Interview with Kontrol skipper Melbourne to Osaka race

by Rob Kothe on 20 Apr 2003 Father and Son Peter and Simon Blake sailed Kontrol into second place in the 2003 Melbourne to Osaka Race

Dockside in Osaka, Peter talked about the race
Interviewed by Rob Kothe www.sail-world.com


‘After the 1995 Melbourne to Osaka race, we decided we’d really like to have a crack at this race. Simon was only 15 at the time, he’s 23 now and he’s sailed everywhere with me so it’s been a long-term goal.

Back in 2000 we stretched the boat, it was Cadibarra 7 then and we working with Don Jones (designer) and Hart Marine. We added a metre and added water ballast.
We put her back in the water 10 days before the Melbourne to Hobart 2000. We won that race quite easily.

Then is last years 2002 Melbourne to Hobart, we led Maverick II by 5 miles at Iron Pot (11 miles from the finish), sailed into a hole but we wriggled out in time and beat them across line by 37 seconds.’

Maverick II is just such great competition. I love the boat; it’s a fantastic boat. It’s got more sails on that boat, than any other I know and it’s so well prepared, but we’d sailed well against it.

Going into the race we knew we had the boat to win, but our main purpose was to finish the race. We did not have much to do in preparation; really, we got our headsails hanked and did some maintenance.

When we set out we were determined to keep the boat together, so when we hit heavy weather at Gabo Island (at the eastern end of Bass Strait) we poked our noses out about 10 miles. The wind as 45 knots (on the nose), gusting to 60. Our auto helm was not working and all our instruments were down. If they had both been working we would have gone at least up to Eden and waited there if necessary.

But Maverick II was looking like they might come back. So we turned back together. If they had kept going we would have too, but they said the same thing later to us.
It was a sensible thing to do. It was about 5pm, we’d had little sleep and we knew we could catch any of the other boats later, by keeping Kontrol in one piece.

There was another problem too. We discovered just after the start that the water ballast pump had blown up. We had a lot of people inspected the boat the day before the race and we figured someone must have fiddled with the pump switch.

Anyway we had to motor for an hour down to the start line. The seacocks were turned off, so the pump was running dry and it just melted. To fill the ballast tanks during the race we used a bilge pump with a hose tied on a sail batten over the stern of the boat into the water.

It took 4 hours of hand pumping to fill the ballast tanks, but we could only pick up water when we were doing less than 6 knots, so we had to anticipate a need. We tried to fill with a bucket & siphon but we just could not get enough water.

At the end we were fit, but that ballast problem cost us heaps.

Out biggest problem was could get not get the weather fax working at all during the whole race. Once we left Australian water, we had nothing on weather at all, so that cost us too.

Generally we were happy with where we went. But we made one big tactical error. We sailed too close to the New Ireland shore on the corner and we had current running against us of 3 knots. Over on the Bougainville side, we saw the guys behind us did a lot better.

Sailing up from there to Japan was quite uneventful. The scariest bit of the whole trip was the end. Getting into Osaka Bay. It is the most unbelievable experience I’ve ever had in my 53 years. If I told you there were 1000 boats in this Bay, I think I’d be under estimating.

Ships everywhere and close, ships would motor past 50 foot away, then another 200 foot behind there would be another. If you sail where there are traffic lights…that is a real problem.

Coming through the channel from the outer bay into Osaka Harbour, there was a huge fog, so bad you could not see the bow of our own boat. When we came up there between 3-6am there were so many big ships. Then beside ships there must have been 300 fishing boats, all trawling in the fog, now everyone has to blast their foghorn every few minutes. So the noise does not stop ..definitely the scariest part of the trip…the most eerie feeling.

We went right up the big island shore (Awaj-Shima) to keep away from traffic and crept along there. It would have been suicidal through the middle. Luckily we had boat speed. The funny thing up here…has been wind in fog. If the fog lifts often there was no wind, I not ever seen that before.

We were lucky too, we had current going with us. We got through the other side. By then it was light, we had 8 knots of breeze. We got through across to other side, going well we thought. Three hours from here…but it took 12 hours.

But it was not bad as it turned out. We sat for 5 hours becalmed in Osaka Bay.
So we took floorboards out and we cleaned up the boat, had a couple of bundy’s and cokes. We were not stressed at all. Sitting in the middle of Osaka Bay in glass out was kind of funny. Boats made huge detours, even the ferries to look at us.

We were hungry…one boat gave us some bananas…we’d eaten well during the race. We took just a day too long. But we had good food during the race. Hunga Bustas, pasta, cous cous, lot of tuna, dehydrated potato, cereal. Simon lost weight. I might have a little but we were both in good condition.

Mind you, the hospitality here will put it back on. The Hokko Yacht Club turned on a big presentation feast. The food since we arrived has been amazing, crayfish, lobster’s steak. Actually we had put on brand new Kontrol shirts, so we’d look smart. Then at the Presentation everyone sprayed us with champagne, so we looked a mess again.

What from here…Simon will bring the boat back after presentation.

Simon wants to do another Melbourne to Osaka race. And I won’t rule it out one.
But for me the biggest problem is the heat. We could not get enough ventilation and too wet outside so I was having trouble getting enough sleep. Simon can sleep anywhere so he had no problems.

All in all though, it’s a race every sailor would enjoy…its been a great experience.’