Tuesday 19 Jul 2011
0600 PDT Position: 21 16 N, 156 01 W
6:30 AM Hawaii Time We're sailing in front of some of the Hawaiian islands now at 7-8 kts with 15-25 kt winds. We're 66 miles from the finish. The seas are still pretty rough which makes steering a straight course and resting down below difficult. We should arrive in Diamond Head later this afternoon. We're looking forward to having a complete dinner on shore, drinking some beer, and a good night of sleep. I lost my video camera somewhere on the boat after the second day or so. I've been taking a lot of still photos.
[At this point LeeAnne stopped receiving any updates, and the Second Chance icon on the Transpac tracking map stopped moving at 2.1 nm from the finish. It stayed there for over an hour, then suddenly showed them finished. Next LeeAnne received a call from Charlie on shore, stating, surprisingly casually, that they were delayed to the finish because they had to “rescue a kayaker.”]
19 Jul 2011 - 0244 PDT 100 Mile position: 21 18 N, 156 01 W
ETA at Diamond Head 1600 (HST)
[Posted after Charlie returned from Hawai’i]
This last leg was a wonderful experience! Our spirits soared when we first sighted Diamond Head in the distance. We were flying down the Molokai Channel at 7-8+ kts wing on wing with warm 15-25 kt winds and 6-8’seas. This was down wind sailing at its best. The crew took turns surfing Second Chance down the swells in these exhilarating conditions. As we approached Diamond Head, the crew freshened up and donned their team shirts. Although we knew we were finishing in the back of the pack, we were proud of our progress and wanted to finish in style.
The finish line was described as a red buoy ¾ mile off the coast from the Diamond Head lighthouse. We did not have a GPS coordinate for the finish line and had to find it visually. The entire crew scanned the horizon for the red finish buoy. We finally spotted the red buoy and headed towards it. As we got closer, someone noticed what looked like another red buoy that appeared to be more like ¾ mile off the lighthouse. We altered our course for the new buoy.
As we got closer, we realized that what we thought was the new red finish line buoy was actually a kayaker wearing a red shirt. As we began altering our course for the original and correct buoy, Randy, a kayaker himself, noticed that the kayaker appeared to be in trouble. He said that the kayaker didn’t have a paddle and was clinging to his kayak from the water without a lifevest. Hearing this, Harry instructed us to alter course for the kayaker to see if he indeed needed help. As we approached the kayaker he waved to us confirming that he needed help. Harry call the crew to “battle stations” and instructed us to prepare for a rescue. Fortunately, we practiced man overboard drills before the race and everyone knew what to do.
We were bearing down on the kayaker at high speed still sailing wing on wing. As we passed the kayaker, we pulled the pin on the Man Overboard Module and launched it within a few feet of him. Knowing that the kayaker now had a life preserver and marker, we proceeded to drop the sails while monitoring his position. Tom and I sprang to the deck to drop the spinnaker pole in preparation of furling the jib. One of the crew members called the Coast Guard and informed them of our rescue plans. Several of the crew members kept sight of the kayaker and pointed towards him for the helmsman. With the jib furled, we started the engine, turned into the wind, and lowered the main. Meanwhile, we traveled a great distance downwind and briefly lost visual contact of the kayaker due to the high seas and distance. With the wind and seas blasting our faces, we soon relocated the lost kayaker and pointed to his position for the helmsman.
I heard someone say that we were heading to a different kayaker since the victim had a white kayak and this one appeared to have a yellow kayak. It turned out that the yellow “kayak” was actually the inflatable MOM pole being blown horizontal by the heavy winds! The white kayak blew past us tumbling across the whitecaps like a tumbleweed blowing across a field during the Santa Ana winds.
As we got closer to the kayaker we slowed the boat, threw him the Lifesling and throw line, instructed him how to use it, and pulled him to the boat. The victim was a big guy and he looked rather exhausted. We knew it would be a challenge lifting him aboard. Harry called for a halyard and some extra hands to help lift him. We fastened the halyard to his Lifesling and someone started grinding it in while three of us pulled him aboard.
Once on deck, the victim appeared very weak and almost fell backwards into the water. We guided him to the safety of the cockpit and then down into the cabin. The first words he spoke were something like “I’m really sorry I screwed up your race.” It tuned out that his name was Guy Wilding and he’s a coach for the Olympic Kayak team. Guy was on a routine training run when his paddle hit what he thinks was the back of a sea turtle. This caused Guy to loose his paddle and get knocked out of the kayak. It was one of those long and narrow racing kayaks and he was unable to get back in without a paddle. Guy was drifting in the Molokai Channel for over four hours. He had symptoms of mild hypothermia and overexposure. I hate to think of what would have happened to him if we hadn’t mistaken him for the red finish buoy. It’s a good thing he was wearing red since I doubt we would have noticed that he was in trouble if he was wearing any other color. It turned out that we gave Guy his Second Chance.
While Guy was recuperating in the cabin, we informed the Coast Guard of the successful rescue, informed the Transpac race committee, retrieved and stowed the rescue gear, and then re-set the sails to finish the race.
We finished the race in the afternoon at 14 days and 2 hours. An escort boat took us into the marina and we pulled up to an end tie at the Waikiki Yacht Club for what felt like a hero’s welcome. Guy’s wife and daughter along with our Hawai’i hosts, friends and family of crew members, and the local news crews were at the dock to greet us with Mai Tai’s, lei’s, and lots of hugs. What a grand way to finish a race!
