Having Faced Ferocious Gales And Hurricane Force Winds, It Was A Flat Calm Off New Zealand That Nearly Did For Paul Rodgers And Spirit Of Pentax.
Despite the title of the book from which this extract is lifted, Paul Rodgers is not a natural single-hander. Loner describes, in prose worthy of the best, an honest try at circumnavigating twice without assistance in the early 1980s. It was not to be, yet his trip – free of electronics and engine – turns into a resounding success. His boat is an unlikely 56ft stay sail schooner with a beam of a mere 9ft 6in. Her official name is Spirit of Pentax, but as he wrestles round the Southern Ocean towards New Zealand and his respect for her balloons, he privately renames her Captain Fantastic. In this passage, Rodgers and The Captain are stranded on Stewart Island south of New Zealand after drifting ashore in a fog with no wind to drive the yacht. The humanity of the man is spelled out in a final sentence which we all would do well to consider.
Paul Rodgers’ new book, Sailing to Purgatory, is now available. If it’s anything like as good as Loner, it’ll be a read to remember.
It was a very dark night and Captain Fantastic was a few hundred yards from a reef and closing quickly. She should have struck, but some guiding hand seemed to push her to one side and she whispered past. The sea was still, so there were no tell-tale breakers. Nothing to be seen, blackness and the mist. I might as well turn in. Beneath the keel, where a few hours ago lay massive depths, was now scarcely 20ft. But I still was aware of nothing, except a growing unease.
The first of a new air stream, north-easterly winds, was catspawing itself down the coast towards us. They breathed gently on the large area of canvas I had set and joined the tide in sealing our fate. I turned in my sleeping bag, excited by the prospect of seeing old friends again, of being with my family.
Denne historien er fra August 2017-utgaven av Yachting World.
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Denne historien er fra August 2017-utgaven av Yachting World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
wallywind 110 launches
The first example of Wally Yacht's new wallywind performance cruising range launched this summer, during the iconic Italian brand's 30th anniversary year - and in time for its debut at the Monaco Yacht Show in September.
Irish skipper wins Figaro
Irish solo skipper Tom Dolan took a historic victory in this year's La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, winning the solo multistage offshore race overall only the third non-French competitor ever to do so.
Youth AC puts on a show
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli's team won the UniCredit Youth America's Cup after a highly absorbing series comprising 12 international teams racing the one-design AC40s off Barcelona.
ATLANTIC BEYOND
SAILING THE SECOND EXPLORATION 60 ON A WEST-TO-EAST ATLANTIC CROSSING WAS IDEAL FOR A RIGOROUS TEST OF GARCIA'S NEW NOWHERE YOU CAN'T GO FLAGSHIP
UNCONTROLLED
HELPLESSLY APPROACHING AN UNINHABITED ISLAND IN THE GALAPAGOS WITHOUT ENGINE OR ELECTRONICS, JON VAN TAMELEN FEARED BEING IMMINENTLY SHIPWRECKED
SECRET ISLAND
BEYOND THE FORBIDDING ENTRY RULES OF TAIWAN IS A CULTURE RICH IN SEAFARING HISTORY AND STUNNING LANDSCAPES, FINDS CAMERON DUECK
LAND OF THE BIRDS
SKIP NOVAK DESCRIBES THE PERILS, CHALLENGES AND JOYS OF A CRITICAL EXPEDITION VOAYGE TO SURVEY SOUTH GEORGIA'S ENDANGERED WANDERING ALBATROSS
FIRST STEPS TO BLUEWATER
YOU CAN GET INTO WORLD CRUISING FROM A STANDING START AND EXPERIENCE THINGS NO OTHER TRAVELLERS DO. CATHERINE LAWSON AND DAVID BRISTOW TALK TO FOUR COUPLES WHO PROVE IT
HARD CHOICES
IN AN EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT FROM HER NEW BOOK, PIP HARE REVEALS WHAT DROVE HER ON WHILE RACING THROUGH THE SOUTHERN OCEAN IN THE 2020 VENDÉE GLOBE.
INTO BATTLE
COULD THIS BE THE MOST COMPETITIVE VENDÉE GLOBE EVER? HELEN FRETTER FINDS OUT WHAT THE SKIPPERS WILL BE FACING.