Figure 2 - WE STOPPED FOR A SWIM WITH KING NEPTUNE.
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CHAPTER 7
YOU & THE CREW
There is a natural rhythm that you should try to achieve when sailing across oceans.
Many days were just made for no progress. Contrary winds or no wind. These are golden days. They are gifts from the gods.
Some days were made for swooping along on sparkling diamond seas with a bubbling white wake.
Other days are cold and wet and melancholy, made for a big card game or a good book.
If you can feel the rhythm and move to it, your life will be enriched.
If you cannot feel the rhythm, if you are anxious to make progress, if you get your greatest satisfaction from seeing good progress on the instruments, then you are doomed to the same old same old from which you are supposed to be trying to get away. Good luck!
I was having a beer with a yachtie yesterday. He was telling me that when he was sailing he was constantly calculating his progress and anxiously looking forward to completing the passage. When he arrived at Australia’s premier cruising area he quickly became bored with the lack of variety and lack of energy on the islands. He focused on the passages home. Then on the homeward passages he again focused on completing them. This guy has a long way to go before he gets to the world in which I sail. If he cannot achieve a better mental attitude then he may as well go back to work.
Alan Phillips Oct 2005
Figure 1 - OFF WE GO AGAIN
1. THE PHILOSOPHY
The biggest mistake people seem to make is that they want to bring their old life with them. That is they want their comfortable suburban lifestyle on the yacht. This is just silly. Successful yachties leave the old life behind and create a new and better life on the boat. It is a mental effort. The hardest bit is to be able to forget about what others think and forget about esteem from others. Live for yourself. Then lots of stuff becomes unnecessary. If you can live in shorts and t-shirt then you no longer need a washer and dryer and iron and all the power and systems that go with these things. Life becomes simpler and simpler is sweeter.
If restaurant meals and lovely apartments did actually produce happiness then I could agree with modern lifestyle. But most often they seem to produce frustration and depression. So why devote your life to materialism? It looks to me like materialism has gone completely crazy. When you observe it from outside it is not materialism at all, it looks like utter madness.
Some people are put off by a silly simple little thing like having to learn to live with salty hair. If you cannot get past simple things like that than you have no chance of ever finding a true satisfying natural life.
Because sailing is often very boring and you have lots of time to ponder the real questions of life you have a better chance than most of achieving happiness. Religious philosophy definitely has some of the answers to life. I think the Buddhists are probably closer to the truth than the Christians or Muslims, but all share many truths. There are some bits and pieces in this book to help you think.
So where is all this pleasure that I talked of earlier? It certainly is there but to really enjoy it you need to look down into the depths. Without pain there will be no progress towards a more interesting and fulfilling life.
At the moment in your comfortable surroundings you experience life on a fairly steady keel. A divorce, a business setback, a car crash are great problems and they can hold you down for years. Then life gradually gets back to normal. In the sailing lifestyle after a few dark and stormy nights you will experience great feelings of relief happiness and euphoria after they are over and you have safely weathered the storm. The feelings are more basic and the happiness is higher and sweeter. Swooping along on the beautiful warm sunny days and the bright nights with all sails set and your boat soaring and hissing leaving a trail of white, maybe with your lover beside you or a bottle of rum; these are feelings that cannot be experienced without some suffering which serves to really increase the pleasure.
Life is like music, it must be composed by ear, feeling and instinct, not by rule. Samuel Butler
Figure 2 - THE BEST TIME OF THE DAY.
There will be plenty of easy simple living and only very occasional bouts of hard sailing. Nothing like you see on TV or imagine in your dreams. It should be definitely not macho. In 25 years of sailing I have formed my own ideas of living on the sea. Sailing the boat is a small part of that living. It is now never a battle with the sea. I do not see it that way at all. Other people give boat names that are very macho; like Sea Conqueror, Valiant Fighter, etc. I do not have that attitude. We are never attacked by the sea, we do not engage in battle with the sea. I have gained love of the sea by not battling against it, but by accepting it. The sea is not the enemy, it is a beautiful place. Accept it as it is! So even in storms, with a good mental attitude, it is possible to enjoy it all. The sailors who do not learn this come back with horror stories and broken boats.
"The days go by, never monotonous. Even when they appear exactly alike they are never quite the same. This is what gives life at sea its special dimension, made up of contemplation and very simple contrasts. Sea, winds, calms, sun, clouds and dolphins. Peace, and the joy of being alive and in harmony"
" ...the dangerous rock-bottom period at the beginning of the Indian ocean. I was on the point of giving up and….
Yoga…I felt it emanating all the values of my native Asia, all the wisdom of the old East, and I found a few little exercises...
But above all I found something more. A kind of indefinable state of grace. Some people may possess it by birth or instinct. Others can find it someday in the course of their lives; no one will ever know and it does not matter. The main point is that it exists, and with it things take their natural place, their proper balance in the whole within."