Sail-World article – first media account of rescue: http://www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?Nid=86168&refre=y&ntid=0&rid=4
Hawai’i TV news report of rescue (with video): http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/Paddler-saved-after-chance-encounter-with/px0AABPOd0O92vgq8qD7hw.cspx
A Youtube video of Harry talking to Guy Wilding (rescued kayaker) minutes after the rescue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjJGP0BK97A
Ventura County Star article: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jul/21/locals-give-distressed-kayaker-second-chance-in/
19 Jul 2011 - 0244 PDT 100 Mile position: 21 18 N, 156 01 W
ETA at Diamond Head 1600 (HST)
[Posted after Charlie returned from Hawai’i]
This last leg was a wonderful experience! Our spirits soared when we first sighted Diamond Head in the distance. We were flying down the Molokai Channel at 7-8+ kts wing on wing with warm 15-25 kt winds and 6-8’seas. This was down wind sailing at its best. The crew took turns surfing Second Chance down the swells in these exhilarating conditions. As we approached Diamond Head, the crew freshened up and donned their team shirts. Although we knew we were finishing in the back of the pack, we were proud of our progress and wanted to finish in style.
The finish line was described as a red buoy ¾ mile off the coast from the Diamond Head lighthouse. We did not have a GPS coordinate for the finish line and had to find it visually. The entire crew scanned the horizon for the red finish buoy. We finally spotted the red buoy and headed towards it. As we got closer, someone noticed what looked like another red buoy that appeared to be more like ¾ mile off the lighthouse. We altered our course for the new buoy.
As we got closer, we realized that what we thought was the new red finish line buoy was actually a kayaker wearing a red shirt. As we began altering our course for the original and correct buoy, Randy, a kayaker himself, noticed that the kayaker appeared to be in trouble. He said that the kayaker didn’t have a paddle and was clinging to his kayak from the water without a lifevest. Hearing this, Harry instructed us to alter course for the kayaker to see if he indeed needed help. As we approached the kayaker he waved to us confirming that he needed help. Harry call the crew to “battle stations” and instructed us to prepare for a rescue. Fortunately, we practiced man overboard drills before the race and everyone knew what to do.
We were bearing down on the kayaker at high speed still sailing wing on wing. As we passed the kayaker, we pulled the pin on the Man Overboard Module and launched it within a few feet of him. Knowing that the kayaker now had a life preserver and marker, we proceeded to drop the sails while monitoring his position. Tom and I sprang to the deck to drop the spinnaker pole in preparation of furling the jib. One of the crew members called the Coast Guard and informed them of our rescue plans. Several of the crew members kept sight of the kayaker and pointed towards him for the helmsman. With the jib furled, we started the engine, turned into the wind, and lowered the main. Meanwhile, we traveled a great distance downwind and briefly lost visual contact of the kayaker due to the high seas and distance. With the wind and seas blasting our faces, we soon relocated the lost kayaker and pointed to his position for the helmsman.
I heard someone say that we were heading to a different kayaker since the victim had a white kayak and this one appeared to have a yellow kayak. It turned out that the yellow “kayak” was actually the inflatable MOM pole being blown horizontal by the heavy winds! The white kayak blew past us tumbling across the whitecaps like a tumbleweed blowing across a field during the Santa Ana winds.
As we got closer to the kayaker we slowed the boat, threw him the Lifesling and throw line, instructed him how to use it, and pulled him to the boat. The victim was a big guy and he looked rather exhausted. We knew it would be a challenge lifting him aboard. Harry called for a halyard and some extra hands to help lift him. We fastened the halyard to his Lifesling and someone started grinding it in while three of us pulled him aboard.
Once on deck, the victim appeared very weak and almost fell backwards into the water. We guided him to the safety of the cockpit and then down into the cabin. The first words he spoke were something like “I’m really sorry I screwed up your race.” It tuned out that his name was Guy Wilding and he’s a coach for the Olympic Kayak team. Guy was on a routine training run when his paddle hit what he thinks was the back of a sea turtle. This caused Guy to loose his paddle and get knocked out of the kayak. It was one of those long and narrow racing kayaks and he was unable to get back in without a paddle. Guy was drifting in the Molokai Channel for over four hours. He had symptoms of mild hypothermia and overexposure. I hate to think of what would have happened to him if we hadn’t mistaken him for the red finish buoy. It’s a good thing he was wearing red since I doubt we would have noticed that he was in trouble if he was wearing any other color. It turned out that we gave Guy his Second Chance.
While Guy was recuperating in the cabin, we informed the Coast Guard of the successful rescue, informed the Transpac race committee, retrieved and stowed the rescue gear, and then re-set the sails to finish the race.
We finished the race in the afternoon at 14 days and 2 hours. An escort boat took us into the marina and we pulled up to an end tie at the Waikiki Yacht Club for what felt like a hero’s welcome. Guy’s wife and daughter along with our Hawai’i hosts, friends and family of crew members, and the local news crews were at the dock to greet us with Mai Tai’s, lei’s, and lots of hugs. What a grand way to finish a race!
Sail-World article – first media account of rescue: http://www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?Nid=86168&refre=y&ntid=0&rid=4
Hawai’i TV news report of rescue (with video): http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/Paddler-saved-after-chance-encounter-with/px0AABPOd0O92vgq8qD7hw.cspx
A Youtube video of Harry talking to Guy Wilding (rescued kayaker) minutes after the rescue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjJGP0BK97A
Ventura County Star article: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jul/21/locals-give-distressed-kayaker-second-chance-in/
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