Category: transatlantic

HITTING WHALES



The Volvo boats are racing from Boston to Galway, Ireland. Ericsson 3 hit a whale. I have raced across the Atlantic 7 times never at the speeds of these boats. I have hit whales twice in those crossings.

In 1971 we had been sailing in thick fog for several days, I will remind you that navigation then was a sun sight, star sight and /or dead reckoning. As we had not seen anything for a while, we were relying on dr which put us more or less 20 miles south of Sable Island. There is a current which sets you north towards the island. It is a graveyard of ships. There are more than 100 wrecks there.
I was in my bunk when we hit the whale. We were running under spinnaker and it was night. I was panicked that we were going aground on the island. We hit him twice, once with the forefoot of the boat and a second time with the keel. Scrambling up the companionway just in time to see the whale pop up astern, losing him in the fog very quickly.
The next encounter was in 2005 aboard “Tempest” the 80 foot S&S design. At dusk this time. I was steering under spinnaker at about 15 knots. Suddenly, it was as if we had hit a sandbar. I hardly had time to look over my shoulder to see him, as conditions were a little squirrelly.
Finally I had a near miss in the 2004 Bermuda race. It was early morning. We were sailing into a hot rising sun. Jack, who was trimming the spinnaker said oh look there’s a whale. I had no idea where it was. When I did see it. I had to decide which end to go around. We were sailing at 10-11 knots with the spinnaker up. I chose to head up going around his head; as the shadow of the spinnaker passed over him it seemed to startle him and he lurched forward, I gasped, he dove straight down and it was over before anyone else noticed.

found photos

The 2005 trans-atlantic race from New york to Cowes, England,aboard “Tempest” the 80 foot S&S ketch provided an opportunity to sail on the ocean and to photograph nature and each other during the 15 day passage. I have written previously about the race. I only just found the photographs sent to me by Christian Jensen, who was also part of the crew.

We are probably sailing along at 17 knots in a 120,000 pound boat; dragging a lot of water. The porpoises loved our wake.

A KNOCK ON THE DOOR

In the summer of 1979, I believe, my wife opened the door to find a frenchman, Gerard d’Aboville. Parked in the street, on a trailer, was his unfinished boat. He had just retrieved the boat from the docks of New York. His first stop was our house as my wife’s family were friends of his family and we were the only contact he had in America.

He explained who he was and was welcomed into the house. My wife,Bernadette, to whom this story really belongs, not yet realizing there was a boat in front of the house, asked why he had come to Newport. Gerard explained that he intended to cross the Atlantic. My wife stated she was not impressed, as the number of people who had or were about to cross the atlantic, that had passed our threshold was not so unusual. Gerard then explained that he intended to row and the boat was outside.
At this point, Bernadette was ready to show Gerard the door, expressing that he must be completely crazy.
We found Gerard, who was being joined by his three brothers to help finish and prepare the boat for the voyage, a place to complete the boat “Captaine Cooke”. Gerard set off from Cape Cod in September of that year and successfully completed his crossing.
A few years later, Gerard crossed the Pacific.



Woodstock Generation

I refer to myself as being of the Woodstock generation; although I was not at Woodstock, in fact, at the time, I had no idea what it was. When Woodstock took place I was in the middle of the Atlantic ocean racing.

I only later found out, after my return from Europe at the end of the summer. My roommate from college picked me up at the airport with the words “How was Woodstock?” To which I replied “What’s Woodstock?”
Once school started I also realized that despite the size of the crowd at Woodstock; if everyone I talked to and had claimed to have been there; the crowd would have been twice as large.
We take for granted today large concerts. Woodstock became an icon for my generation. Still significant, for so many reasons. It represented the good in my generation, but that goodness lasted such a brief moment. The first Earth Day. The Whole Earth Catalogue. I would consider that it was this moment that Buckminster Fuller gained true recognition. Protest against the Vietnam War, due largely as result of the Draft. All of these things and more were positive.
Regrettably I blame my generation for many of the problems we have today. While I college I attended a lecture by Harvey Cox, then teaching a t Harvard. He warned of the impending catastrophe resulting from drugs. My generation wanted to not just change the way things were, they wanted to undo the existing value system; without replacing the values with new set.To be liberated. This created a structureless society. The change was to much at once, and we are living the consequences now.
Hair, became another symbol of rebellion, an outward manifestation, a badge if you like. Anyone with short hair was deemed unworthy. Ironically, anyone with long hair said “don’t judge me by the way I look”; yet they would immediately pass judgement on anyone who did not look like them. Woodstock was supposed to be a symbol of harmony and cooperation; how a large group could co-exist crowded together.

BAZZINI’S

The photo at the right is of the Bazzini’s. Regrettably it is out of focus. For those of us (the crew of Weald) a swan 48 in the 1975 trans-atlantic race, it is a fond memory. Bazzini’s is really a specialty store; the link will get you there. We had their peanut butter aboard for the race. The poster of the girls somehow got labeled.

"My Life" Ed du Moulin

I unexpectedly received at Christmas a copy of Ed du Moulin’s book “My Life”. During the Jubilee in 2001 at Cowes Ed came aboard “Columbia” the 12 meter along with Jim Hardy and presented me with a copy of his book ” The America’s Cup and Me”.

I am a big fan of autobiographies.I have already read the book cover to cover; finding so many familiar names entwined in the stories found there.
I raced to Spain with Rich in 1972 aboard “Charisma” belonging to Jesse Philips. I found the stories that Rich would have told his father in the book. I look back at these events fondly, and have only the best memories of all the crew.
Jesse was in the process of divorcing his wife of 27 years. He spent so much time on the SSB that he would run the batteries down. We told Jesse that he had to be careful. His response was that Huey Long on “Ondine” seemed to have no problem , why was it that he did?
Copies of these books are available by contacting the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol Rhode Island.