB). An RAAF Orion that was involved in another search much
closer to shore was diverted to 'Rockin Robin's' aid. When it
arrived, the air crew dropped two 10 man life-rafts strung together,
down to the stricken yacht as it appeared that the yacht's own
raft had been torn on the propeller when launched. |
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The nearest ship, a French Navy frigate called
the 'Admiral Charner' which at the time was at least 20 hours
away, finally arrived at the location only to find one empty
life-raft. |
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