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| The missing piece of the jigsaw |
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| Written by Gordon Smith | |
| Monday, 18 February 2008 | |
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The bit that we didn't tell you all, about the day that Barbara Ivy capsized!
In our last blog from the Ocean, we hinted that there was something we hadn't mentioned that you might be interested to hear about. But now we're back on dry land, we can fill in the gaps and tell you all about the terrifying day that we suffered a capsize and Barbara Ivy rolled over a full 360 degrees. Last Saturday, 9th February, we were following our normal rowing routine. Having been blown South during the night (yet again) we were making our way North and West on a bearing of 300-330 degrees (NW-ish). As usual, this meant that we were crossing the waves at an angle and broadside to the wind. This was the day after we'd been soaked by the huge wave coming into the cabin in the night. This didn't pose any particular problem, it was something we'd done numerous times before it was just uncomfortable and meant that we got very wet. In the early afternoon, Lin came out of the cabin to cook lunch and Rachel stored the oars (as we always did), and continued steering the boat while Lin prepared the food. Suddenly, Rachel spotted the God Father of all waves building up. 'Watch out' she shouted to Lin, who whipped round like lightning to close and lock the cabin door as it was slightly open to dry it out from the previous days soaking. As Lin turned round and braced herself, the wave changed direction, swirled round and broke violently and broadside over Barbara Ivy. We didn't stand a chance, and it all happened so quickly that we barely knew what was going on. As the water filled the boat, she tipped up and in a flash we were over. Rachel wrenched her foot out of the steering shoe, and seeing light and bubbles, kicked out for the surface. Lin hung on to the stowed oars and as we went under, just kept reminding herself to hold on. As she saw daylight, she knew it was OK to let go. We popped up next to each other, barely able to comprehend what had happened. A quick check ensured that we both seemed OK and there were no serious injuries. You could say that luckily we were clipped on to the boat by our safety harnesses, but it wasn't luck as the rule on our boat was that if you were outside, you were harnessed on. This probably saved our bacon in more ways than one. Bizarrely at this point, Lin (aka Guts Griesel) spotted her Cod and Potato lunch floating past, and grabbed the sealed bag to throw back in the boat for later on! Rachel meanwhile was able to use the grab ropes down the side of the boat to help her back in, and was then able to help Lin in. Both of us went into automatic pilot, we checked all the kit onboard and made sure that none of the dry bags were missing. Next, we bailed the boat and as one of the oars had broken, changed it for a new one. We also discovered that the kettle and cooker, which had been loose on deck, were wedged under opposite gunwhales, the spoons were still tucked under the ropes fastening the liferaft, our rubbish bag was still there, and the matches were dry! The only items that Neptune had been able to claim were Rachel's sunglasses, a compass (we had a spare!), Lin's left hand glove, a drinks bottle and the toilet lid which was broken anyway! Naturally, the emotions developed later on after the adrenaline rush had settled. We know how lucky we were to come out of this incident with just a few bruises to show and a story to tell - others have not been so fortunate. We reported the capsize to Race Control but asked them not to tell anyone. We knew we only had around a week to go and although the option of rescue is always available, it's not an option that we wanted to exercise. We intended to finish the race, but did not want to worry our families and supporters unnecessarily as we were safe and well, if somewhat shaken up by the experience. That night we put out the sea anchor and stayed inside to regroup and get some confidence back (we still remembered to drink our 300 nm to go champagne though). The next day, whoever was resting stayed on deck to support whoever was rowing and in this way, we got through it. But it wasn't all plain sailing, we both had other massive waves hit us broadside in the following days, giving flashbacks and leaving us shaking, tearful and terrified in the rowing seat. But we made it through the week and the welcome in Antigua was all the more precious because of it. Once we were both safely on dry land, we told our families and now that they know we are OK, we can tell you the story too. We can assure you that we are fine now, although some of the bruises are still there and the memories will stay with us forever. We've always had complete confidence in Barbara Ivy, and this simply proves that her design and build are second to none and she truly is a legend amongst Ocean rowing boats (she still holds the record for the fastest 4 man crossing). So, with special, dry land, love and hugs, Rachel & Lin xx |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 20 February 2008 ) |