It was a Megga-nificent life

by John Curnow on 24 Nov 2009 This Thursday at 14:00, the Port Lincoln Yacht Club will be holding a Memorial Service for the man best known as ‘Megga’. There is no doubt that Geoffrey Bascombe was indeed the most colourFull character in Australian yachting and you only had to have met him once to take an instant shine to the big guy.

On one of the first occasions that I met him, low-carb beer had just hit the scene and he proceeded to tell me how they did not really count as beers! So the theory went that the one real beer his Doc had told him he could have, equated to six of these new things… excellent stuff.

There was so much more to this man and he had so many thousands of friends, because he always gave of his time and knowledge. Now what a database of interesting items that was, too. He’d been to that many places and seen so many things, that he was never short of a story - or the theory to back it up.

It is for this reason that the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria presented the very first 'Megga' Novice Skipper Award to Kathryn De Garis, during the recent Melbourne Latitude Series. It seemed very fitting, for anyone who had ever sailed with him could not help but to learn heaps from Megga.

Some of the material used in ORCV training courses, including the Melbourne Latitude Mentoring Series and the Melbourne to Vanuatu competitor support programs, originated from Megga and his vast experiences.

Also, many, many thanks to Neil Harvey ‘Wallbanger’ (of Harken) from Belleair, Florida, Matt Burton, Neville ‘Nifty’ Rose and ‘Captain Raw’ (Bill Rawson), for their time in preparing images and the information contained in this tribute, below. Lost without guys…

Geoffrey, as he was known back then, grew up with ‘Wallbanger’ in Port Lincoln, South Australia. Their fathers were best mates and the two families spent a lot of time together. Neil says, 'I can still picture him riding his bicycle in the dark hours every morning up to Welfare's Bakery, where he was an apprentice baker - I'll bet that bike was glad it was carrying that teenage load back then, and not the Megga we have known the past 20 years or so!'

'Not long after, he joined the Navy (RAN) as a clearance diver and was selected to go to the USA to pick up a new destroyer, HMAS Hobart.

When next he came home and whilst 'boarding' behind our 17' Hartley launch 'Chugger', (that was for almost 50 years the club's junior start & rescue boat) he regaled us with stories about how they transited the Panama Canal.

Upon entering the freshwater of Gatun Lake, they decided to discharge the saltwater in the fire-fighting reserve tanks, about the same time they crossed paths with a cruise ship - well them being young Aussies, you can guess what happened next - it didn't go down too well with international diplomacy', ‘Wallbanger’ added.

Megga was a regular feature at regattas all over the country. It was after a Melbourne to Hobart some 10 years or so ago that Nifty came across Megga on the Elizabeth Street Pier, as he talked with Skippers who wanted to get boats home and the upcoming returns from Osaka.

'I got to know Megga very well over the last eight years, particularly his involvement with deliveries around the globe on ‘Helsal II’, during Bill Rawson's ownership. Megga had a reputation as one of the most reliable delivery Skippers around the globe. You could always tell when you stepped onboard a boat that Megga had delivered, because it would be in pristine condition, with umpteen newly spliced sheets, braces and halyards all set to go', Neville commented.

Nifty made many trips with Megga on ‘Helsal II’, including a three-week voyage from Malaysia to Darwin, back in 2007.

'On one Sydney to Melbourne delivery, I recall thinking we didn't actually need charts, as we had Megga onboard who knew just about every inch of the coast intimately.

Megga was a virtual walking, talking marine encyclopedia that provided many entertaining stories of coastline history and landmark information from his Royal Australian Navy Clearance Diver days. This was not available on any charts or cruising guides!' Nifty added.


Nifty was also the land-based contact for some of Megga’s many deliveries. 'I'd get phone calls, emails and satellite phone text messages from him from all around the globe, including places like American Samoa, Brazil, the Caribbean, Fiji, Galapagos Islands, Hong Kong, Indonesia, New Caledonia, Singapore, Panama Canal, Philippines, Tahiti, USA, Vanuatu, Venezuela, as well as around the coast of Australia and I enjoyed it all. We all hope his passing was not too distressing for him or the crew.'

'I last spoke to him in the weeks prior to the Hong Kong delivery when he was rustling up crew for it. I understood this was to be his last trip up into Asia before coming home to fight and win his battle with prostate cancer' Nifty finished with.

The hilarious Matt Burton wished to convey the following about this most generous man. 'Megga did several deliveries for Bill Rawson, when ‘Helsal II’ was involved in an around the world campaign. I also had Megga join me as crew when I was working as the delivery Skipper on the same vessel in 2003. When arriving in Antigua for our Panama Canal transit, Megga asked me what my intentions were for him onboard. I replied by saying that he would be mainly down the back steering.'

Megga then said, 'That’s good, you know I’m not that mobile around the deck?!'

Maybe Megga was concerned he was going to have to do the foredeck! 'I don’t think the Laracas would have fitted him!' Matt added.

'Megga actually taught me a fair bit about short-handed deliveries. Because of his lack of 'mobility', he was very conscious of minimizing risk. Things like, when running downwind in over 20knots of breeze, getting rid of the main and using a trysail, to remove the danger posed by the boom in an accidental gybe. 'We are not racing and don’t need to be surfing at 25knots!' Megga added.

'Everything he did was aimed at easy sailing, which is why he was so sort after to deliver boats. What appeared to be his handicap, actually worked as his strength.' Quite so, Matt. Nice one.
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Matt finished by saying that 'The other thing I will never forget about Megga is his stories! He certainly led a full and adventurous life: - from his days as a Navy clearance diver, to his tails of the tuna fishing industry in Port Lincoln.

Anybody who’s ever been on watch with Megga will vouch that the old fella loved a chat as much as a beer, that’s for sure!'

Bill Rawson is a very quiet man when it comes to these matters and I could tell he felt for his long-time friend when we spoke last week.

'Johnnie, you know you’re getting old when you go to more funerals than weddings' he commented. That’s true, but in the case of Bill and Megga, they have been very full lives and a strong friendship developed with a lot time at sea together onboard ‘Sweet Caroline’ and then ‘Helsal II’.

I think it would be safe to say that Megga loved the sea, and rang eight bells doing what he loved best, especially if he had a beer or six aboard!

All our thoughts are with his family at this time. Everyone wishes the big guy a safe passage to the bar upstairs.

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