LEARNING CURVE
24 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com NOVEMBER 2015Gas belongs
in a gas locker
When Stephen Duffy lit a cigarette after ditching a leaky gas
canister in the cockpit, the resulting explosion wrecked his boat
I
’ve always been driven toward a self-
suffi cient, off-grid lifestyle so, having
spent months reading up on yachts,
I bought a second-hand Hunter 19,
Zulu Hunter. As a lifelong camper
I reckoned a boat would be a fl oating tent
with a solid roof instead of a nylon one.
She was lying in Connel, just north
of Oban, and I spent a couple of weeks
practising sailing before setting out for
the River Clyde. I stocked up on supplies,
including a canister of CampingGaz to
fi t a small stove I packed when I left
Glasgow. I didn’t know there was already
a camping stove onboard, and it had a
different connector anyway. I sailed from
Dunstaffnage Marina south toward the
Atlantic Bridge near Puilladobhrain.
The Atlantic Bridge crosses a narrow
channel called the Clachan Sound
that divides the Island of Seil from the
mainland. I had to lower the mast before
going under the bridge so it was dusk when
I arrived so I anchored to wait for daylight.
Down below, still excited, I wondered
if I could adapt a clicklock CampingGaz
canister to fi t a piercelock stove - I had
fi ddled about with camping stoves and
canisters before. I set about it with my
multi-tool, checking how the valve worked
and comparing it with the connector on the
boat’s stove, but I ended up damaging theCHART: MAXINE HEATHvalve on the canister to the point where it
leaked. I decided to play it safe and put the
damaged canister into the open air of the
cockpit, closed the hatch, snuggled up in
my sleeping bag, then lit a cigarette.
Boom!
When you’re in the midst of it, it’s just
a fl ash of light and a very loud pop. My
fi rst reaction was to look around and see if
anything was on fi re. It was quite dark and
the only light I had was a wind-up electric
lantern that was beginning to fade but I
couldn’t wind it up because my hands hurt
so much. I don’t know how long I sat
wondering what I was going to do.
I noticed the hatch wasn’t open, but
was in fact gone. As the sky was clear and
the sea was calm, I decided I could sleep‘I put the damaged canister
into the open air of the
cockpit, closed the hatch,
then lit a cigarette. Boom!’SCOTLAND0 5nmConnelObanPuilladobhrainTigh-An-Truish Atlantic BridgeSeilKerreraClachan SoundDunstaffnage
MarinaABOVE: After rowing himself ashore with
burned hands Stephen was in hospital for
more than a week. All in all, a lucky escape
BELOW: After the explosion, Stephen’s boat
was towed back to Connel and secured
opposite Dunstaffnage Marina‘At the moment of explosion, the whole cabin
had suddenly burst open and then collasped’
PHOTOS: STEPHEN DUFFY UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED