Listen & read
Graeme Francis faces a terrifying situation as his yacht takes on water in the treacherous Tasman Sea. Here’s why his meticulous preparation could be the difference between life and death.
The veteran sailor, competing in the Solo Trans-Tasman Challenge, encounters severe flooding aboard his 36-foot monohull, Robbery. Just a day from land and battling gusts over 50 knots, Francis confronts a failing engine and lost communications. The flooding begins less than 24 hours after setting off from Opua, New Zealand.
Exhausted from hours of manual pumping, he weighs the grim option of abandoning ship. "At one stage I thought, 'this is getting a little bit real now,'" he recalls. The 69-year-old, with over 19,000 offshore miles under his belt, activates his emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) and informs race control of his decision to turn back.
Francis emphasizes the importance of preparation, having envisioned countless scenarios during his seven months of training. "I wasn't scared, but I was certainly concerned," he states, as he grapples with the unknown source of the water. His experience and readiness may just be his lifeline in this dire moment.
Comments (0)