"I am neither happy nor sad, neither really tense nor really relaxed. Perhaps that is the way it is when a man gazes at the stars, asking himself questions he is not mature enough to answer. So one day he is happy, the next a bit sad without knowing why."
"Occasionally a crest higher than the rest becomes a wall of water, the sun slanting through its translucent peak giving it blue-green highlights. The sea then seems ready to change dress. But the rest remains deep blue, with hues melting every second into other shades of blue, like a great musical wave of endless vibrations. And the white streams down, iridescent with countless blues, green sparkling now and then. Once in a while part of the wall splits off, topples forward, and comes cascading down with a thunderous roar."
"Heaving-to is really best when one no longer knows what to do; come about without touching the sheets, put the helm alee, stretch out in the cockpit, eyes closed, and then see things as they are. Heaving-to allows you to look things over while body, nerves and brain relax and get back to the simple rhythm of the sea. After a peaceful time spent dreaming everything will be clear again."
"I listen to the sounds of the water, I read, I putter at odd jobs, I sleep a lot. But I listen to the sounds of the water all the time."
"The wind is back, nice and fresh. The bow rumbles day and night; all the sky is mine, all the sea is mine and the earth as well. I am so happy."
"To have the time...to have the choice...not knowing what you are heading for and just going there anyway, without a care, without asking any more questions."
"A guy came to see me. I did not know him. He brought a crew of professional caulkers. He paid for everything, and he was not rich. Then he said; Pass this on to a stranger, as I did for you. Because I got it from a stranger too, who helped me one day, and told me to pass it on in the same way. You do not owe me anything but remember to pass it on. B Motissier."
I like the English idea of 'have a cup of tea'. Sometimes when I really feel in danger and totally stressed I just go below and make a cup of tea. After that the world seems much better.
Also you need to know that it is impossible to find total fulfillment in this life!
2. MENTAL PREPARATION
There is a lot to think about. In my opinion here are the things that should be going round in your head.
Is it a good idea to sacrifice your whole life for a pension plan that will afford you a nice comfortable life in your old age? Is it a good idea to take a risk and look for a better life?
Anybody can put the sails up and make the boat go, that is easy. If you had to succeed in climbing Mt Everest you could only do it if your mind was really made up. You have to be fit but that is less important then your mental preparation.
Sailing will test you. You may get some new insights into yourself. Especially on the few occasions that you think you will die. The natural highs of life are higher and the depressions are deep despair. What is really amazing is how quickly the moods can swing from all ok to black despair and then back again.
Surviving a voyage around the world is a mental game. The hard part is keeping your head together. Staying out of depression when conditions are bad is very hard. When you are becalmed it is harder again. You will get the feeling that the wind has stopped and will never blow again so you had better start the engine and get going. Also being anchored when rough weather prevents sailing is very hard mentally especially when you are short of supplies and are anxious to get home. If you are not mentally strong then you cannot successfully and happily sail long distance. The good news is that you can learn these things you can learn to be happy.
There is a yachtie temperament. Is it mellow, pleasant, easygoing, and good tempered with a cheery positive outlook, handy, healthy, optimistic and mentally self sufficient? No, sorry it is far more ordinary then those high ideals!
Many times on my boat I have seen crewmembers fall into deep depression. People can collapse mentally when faced with periods of complete boredom or terror. And remember that sailing is 98% boredom and 2% sheer terror. The ability to become absorbed in reading seems to save most people from mental stress.
Because I often take inexperienced crewmembers on long ocean voyages I am sometimes asked about the mental problems and fights etc that may occur. The answer is that the mental problems manifest themselves as withdrawal from everyday life of the boat. Crewmembers are there physically but mentally they are gone. It is not a big problem in a mixed crew. As the end of the voyage looms into sight everybody comes back to life without any lasting effects. My feeling is that it is the isolation of us from the real world that causes this problem. Not the problems arising from sailing the boat.
Somehow I have come to adopt a fatalistic attitude to life. What will be will be. There are hundreds of people in my hometown who are having breakdowns, getting divorced and dying in their cars. Let’s face it; if I die tonight it doesn’t really matter. It has to happen sometime. Who cares! Not me! If you can get to this position in your head then your life will be very much easier.
Like painting, most of the work of sailing is preparation. If you are thinking of doing this circumnavigation then you really should take a year of easy sailing around your home area to sort out all the problems. If you get going before you understand exactly what it is that you are engaged on then your problems may tend to unnerve you.
I think a happy life consists in tranquility of mind. Cicero
Figure 3 - A QUIET DAY IS FOR SAIL REPAIRS
Some of the differences between your old lifestyle and your new yachtie life are;
- At sea day and night lose their significance. You eat and sleep at all odd hours. It is a 24 hour day. It takes at least a few days to get into the rhythm. The first few days will always leave you feeling tired and out of synch.
