My heros of the year

[Steve Willis]

My sincere thanks go out to Gary Walters (640) and Paul and Andrew Carter (Dart18 4871) for their gallant rescue of me from floating down the Swale for 15 minutes in 4-6 foot swell yesterday afternoon. Despite the fact you all had to get away quickly I owe you a pint or two next time we meet. They abandoned their attempts in the Open Fowley race to help me and Joan.

Scenario, force 4 gusting 6, beating with a fully beam swell of 4-6 feet. Hull on our Dart 18 was about 3 feet up and me fully flat trapezeing when a wave went under the upper hull and knocked the lower one down - my hook was wrenched out just when I had both hands on the jib sheet to pull it in more. Having previously had an instance where I held onto the jib sheet and nearly knocked Joan off the boat as well I let go.

Joan went head to wind but I could not make way swimming to her despite the fact that the boat was initially only 15-20 feet away (the speed with which she was being pushed downwind by the swell and my being hampered by my harness compounded. Joan could not release the helm to get the main halyard out to throw me. She tried to tack on her own (10 stone) but capsized and then drifted away very rapidly.

Luckily we carry our mobile phones in aquapacs and Joan called the race tower for a patrol boat to come but meanwhile Paul and Andrew saw me and tried valiantly to get near me slow enough but had missed me a couple of times due to the swell when Gary appeared beating straight for me and managed to help me on board 640.

After he dropped me at our 18 the patrol boat arrived and they stood by while I repaired one rudder that had broken its retaining clip and was floatiing around in the water on the end of the con bar - putting it back on under water whilst sitting on the stern with the boats on its side was fun.

Once righted we returned to base - only 9 of 21 boats finished the course.

Suffice it to say that having the race tower and coastguard numbers programmed into our mobile phones was a good move. Joan had to make the call using one hand whilst hanging onto the righting line standing on the hull of the capsized boat. The same afternoon the Whitstable Lifeboat was called out to a stranded jet skier and swimmer who had gone to his assistance and they were suffering from hypothermia and they were half the distance from the Lifeboat station - the prompt action of the others and Joan's phone call both saved me from that - 20 minutes was enough for me by the time I had fixed the rudder.

It is not surprising to hear from another club member today who has gone straight out and bought an Aquapac for his mobile and wanted the relevant phone numbers ffrom me.

My sincere thanks to all the above - I had visions of a long float or being mown down by a cruiser.

Steve (rather sore and soggy ) Willis

[Tim]

After my narrow escape, I can see what a good idea they are and have bought one myself.

[Martin Searle]

Steve,

I've always found it nigh on impossible to do any sort of swimming in bouyancy aids or lifejackets, all you can really do is lie on ones back and thrash ones legs about, the best arm action is a sort of flapping action, like an abbreviated breaststroke but on ones back, but the floatation of the upper body will prevent any sort of stroke that will actually move you through the water with any efficiency. So no I wouldn't have thought an olympic swimmer could have caught up with the boat even only a few feet away in a lifejacket\bouyancy aid.

The current on Sunday was pretty strong, even on starboard tack with leeway towards Seasalter I still was going towards Sittingbourne (other direction entirely for the uninitiated). It was the spring tide with a wind against tide scenario in a relatively narrow channel that caused a 'real boat breaker of a day'.

Now me personally a mobile phone is really of little use since I can't actually hear them with my natural hearing and I don't think texting is going to be really viable through a plastic cover. Thus I've always had to take a slightly more pragmatic approach to this issue, I simply don't sail on the sea without some sort of PB cover or other persons about but there is still risk involved and this cannot really be mitigated I think.

Now when I was lake sailing at Westbere nr Canterbury I didn't have too much issue since a) I could stand up in all but a few areas of said lake and b) I could easily swim ashore if need be or C) the boat would hit shore somewhere anyway.

Martin S.

[Steve Willis]

Martin,

Yes you can text through the Aquapac - as it has a totally clear front. Not ideal but it is what I was going to do if Joan had not been in a position to make the call by voice. I thought it might be diffcult to hold a conversation floating on my back and head laying in the water with the waves coming over!! Thought I might have plenty of time too.

Steve