Cruisers are an eclectic lot. We're a strange mix of business owners, plumbers, homemakers, Vietnam vets, academics, nurses, computer geeks... and the list goes on. What's magical about our chemistry is the fusion of random knowledge, binding us together like a single central nervous system. In addition, we've got grit. And, we needed it all when the strongest cyclone to ever make landfall in the southern hemisphere headed towards Fiji.
The fleet in Savusavu dug in its heels when news of Tropical Cyclone Winston spread. My husband, Jim, and I removed sails, canvas and other windage from our 41' Tartan, Hotspur. Our 16-year-old daughter, Carolyne, tossed items from deskside down below and helped lash anything loose. When our jib’s luff tape …show more content…
But, when we learned Winston morphed into a Beaufort scale Cat 5, realization hit hard. “Extremely dangerous”, “very destructive”, and “typical gusts over 280 knots” meant we might lose our boat.
Winston ambushed Savusavu, arriving 10 hours earlier than predicted late Saturday morning. It bombarded the anchorage like a terrorist, blindfolding its victims in a mask of white and attacking the fleet with blunt force trauma. Chafed mooring lines sent manned and unmanned vessels awry. Some boats dragged moorings into other boats, charging like attack dogs towing chewed-through chains.
Veteran cruisers since 1990, Jeff Bowers and his wife, Christie Weiser, said they'd never experienced a storm as ferocious as Winston. “The wind was so strong,” Weiser said, “my face literally peeled like Dermabrasion.” Their 40' Valiant, Shahrazad, clung to its mooring for an hour before the chain snapped and sent their home …show more content…
Clusters of wrecked sailboats lined every shore. One catamaran lay listing, half sunk in seawater and half mutilated on land. Another beached vessel sat holed, impaled by a power pole through its portside straight into its bulkhead.
Yet, it didn't take long for the fleet to lick its wounds, shake its collective stun and take action. Volunteer cruisers immediately joined together and coordinated salvage. Curly Carswell, Savusavu's VHF net controller, smoothed details over with Customs and formulated strategies. Waitui Marina manager, Jolene Sami, and Savusavu Marina manager, Meli Namasi, helped organize storage, security, tools, ropes and vehicles.
The cruising community merged. Men and women grabbed shovels or used bare hands to sling mud and rocks from under hulls. Some grabbed pumps and rushed to purge water from leaking vessels. Teams formed to monitor each boat. Crews patched holes. Watchful eyes looked for looters. Everyone worked together like a well-oiled machine and raced to readiness to take advantage of the
The fleet in Savusavu dug in its heels when news of Tropical Cyclone Winston spread. My husband, Jim, and I removed sails, canvas and other windage from our 41' Tartan, Hotspur. Our 16-year-old daughter, Carolyne, tossed items from deskside down below and helped lash anything loose. When our jib’s luff tape …show more content…
But, when we learned Winston morphed into a Beaufort scale Cat 5, realization hit hard. “Extremely dangerous”, “very destructive”, and “typical gusts over 280 knots” meant we might lose our boat.
Winston ambushed Savusavu, arriving 10 hours earlier than predicted late Saturday morning. It bombarded the anchorage like a terrorist, blindfolding its victims in a mask of white and attacking the fleet with blunt force trauma. Chafed mooring lines sent manned and unmanned vessels awry. Some boats dragged moorings into other boats, charging like attack dogs towing chewed-through chains.
Veteran cruisers since 1990, Jeff Bowers and his wife, Christie Weiser, said they'd never experienced a storm as ferocious as Winston. “The wind was so strong,” Weiser said, “my face literally peeled like Dermabrasion.” Their 40' Valiant, Shahrazad, clung to its mooring for an hour before the chain snapped and sent their home …show more content…
Clusters of wrecked sailboats lined every shore. One catamaran lay listing, half sunk in seawater and half mutilated on land. Another beached vessel sat holed, impaled by a power pole through its portside straight into its bulkhead.
Yet, it didn't take long for the fleet to lick its wounds, shake its collective stun and take action. Volunteer cruisers immediately joined together and coordinated salvage. Curly Carswell, Savusavu's VHF net controller, smoothed details over with Customs and formulated strategies. Waitui Marina manager, Jolene Sami, and Savusavu Marina manager, Meli Namasi, helped organize storage, security, tools, ropes and vehicles.
The cruising community merged. Men and women grabbed shovels or used bare hands to sling mud and rocks from under hulls. Some grabbed pumps and rushed to purge water from leaking vessels. Teams formed to monitor each boat. Crews patched holes. Watchful eyes looked for looters. Everyone worked together like a well-oiled machine and raced to readiness to take advantage of the