- The most important thing in your life becomes the wind and weather. It is a thrill when you finally realize that you are now totally reliant on the elements for your feelings.
- The highlight of your day may be catching a fish.
- You will be bored and you will be frightened sometimes.
- Remember that there is a set of rules out here that cannot be escaped. They are the natural rules of life at sea.
- Using electrical power at night for personal use is restricted.
- Using fresh water for anything except drinking is restricted.
- You can never escape even for a minute. Like the “Hotel California” there is no check-out.
- Schedules of leaving and arriving are unknown factors.
- The pace of life is sl….o…o..w…
- Forget about telephones and contact with friends from home.
- Buses are scarce, taxis are expensive. Walking, even for miles, and carrying groceries is the usual.
- Your neighbors and your cruising companions are the freedom lovers of life quite different to your current suburban neighbors.
- Enjoying life at sea has nothing to do with money, fancy yachts, big car, fashion, jeweler or any of those conventional things that people use to define themselves in society. Out here you will be accepted for yourself. There are no artificial judgments most of the time.
The chief danger is that you may take too many precautions. A Adler.
Figure 4 CLIMB A HILL. BE HAPPY!
3. THE REAL PROBLEMS
My boat "Wallaby Creek" is the only sailing yacht that has circumnavigated Australia and sailed to Fiji with a full size deck chair on the foredeck. A couple of times it has tangled in the rigging in heavy weather tacks and I have had to rescue it from up the mast. I am here to be comfortable and happy. Sailing properly or having a nice shiny boat is a long way down the list of things that matter to me. I have my priorities where they suit me. That means I need a deck chair. Who cares if the boat is not shiny!
Man, that is the place to be on a warm winter’s day. Your clothes off, the sails over your head, Wallaby surging and gurgling along, your woman bringing you a rum and coke. Dawdling along. This is the way to sail and the way to really live! I try not to let the sailing interfere with my ideas of the best way to live. If you cannot sit around all day and wait for the tide then you cannot do this lifestyle. If you cannot read a book for two days while you wait for the weather to improve or spend days trying to trace the electrical problem that has killed your batteries then you cannot do this lifestyle. If you cannot miss an occasional night’s sleep without becoming difficult to live with, then you cannot do this lifestyle. If you cannot learn patience, if you cannot stand seasickness and cold and fatigue then you simply should not go.
Figure 5 - BOREDOM CAN BE A PROBLEM.
If you do not love to party and enjoy the outdoor life then just stay home and watch it all on discovery channel. This life is really living at a level that ordinary people in ordinary society do not achieve. I have heard that some people think that they are experiencing nature when they watch nature shows on TV.
If you cannot stand pain and suffering then you better not go. If you love to soar from the bottom of despair to the top of euphoria than this could be for you.
Figure 6 - OVERLOOKING THE ANCHORAGE
From my log book here is some information on an extra bad night I had one night along the coast of Africa in 2004.
It only takes one bad night to reduce an excellent sailor to a blubbering mess.
What a morning! There were watches all night with ships around. I got little sleep. Then a broken belt on the motor so I had to get out the tools and pull up the floor looking for spares and deal with the hot engine. at midnight. Then the wind strengthened and turned against us. Then Ben blocked the toilet and filled it up. So I woke up to go to the toilet and saw that black mess and had to get out the tools and deal with it. There was shit sloshing all over the floor and I eventually had to scoop it up in my hands. During the night the gearbox jumped out of gear and the autopilot went hard over and blew itself up. This was because there was an afternoon and night of no wind, then when the wind did arrive it blew strongly on the nose, straight out of the harbor that we were heading for. So it took 8 hours to get in the last 20 miles. In the harbour the engine stopped twice because, I think, of a lose connection on the ignition switch. Then it took an hour motoring around to find a place to anchor here inside Casablanca harbor. What a fucking good time I have on this boat!! I am really tired and stressed and have very little stamina or patience now. These are qualities that I used to admire in myself.
Figure 7 - Whooops.
4. KEEPING YOUR HEAD
I am one of the very few people on earth who have sat on a beach and waited to die.
My yacht was wrecked on a coral reef and as I watched her pound I knew that I would surely die here. That years from now somebody would walk down this beach and kick some old bones and wonder who had lay down here to die.
What really was stuck in my mind was that my family would never know what happened to me. The other strange thing that was in my mind was that I wished that I hadn't bought that new spinnaker only a few weeks ago. But over all I was terribly terribly depressed. Twice later in life when I have had a chance to face death it is the terrible depression that hits me in the guts. My guts just ache with the thought of my death and the silly little things that I could have done to avoid it.
So I am living on borrowed time, three times over. It does not seem to make any difference to the way I live. I still don't want to face my death whenever it will come.
When you get to safe harbour at the end of an ocean passage, there are two possibilities for your feelings. Desperation to get off the boat as quickly as possible or reluctance to tie up and finish the voyage.
