While I continued to examine Zest’s
structure, Kass looked out on deck to
check the situation there. The keel-
stepped mast had broken a couple of
metres above the deck and was hanging
over the starboard side.
Meanwhile, Zest had rotated downwind
of the rig, which was now acting as a sea
anchor. This both stabilised the boat and
also helped keep the hole in the port side
deck clear of solid water.
As I checked the hull from the inside it was
an enormous help that Zest is of a high-tech
timber construction (strip cedar and epoxy)
without the multitude of headlining panels
and coverings that provide the cosmetic
finish to most boat interiors.
While a portion of the main bulkhead
had carried away with the chainplate,
taking with it a 6ft x 2ft section of the port
side deck, there was only minor damage
to the beam shelf and none to the hull.
Damage limitation
Given the limit of the damage and the fact
that we weren’t taking significant amounts
of water over the deck, we were not in any
immediate danger and therefore had time
to get organised. Clearing the rig away
was not unduly difficult, though with the
mast lying across the starboard side of the
boat, threatening to drag anyone there
over the side, plus a gaping hole on the
port side deck, it required careful planning
and a methodical attitude.
We knocked the pins out of all shrouds
that were not under tension before using a
cordless angle grinder to cut the only one
in tension – a 10mm Dyform cap shroud.
Sharp knives sliced the internal halyards,
allowing the mast to slip into the sea.
Given the stabilising effect of the rig in
the water, we initially left the forestay
attached, with the rig hanging off the bow,
acting as a makeshift sea anchor.
At this stage there was rope everywhere
and it was a pitch black night with no
moon, so we were happy to wait until
dawn before finishing tidying, starting the
engine only once we were quite sure there
was no risk of a rope round the prop.
This approach also gave time to recover
from the initial shock. We already knew
there was no chance of making port
before the next gale, so to stop green
water cascading below decks we stuffed
the hole in the deck with bagged
spinnakers (we had five on board),
pillows, fenders and anything else that
came to hand. Fortunately the length of
the side deck that had carried away
landed back on deck, which reduced the
size of the gaping hole and we lashed it
down to prevent further movement.
We emailed shore contacts and
Falmouth Coastguard to let them know
the situation, while making it clear we
were not in need of assistance. At the
same time we set the Iridium GO’s
automatic position reporting facility to
provide hourly updates, so that our
progress could be monitored.Heading for safety
At first we set off in a gentle breeze, but
with a large leftover swell, heading
towards La Coruña, hand-steering as the
NMEA 2000 data bus had been disabled
and the pilot didn’t work. By nightfall the
wind was starting to increase, so we bore
away, heading for a destination further
south. It was easy to identify the new
marina at Muros as the best option – good
all-round shelter and a safe approach.
By the second afternoon we were in winds
gusting well over 40 knots. Fortunately,
by now we’d gained some shelter from
the land near Finisterre and were
accompanied by hundreds of dolphins,
with dozens of them simultaneously
jumping out of the wave crests.
On the downside we were now taking
green water over the deck, which resulted
in enough seeping below that we needed
to pump for around 20 minutes an hour.
This rate roughly doubled once we turned
into the ria and had 45-knot gusts on the
nose for the last five miles. We finally
arrived safely at Marina Muros,
conveniently a couple of hours before
dusk, some 45 hours after the incident.
We were carrying enough fuel to motorABOVE Zest
heading
downwind under
reduced sail the
day before the
incidentLEFT Plenty of
spinnakers to
help plug the
hole to stop
green water
cascading below56 Practical Boat Owner • http://www.pbo.co.uk
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