Yachting Monthly - November 2015

LEARNING CURVE

NOVEMBER 2015 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com 25

Stephen Duffy, 41,

is a taxi driver from

Glasgow. He intends

to buy another

second-hand

yacht, but one with

more headroom.

Stephen

Duffy

■ Make sure all gas canisters are stowed

and used in a draining gas locker. The

leaking gas had filled the bilge without me

realising. It’s also a good idea to pump the

bilges or waft gas out of the cabin with a

sole board if you are in any doubt.

■ Never assume the fittings of gas

canisters are standard, and if they’re not,

don’t try to make them fit. Even small gas

canisters can provide surprising explosions

when they are treated without care.

■ Make sure you never become

complacent afloat: I had taken endless

trouble to learn a new discipline only to

Lessons learned

‘ To look at the damage, you’d have thought it

would have needed a bit more than a big pop’

without a hatch. I bathed my hands in a
basin of fresh water, which eased the pain,
and decided to get some sleep.
In the morning I inspected the damage.
All the cabin windows had blown out, one
of the coachroof supports had come loose,
and the coachroof had split. At the moment
of explosion, the whole cabin had suddenly
burst open and then collapsed, almost back
into position. One washboard was in the
cockpit, the other had gone overboard.
My nylon sleeping bag had melted in
places exposing the wool beneath which
was still intact. Cellophane wrappers on
things like toilet roll and tobacco had
shrink-wrapped their contents. There
wasn’t any actual fire, just a quick, loud,
hot, pressurised flash. To look at the
damage that was done, you would have
thought it would have taken something a
bit more sustained than a big pop.
The skin on my hands had peeled in
places. I was only 20 metres from the shore
but if I couldn’t row, I could end up in the
Atlantic. At about 1500 I noticed that the
tide was moving favourably and decided to
use the dinghy. I knew there was a pub in
Puilladobhrain where I could get help. So
I delicately picked up a few essentials with
my red, raw hands and dropped them into
my half-burnt rucksack, pulled out the oars
and got into the dinghy.
I made it ashore and across the bridge
to the Tigh an Truish Inn, where an
ambulance was called. I was taken to the
hospital in Oban, given morphine and my
hands were bandaged with Vaseline-coated
muslin. Later I was transferred to the
burns unit in Glasgow where I was an in-
patient for a week and where I was relieved
to learn my burns will heal in time.
The boat was a write-off. I hadn’t insured
her as she cost me very little. W

overlook the basic rules of gas discipline

that I learned long ago while camping.

■ Always let the Coastguard know of your

departure and destination. Had I done

this, my failure to arrive would have been

noticed and I might have been located and

assisted rather than having to undertake a

painful journey in the dinghy, rowing with

burned hands.

■ Use a fair tide when you’re in a tender.

Had I set off with a foul tide I might not

have made it ashore at all.

■ Always carry a fully equipped first aid

kit. Mine will include Vaseline and muslin

bandages from now on, not just sticking

plasters and dressings.

Gas can destroy a yacht. Give it the

respect it deserves and your gas

system the maintenance it demands

The gas inside the hull ignited with a brief flash of intense flame, followed by a powerful

shockwave that tore clean through the cabin top and blew out the coachroof windows

‘All the cabin windows had blown out, one of
the coachroof supports had come loose and
the coachroof had split’

PHOTO: YACHTING TV