If you have been doing battle against the sea then you obviously want it to stop. If you have been in tune with the sea then it is a sad day when you stop.
Realistically you will not be at an extreme end of the scale but your feelings will be somewhere in between. If you cannot be at peace when out at sea then maybe you should think about what you are really doing here.
The ability to become absorbed in reading seems to save most people from mental stress.
Here is what Bernard Motissier has to say on this subject …
I had this reaction when I was swept overboard in a Gale off Durban as I lay hove-to.
I found myself in water made very agitated by the millions of bubbles of foam from the enormous breaking sea that had capsized my boat. In a flash I had glimpsed the cabin hatch cover, ripped off its tracks. With an opening like that, and her keel out of the water she could only go to the bottom. I just whispered to myself "This time, old man, your number is up". And I remembered the page on destiny in "Wind, Sand and Stars" on the absolute need to follow one’s fate whatever the outcome. I too, was going to end up like the gazelle, whose destiny it was to leap in the sunshine and die one day under the lion's claw. Yet I regretted nothing as I floated in the warm, very light water, making ready to peacefully leave on my last journey.”
A trifle often irritates me and can send my spirits tumbling. But when things really get rough, I sometimes seem to become a cold, lucid observer from another world.
5. PIRATES AND AXE MURDERS and OTHER PROBLEMS
Now it is time to think about pirates, attack, violence, rape, pillage, and plunder. What about sharks, crocodiles, stonefish, deadly box jellyfish, tropical storms, toothache, appendicitis, falling overboard, drugs, government officials, sea sickness, pirates, people, pets, pests, crews, visitors, relatives, bureaucrats, babies, kids, skeletons and race relations.
The first thing you have to know is that other yachties (not me) are the greatest liars on earth. If you ever believe a half of what you hear you will be frightened out of ever going sailing. They get on their radios and talk like a pack of girls until everybody is in a tizzy.
The best way to deal with all the bullshit is to have a policy of only ever believing stories if the person telling them is the person they happened to or at least personally knows the participants. Only ever believe first or second hand stories.
The year I last came through the Gulf of Aden south of the Red Sea there were two “pirate attacks”. I met both the boats involved and here is what happened. (Told second-hand).
In 2004 I sailed across the Indian Ocean up the Red Sea and into the Med. Previous to this I also did a quick passage up into the Philippines to stock up on their excellent and very cheap rum.
More than fifty yachts came up the Red Sea this year. There were two attacks. A French couple on their yacht “Notre Dame” and an American single hander on “Saltaire” were robbed at gunpoint. Both occurred in the Gulf of Aden north of Somalia and between longitudes 49E and 46.5E, a distance of 150 miles.
I have personally met and talked to all the people on these two boats.
The pirates approached with a lot of noise and a lot of shooting into the air. The pirates came alongside and came aboard with no resistance. The crew was then held at gunpoint while the pirates went below. The American boat had some money ready and it was taken. The French boat claimed to have no cash on the boat. The pirates did no harm to the crew; they did no damage to the boat and in fact did not even do a real search for valuables. The items that were taken were cameras and radios. None of the expensive electronics or the food or the yacht equipment etc was taken. They were about to take a gold chain from Bill on Saltaire when he asked them to leave it as it had sentimental value and they left it. Gentlemen pirates!
No problems were encountered by anyone at all in the Red Sea or in the Philippines. A couple of yachts claim to have been approached by suspicious craft. The problem was probable caused by a little paranoia.
In my own case I decided not to join other yachts in a convoy so I sailed alone. Three times suspicious boats actually came alongside me. Each time I approached them in a friendly manner and I offered cigarettes or sugar or rice as presents. I met only good happy friendly fishermen. I had no problems at all.
It would be ridiculous to carry a weapon.
The total loss from all the boats that transited this year was less then a few thousand dollars. About the same as a really bad day at the dentist, probably less then the cost of the annual haul-out. There is nothing here to deter other intending voyagers.
How much does it cost for a pirate to pierce his ears?
A buccaneer.
Figure 8 - PIRATES IN INDONESIA?
PIRATES. Firstly the news is that there are no real pirates left on earth. That is people who come aboard boats and steal, rape and kill. There are of course robbers, thieves and government officials everywhere.
The cost and pain of a pirate attack these days is about the same as a bad day at the dentist. Do not let the stories of pirates put you off as all the real robberies at sea that I have heard of have been gentlemanly affairs where the yachties have lost their radios, cameras and some minor cash.
I have been looking for pirates deliberately. I tried the Red Sea, Morocco, the Philippines, and Indonesia. I crossed the South China Sea five times in “Wallaby Creek”. I sailed to Pirate Island in the Southern Philippines. I have never met a pirate, never been seriously robbed, never even heard a first hand pirate story. A couple of burglars have got onto the boat over the years but all they took were clothes and shoes. Nothing of any value.
