Solo Sailor Wife Rescues - Solo Sailor Husband

by Nancy Knudsen on 16 Apr 2008 When two solo sailors cross paths during their separate circumnavigations, meet in New Zealand and then get married in the Solomons, it makes for a very special marriage, especially when they both continue to sail solo.

So when Tony Curphy's 27ft plywood cutter Galennaia started to take on water during a passage from Australia to Fiji, 700 miles off the coast of New Zealand, he didn't radio a Mayday, he phoned his wife, Susanne Huber-Curphy!

Bavarian Suzanne, in true solo-sailing-marriage fashion, was sailing just 150 miles away on her 40ft ketch, So Long. It took So Long two days to reach Galennaia, then, after five separate attempts, Suzanne managed to get a tow line attached to the other boat in the three metre waves. The couple maintained contact with New Zealand rescue services, but reached Nelson without assistance after eight days sailing.

Now that's good seamanship!

For the past 12 years the couple have been sailing the globe separately, meeting only in port.

They met in Whangarei New Zealand while Tony was circumnavigating the world in a British Folkboat called Storm Petrel and Suzanne was also circumnavigating in her 9 metre ketch called Glory. They later married in the Solomons Islands, but have continued to sail separately, meeting only in ports.

However, at the time of their marriage, their plan, once they had finished the thrill of circumnavigating, was to sell both boats, buy a bigger one and carry on cruising. Now, 12 years later, it still hasn't happened.

They have already jointly completed one circumnavigation of the world in their own boats, and were partway through completing another in the opposite direction.

When the damage occurred, the couple were 30 days into a passage from Australia to Fiji, when Mr Curphey's plywood cutter struck bad weather and began taking on water.

After arriving in Nelson, they were interviewed by the Nelson Mail. 'I was a bit worried when I found the damage,' Mr Curphey said. 'It's the first time she's rescued me for this type of problem, but she rescues me all the time for other things,' Mr Curphey said.

The couple said towing under sail for eight days was very difficult and there were a few 'anxious moments' as they tried to avoid the yachts colliding.

Mrs Huber-Curphey said while they lived together on her boat when they were in port, they enjoyed their own boats and the freedom of sailing solo, because 'Two skippers on one boat might be a bit of a clash.'

They travel with their terrier dog, Honey. She remains on board So Long for quarantine reasons and has four very good sea-legs.

Mrs Huber-Curphey, 47, is an architect and still has a small income, and Mr Curphey, 63, receives a small pension.

The couple are proud their boats are not luxury cruisers, and both have manual winches and sails that have to be hoisted by hand. They do most of the maintenance on the boats themselves.

They even have a sewing machine to repair sails and canvas.

Mrs Huber-Curphey said she liked her slightly bigger boat, while her husband was proud to live 'on a shoestring'. 'He says it (So Long) is too big and too comfortable and he'd rather bang his head. He doesn't like having it too easy.'

Despite being sometimes more than three days away from each other while at sea, they keep in contact two or three times a day via radio.

'People often ask us for the frequency. But we have a public frequency and a private frequency,' Mrs Huber-Curphey laughed.

They plan to remain in Nelson for a few weeks while repairs to Galenaia are carried out at Dickson Marine Refits, and then will set off, together, but apart, for Fiji.

Now there's a couple of good sailors, and set the world a great example of true seamanship!