One of the more testing jobs I have each day is choosing the title for the web post. In the Southern Ocean, where noteworthiness was at a premium, I was scraping the bottom of the barrel with “Dave Thinks it’s Wednesday”.
Today’s choice was easy. We had left Galka inlet and I was enjoying an ale in the cockpit in celebration of something or other, while Maxine was hosing mud off the foredeck. Suddenly the hose nozzle burst from the hose and went over the side. Before I could put down my ale, Maxine had stripped off and dived in after it. With not so much as a “by your leave”. Never mind the 25 knot following wind and the associated chop. It was left to me to disconnect the autopilot, find somewhere to put my glass of beer, execute a Williamson turn, prepare the boarding ladder, heave to upwind and manage the controlled drift down to her. It was a textbook man overboard recovery.
If proof is needed, the GPS track is attached. Now I am finishing my ale while the deck continues its ablutions. And Maxine? – well I’m not sure about her, but that nozzle was a vital piece of equipment on Tainui.
It is a sunny day and just 90 miles to Volgograd.
9 thoughts on “Man Overboard!”