I do not carry a gun or a weapon. At first in the early eighties I did. I listened to all the bullshit. My first foreign land was Indonesia and for months as I sailed up the Australian coast I listened to the stories of what was going to happen in Indonesia. On the very first morning I arrived in Indonesian waters I thought I was finished when a small powerful boat came racing towards us with a wild looking fellow standing in thee bow shaking a gun (?) above his head. As they roared alongside I discovered that he wanted to sell a chicken.
Another night I was drifting becalmed in Indonesian waters with a Canadian crewman. It was a dark black night and all was still. Until we heard a motor boat approaching. My batteries were flat so we ran no lights. We thought we were invisible. Then the motor sound broke into two. One kept coming and the other swung out to approach from the other side. They also were blacked out. I said to my mate "this is it they will come aboard and cut our throats". He went crazy, started screaming at me to "do something". I couldn't think of anything to do. Then things went quiet and we drifted on. Nothing happened.
I met some Yanks who reckoned they had a problem with pirates. Apparently a boat came up behind them one dark night. They got out their gun and blasted away. The pirates left. Actually I have heard this story a few times; I reckon there are a few shocked and frightened fishermen left in the wake of these gun-totin’ yanks. Nobody else except Americans nowadays carries guns and very few of them do.
It is no use carrying a gun unless you are trained mentally to use it quickly before the other side gets on top. If you do this you will most likely shoot some innocent person and spend the rest of your life in a filthy foreign prison. Take my word for it there is no need for a gun on your boat anywhere on earth. There are no really dangerous pirates and if there were you would never beat them.
If a robbery does occur then guns can only escalate the violence. There is nothing on my boat that I am willing to die for. Thirty years ago and American couple were held up. The wife came up the front hatch with the family gun. She was immediately shot dead. The husband came up unarmed and lived. And of course we all know that a similar thing happened to Sir Peter Blake in South America. He died defending his outboard motor with a gun. Good idea Peter!
My most frightening experience was during the Arab/Israel war in 1982. I was heading into Beirut during the height of the Israeli blitz. I sailed from Cyprus and had to enter Lebanon through a five-mile wide corridor that was supposed to be safe. I sailed for three days in fog. In those days I had no electronic navigation instruments so all I could do was simply follow the compass. When the fog cleared I could see the buildings of a city. I closed in looking for landmarks. Nothing fitted and the harbor was not visible. Then the PLO terrorists arrived. Three small open boats with powerful engines. Each boat with four terrorists. Each man with shirt jeans boots, heavy automatic gun, gun belts across both shoulders, knives at belt. I had my old .22 rifle onboard at this stage of my life. I certainly did not get it out. As trained soldiers two boats stood off and one came in close. They rammed the side of "Scorpio" and yelled at me. I was in the open cockpit steering. I realized that I was in Syria not Lebanon. I brought the wife and kids, including baby Jane in to the cockpit and sat them quietly. With all sails up and the motor going flat out I headed for sea. The enemy cruised round me in circles. I kept my eyes straight ahead. I prayed that the Prime Minister of Australia hadn't said any thing bad about Arabs recently. They rammed me and clung on. It was a rough morning and the waves were moderate. They couldn't hold on. They screamed at me and I looked only ahead. I didn't say yes I didn't say no. Headed west. Around they went again. Grab hang on scream at me only 1.5 meters from my face. I looked only ahead. Around again CRASH SCREAM HANG ON TRY to get aboard. Now in the conditions it simply wasn't possible for then to get up on my deck. It was rough and they were trying to bring kilos of weapons with them. Once one crashed back full length into his boat, tried again, failed again. Now any practiced sailor unencumbered by a big weapon could easily have come up; but these guys wouldn't come without the guns and they simply couldn't get up. They screamed at me in their own language and I continued to ignore them and head offshore.
At this time the PLO were holding hostages in Beirut and Syria.
Eventually they simply gave up and let me go.
I got to Beirut and had a good week at the yacht club and in the snowfields. There were constant missile attacks from Israel. On the night I left to sail to Tel Aviv, the Israelis crossed the border with all guns blazing. As I sailed down the coast every aircraft and missile was blasting away into Beirut. An extraordinary laser light show.
Once again nobody took much interest in me. Only a yachtie. Except of course for the Israeli warship that, completely soundlessly crept alongside and hailed me in Hebrew at 0200. Sleepily I waved my Aussie flag at the machine guns dimly visible behind the searchlights.
Again I was let go.
I have cruised through the war zone in Southern Philippines where the Muslims are fighting for their independence from the Catholic north. The Catholics told me that for sure I would get my throat cut. They told me some terrible stories of what had happened to others silly enough to try. I met only kindness and happiness.
