O WNER REPOR T – MISS TIPP Y
About 1,400 miles out Jaume the Skipper of the husband and wife team aboard Bionic alerted the rally fl eet that he had painful kidney stones. Luckily we were only 30 or so miles away and we arranged to meet up so that we could standby to help.
As we drew closer we became worried that Jaume was suff ering intense pain, and associated sleep deprivation was exacerbating the situation. We were also concerned that Jaume’s wife, Carmen would fi nd it diffi cult to handle the boat if his medical condition continued to deteriorate. We made the decision to try to transfer Sheila to Bionic to administer medical care and provide crew support. At fi rst we tried to draw alongside but we found that the mid-ocean swell meant that our rigs became perilously close during this manoeuvre. We abandoned this approach and instead trailed Sheila in a dinghy on a long line for pick up by Bionic. Even this approach required two attempts before success!
Aſt er lots of drugs and 24 hours sleep Jaume soon recovered but the sea state had worsened so we couldn’t get Sheila back aboard and she completed the voyage on Bionic. We were now short handed with just myself and the kids to sail the remaining 1,600 miles. Other rally boats came to standby both ourselves and Bionic in case we needed help but in the end the rest of the trip went smoothly and we arrived in Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas aſt er a passage of just over 16 days. We had run out of gas a couple of days before arrival so this, plus Dad’s wholly inadequate cooking abilities, sent us to the nearest restaurant for breakfast upon arrival!
T is mid-ocean assistance reinforced our nickname ‘International Rescue’ that the rally had given us for two previous rescues. T e fi rst rescue occurred when we towed 47 ſt Fantasia, Jackamy off a reef that they had been lodged on for over an hour off the coast of Antigua. We were assisted by Lucy Alice, (another Oyster) on that occasion. Our second rescue mission occurred when the yacht Serengeti asked for our assistance to guide them into the anchorage amongst the low lying, reef strewn, San Blas islands. T ey had arrived without steering, power and navigation equipment aſt er a horrendous journey past the Columbian coast. Our Oyster’s dependability and capability has given us the confi dence to go to other people’s assistance when needed.
While any landfall would be appreciated aſt er 3,000 miles at sea, arrival in the Marquesas is quite overwhelming. Mountainous, lush green islands emerge from the depths of the oceans and tower above you as you approach. T is is a place of very dramatic scenery and fascinating history.
We have had a full itinerary since arriving in the Marquesas with island tours and parties arranged for us. It has been fascinating to visit archeological remains of religious sites where cannibalism was practiced up until the beginning of the 20th century. Despite European missionary fervour, which wiped out much of the population in the islands, the locals maintain their cultural heritage and we were
Follow Miss Tippy’s progress with fi lms and regular updates on the family’s blog at
www.rock2rock.co.uk
able to see Marquesan dancers, sculpted tikis and painted tapas and imagine how life may have been in years gone by.
Sitting on a stone bench overlooking the sea beside a sandy road with massive volcanic plugs on one side reaching for the skies, and waves gently rolling in before us, we realized we were now in the South Pacifi c of our dreams!
Miss Tippy has served us so well, enabling fast passages (with regular 200 mile days), keeping us safe during storms and enabling us to help others in need. We have tested our Oyster well having sailed it from new for over ten thousand miles across the largest Oceans on our planet. While there have been some minor teething items to deal with, the responsiveness from David Abbott and the team in Oyster’s customer services department has meant that we have not been inconvenienced and have been able to enjoy this incredible experience to the full.
T ank you again Oyster!
SU MMER 2 0 10
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