No awards but plenty of bravery

by Ian Grant on 17 Aug 2005 Mooloolaba skipper Ian Griffiths and his Amity crew may not win a trophy at Hog’s Breath Race Week at Airlie Beach later today, but they are the unsung heroes of the regatta.

Griffiths and crew mates Peter Carter and Roger Barnett, who were remarkable survivors when they were forced to abandon their yacht during the storm lashed 1998 Sydney to Hobart race, became rescuers when a rare ‘southerly buster’ blew across the Whitsunday Passage last Friday.

There were warnings that a blow was eminent, but the record 129 competing yachts were still thumped by the intensity of the squall which spun the former Volvo Around the World racing sloop, Seriously Ten, into an uncontrolled broach, while other yachts suffered ripped sails broken masts, steering gear and booms.

The 38 knot line squall proved to be a frightening experience for crews in the lightweight Sports boats when several competitors suffered wild wipeouts.

Commonsense seamanship prevailed on Amity, however, her crew became concerned when they sighted the crew of the Brisbane sports boat Skreenkraft Margaret L clinging to the partially submerged craft after the unrelenting wind speared the lightweight yacht into a nose-dive.

Her hull was awash when Amity hove to and rescued skipper Howard Lambourne, while the remaining four crew, including former World 18ft skiff champion Peter Sorenson, began an exhausting rescue mission to safely tow the damaged yacht ashore.

Eddie Gray, owner skipper of well known Whitsunday motor launch Take Off, along with his crew of volunteer race officials Ross Wilson, of Melbourne and Maryrose Heffernan from Sydney, were assisted by Jim Hayes and Max George aboard the Whitsunday Sailing Club’s ‘Safety One’, in what ultimately proved to be a slow 10 hour tow before the mission was completed.

Gray, a long term friend of Howard Lambourne, was determined to save his mate’s yacht and his seamanship plus the knowledge of the local waters, contributed to a successful rescue.

It was not a pleasant time at sea for the Take Off and Safety One crews who were exposed to the chill factor in a wind which plummeted the temperature to record the coldest day in the tropical whitsundays since 1926.

All five totally committed race officials Eddie Gray, Ross Wilson, Maryrose Heffernan, Jim Hayes and Max George, as well as the crew of Amity, will not win a trophy or be recommended for an award.

However, they were praised by officials and competitors for their special effort to prevent a serious incident from becoming a major rescue mission.

Howard Lambourne, who offers his own family launch as a standby rescue vessel for major sailing championships on Brisbane’s Moreton Bay, realised the enormity of his own rescue.

‘We have towed a lot home over the years and think nothing of it, but there is a totally different prospective when you are at the other end of the tow line.

‘All of our rescue team did an outstanding job in extremely cold and tough conditions, showing the special fellowship that exists in our sport,’ he said.