The Red Sea is another place that is supposed to be dangerous. One morning in force nine gales my headsail was wrecked; a sand storm was blasting all the paint off my mast and the chrome off the winches. An Arab family of fishermen from Egypt came out into that maelstrom to lead me to a tiny anchorage behind a coral reef where I could sort out the boat and rest.
Later one of their children got washed away in my dinghy. I went after him swimming. I managed to scramble onboard metres before the dinghy was about to be smashed onto breakers on the next reef. But I couldn't row back. The conditions were too strong for me. I struggled. I made some progress but was quickly running out of strength. This may be the end of me! Then the Arabs let out a floating jerry can on a long rope and I managed to reach it and they got us both off. I collapsed into my bed!
Months later off the Atlantic coast of Morocco I ran into another boat load of pirates and I was able to save the lives of a dozen Arabs who were broken down and drifting slowly across the Atlantic. I didn't want to take them all on board, so I took one. Sailed for 3 days back to Safi and reported to the Harbor Master. None of us had a radio of course.
As far as I can judge after all of my travel and troubles; the most violent places on earth are cities of the USA, and the most dangerous activity on earth is to travel by road.
The only weapon that we carry onboard Wallaby Creek is rum. That is right rum. It has worked with great results on a number of occasions. There was the case of the smuggled gun when I had to drink the Panama Customs man under the table in order to keep myself out of jail. Also there was the time on Pirate Island in the Philippines when the chief came aboard and we ended up finishing a bottle of rum together. Whooo!
I have never had any problems with robbery except of a very minor nature. If the day ever comes that I am faced with armed holdup there is nothing on this boat that I care enough about to risk my life for in a deadly fight. Also there is nothing much here that is of much use to anybody else. Anyway the problem simply does not arise. And I am the one person who has sailed to all the most likely trouble spots on earth.
I have never locked my boat. In fact the key to the cockpit door has not been seen for years. I meet other yachties who actually lock themselves inside their yachts at night at anchorage.
WHALE ATTACKS
TWO EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS
1. In 1972 the yacht Lucette was attacked and sunk by killer whales enroute from Galapagos to Marquesas. The six-person crew spent 38 days adrift in a dinghy and liferafe. Here is the account by Dougal Robertson in his book Survive The Savage Sea.
2. Tristan Jones was attacked in the Atlantic. He estimated that the tail of his attacker was 22 feet (6.6 metres) across the tail. His description from Saga of a Wayward Sailor is;
3. Even Joshua Slocum had a problem with a whale. He explains:
4. The old whaling ships were occasionally attacked. The story of the ESSEX out of Nantucket is a classic because of the long voyage the crew subsequently did in the ship’s boat and the cannibalism that the crew did to finally stay alive.
5. In my 25 years on the sea and 100,000 sea miles I have seen many many whales. I have never had any problem. I have never met another sailor who has told me of a similar attack. In fact on two occasions my crewmembers have leapt overboard to swim with the whales. They had no problem. I once hit one in Australia. I think it was sleeping on the surface when I hit it at 4 knots. My15 ton boat came to a complete stop. The crew below rushed on deck. There was no damage to my boat but I think the whale was hurt.
Here is a new theory. All those whale attack stories seem to be in timber boats. Is it possible that the creaking of the timbers is saying something in whale language that causes a fight?
I had turned to my books to work up a dead-reckoning position when sledgehammer blows of incredible force struck the hull beneath my feet hurling me against the bunk, the noise of the impact almost deafening my ears to the roar of inrushing water. I heard Lyn call out, and almost at the same time heard the cry of “Whales!” from the cockpit. My senses still reeled as I dropped to my knees and tore up the floorboards to gaze in horror at the blue Pacific through the large splintered hole punched up through the hull planking between two of the grown oak frames. Water was pouring up through the hole with torrential force and although Lyn called out that it was no use, that the water was pouring in from another hole under the WC flooring as well, I jammed my foot on the broken strakes and shouted to her to give me large cloths, anything to stem the flood. She threw me a pillow and I jammed it down on top of the planking, rammed the floorboards on top and stood on it; the roar of the incoming water scarcely diminished, it was already above the level of the floorboards as I heard Douglas cry from the deck “Are we sinking, Dad?” “Yes! Abandon ship!”. My voice felt remote as numbly I watched the water rise rapidly up the engine casing; it was lapping my knees as I turned to follow Lyn, already urging Neil and Robin on deck.
Wading past the galley stove, my eye glimpsed the sharp vegetable knife, and grabbing it in passing I leapt for the companionway; the water, now up to my thighs, was already lapping the top of the batteries in the engine room; it was my last glimpse of Lucete’s interior, our home for nearly eighteen months. Lyn was tying the twins lifejackets on with rapid efficiency as I slashed at the lashings holding the bow of the dinghy to the mainmast; Douglas struggled to free the self-inflatable life raft from under the dinghy and I ran forward to cut the remaining lashings holding the stern of the dinghy to the foremast, lifting the dinghy and freeing the life raft at the same time. Lyn shouted for the knife to free the water containers and I threw it towards her; Douglas again shouted to me if he should throw the raft over, disbelieving that we were really sinking. “Yes. Get on with it!” I yelled, indicating to Robin, who now had his lifejacket on, to help him. Grasping the handles at the stern of the dinghy I twisted it over from its inverted position and slid it towards the rail, noting that the water was now lever with Lucete’s deck as she wallowed sluggishly in the seaway. Douglas ran from the after deck with the oars and thrust them under the thwarts as I slid the dinghy seawards across the coachroof, and then took hold of the stern from me and slid the dinghy the rest of the way into the sea, Robin holding onto the painter to prevent it from floating away. The raft to our relief, our great and lasting relief, had gone off with a bang and was already half inflated, and Lyn, having severed the lashings on the water containers and flares, was carrying them to the dinghy. I caught up the knife and again shouted “Abandon ship!” for I feared Lucettes rigging might catch one of us as it went down, then cut the lashings on a bag of onions, which I gave to Sandy, instructing him to make for the raft, a bag of oranges which I threw into the dinghy and a small bag of lemons to follow. It was now too dangerous to stay aboard, and noting that Douglas ,Robin and Sandy had already gone and that Niel was still sitting in the dinghy which was three quarters full of water, I shouted that he also should make for the raft. He jumped back on Lucette, clutching his teddy bears, then plunged into the sea, swimming strongly for the raft. Lyn struggled through the rails into the water, still without a lifejacket, and I walked into the sea, first throwing the knife into the dinghy, the waters closing over Lucettes scuppers as we left her.
I feared that the whales would now attack us and urged everyone into the raft, which was fully inflated and exhausting excess gas noisily. After helping Lyn into the raft I swam back to the dinghy, now completely swamped, with oranges floating around it, and standing inside it to protect myself from attack, threw all the oranges and lemons into the raft. The water containers had already floated away or sank, as had the box of flares, and since the dinghy was now three feet under water, having only enough flotation to support itself, I made my way back to the raft again. On leaving the dinghy I caught a last glimpse of Lucette, the water now level wit her spreaders and only the tops of her sails showing. Slowly she curtsied below the waves, a lady to the last; she was gone when I looked again.
I was soon asleep. The bang came with a shock, a judder, a crash, and a smash that threw me against the forward bulkhead. Then, with a loud roar of splintering timber, the doghouse roof caved in. There was another explosive bang. The whole craft jumped into the air, then crashed back down again. Water poured in.
I do not remember thinking anything. All I recall is being on deck, seeing a great black tail, at least 22 feet wide, smash the foredeck, then send the mast flying with a great flailing flick. Whoosh! Bang! Wallop!
I scrambled into the dinghy and let go, paddling away with the oar I had left in its floor. Paddling like a madman. After what seemed an eternity, I looked around. The boat had gone! The sea surface, heaving, was utterly empty, with no sound except the slap-slap of the water against the sides of the rubber dinghy.
"While comfortably at anchor a huge whale, nosing about, came up under the boat, giving us a toss and a great scare. The great sea animal – 50-60 feet long – circling around our small craft, looked terribly big. He was so close to me twice, as he swam round and round the boat, that I could have touched him either time with a paddle. His flukes were stirring the water like a steamer propeller appeared alarmingly close and powerful! We lost an anchor and received some damage to the keel. If this is a sample of our adventures in the beginning we shall have enough and to spare by the end of the voyage."
"They who go down to the sea in ships, they see the wonders of the Lord. For all these curious and wonderful things are His handiworks. Who can look at such things without the heart being lifted up in adoration?"
Figure 9 - THE SHARKS GOT THE FISH.
6. THE CREW
On “Wallaby Creek” the things I look for in a crew have nothing to do with previous experience. I can sail the boat and I can teach a new person exactly what I want him to do.
I look for an easy-going personality. Polite and friendly is all I need.
As far as I can see the main problem with the crew is the Captain. The captain is often nervous, gets irritable easily when he is out of sight of land and is often just totally anal about his boat. Many captains simply cannot have a crew unless they marry them or give birth to them. If the captain is not competent and confident enough to remain relaxed then the voyages will be unhappy. Also if he is so proud of his boat that he worries about every little thing then there is no recipe for success on that boat.
The success of the voyages depends very much on the attitude of the skipper. Of course there can also be good reliable sensible people who make a happy crew. However basically the success of the entire project is up to the skipper.
Crewmembers of course vary like snowflakes. Some like to stay below and emerge when we reach harbour. Others like to be on deck and sleep in harbour. One type loves the sea and the other loves the bright lights. Both can be OK crew.
The responsibility is all with the captain. He is the only one responsible and he usually feels it. The crew, their wives and mothers all rely on him. Their homes their health and their morale all depend on him. No argument it takes a toll. The happiness of the boat and all who sail on her depend on the competence and the moods of the captain. It is a huge responsibility and some carry it easily and some have a heavy duty. It is all up to the skipper and everybody depends on him!
I have had over a hundred crew sail with me for up to six months at a time. I enjoy them, they add to my life immeasurably. Most yachts sail for years with a husband and wife. No matter how much they love each other it must be horribly boring for them both. I like to pick up crew and enjoy the new company. I have only ever asked one person to leave. That is less than 1%. Of the others some are boring and some are a bit arrogant or rude but the vast majority is exactly like us all. Respectful, polite, good mannered, willing to help etc. The problems that occur are always because the skippers expect too much and the skippers are nervous. Obviously it might not be successful until the skippers confidence is at the highest level. Then it is an extra bonus to this good life.
No captain Bligh. Why do some men find it necessary to impose discipline on their boat? Let me say here it is not necessary. You need to be really relaxed to enjoy the sailing and the company of a crew. You must start off realizing that most crew are not much use. But all I really need is another hand another pair of eyes and help with domestic chores. Give them a roster and put up with the results; it is better then nothing.
On Wallaby Creek we take turns with the cooking. Everyone takes a turn with a full day's cooking and cleaning. So for one day you are the galley slave, then for a few days all the cooking and clean up is done by the other crew. It is a good system.
The night watches are changed every two hours. More about that under the sailing chapter.
If the crew doesn’t pay then they do not have the best attitude towards the boat. i.e. if it is free it is treated as worthless.
Teachers don't make the best crew. I think they get a false sense of their own ego from holding the attention of a forced audience all those years. Nurses seem to do extra well. Practical people like tradesmen are always good. University graduates are mixed and I have had a couple of lawyers who were good.
Only once have I ever been annoyed by anyone enough to ask them to leave. An American, Jewish, New York girl just annoyed me so much with her selfish attitude and constant complaining that I put her off in Solomon Islands.
I always sail with lots of crew as I explain in the section on financials they help me to keep on sailing financially. I have a great web site and I advertise the web site in sailing magazines and on the web. www.wallabycreek.com
I have an online application to be filled out by prospective crew.
If I had a crew selection process (which I don't) the questions I would ask and the skills I would look for are;
- Do you think you could catch and clean a fish, grind a coconut and bake a loaf of bread in the one morning and then cook it all on a kerosene stove while standing on the wall, holding on with both hands and including occasional bouts of seasickness?
- Do you think you could enjoy a tropical sunset over a sandy island with a rum and coconut juice in hand? No T.V. for 500 miles!
- Could I trust you to swim ashore and go into a native village to trade matches for pineapples?
- Do you like listening to Jimmy Buffett singing "Son of a son of a sailor"?
- Can you live if the only bath is the warm salty waters of a tropical lagoon? And your hair stays salty all the time? If going ashore involves jumping out of the dinghy into the surf and arriving ashore wet.
- Can you go to bed at dusk and get up at dawn and swim before breakfast?
- Can you pull a rope with all your strength once or twice a day? And not make a fuss about the blisters and broken nails?
- Could you sleep on a rollercoaster?
- Will you cry when the skipper swears at you?
- Are you a nice person and do you like to meet other good people and share life with them? Can you make your own fun when there is nothing much happening?
- Can you live 1,000 miles away from a big city? On rainy days can you be happy in a small room with 4 other sweaty bodies with just a book or a bottle of rum and a pack of cards?
- Do you think you would enjoy a natural simple life where you may go weeks without seeing a car or hearing the news or using modern conveniences. Can you survive weeks away from a telephone?
- Do you have any experience of natural life as in sailing, hiking, bushwalking, camping, and horse riding surfing? If not, do you think you will adapt?
If it all sounds too hard then it probably is.
At first they start to get bored but when they stay longer then they settle in and really enjoy it more. It is hard for us all because we are used to being entertained and out here it is all simple and “do it yourself” It generally take a couple of months for any normal person to settle into boat life.
Now I want to give you a commentary of a rough passage I did in 2001 from New Zealand to Tonga. I must have been not in my usual happy carefree mood as I took notes and watched my crew and came up with the following thoughts.
Two years later I am anchored off the Italian Riviera at San Remo, playground of the rich and famous. Anchored outside so I won’t have to pay anything. Eric a Canadian has been with me for a week now. A week ago he was an uptight nerdy engineer. Now he is in the first stages of becoming a real yachtie. He just wants to sit on the boat and drink rum. When, in my innocence, I suggest a walk ashore he says “Why? Are we out of rum?” When his mother finds out what happened to him on “Wallaby Creek” then heaven help me. Six years and $60,000 to become an engineer - all undone in one week aboard the Wallaby.
Drop anchor and go ashore in the same day! That is a crazy hurried life. Drop anchor today, go ashore tomorrow sounds far more sensible to me.
Here is what another crew member thought.