A couple of weeks ago we went for a sail off Mornington, flat water, offshore breeze, great sailing. I sailed out for about a kilometre, tacked, beared away reached 21.5 knots (according to the velocitek) andall I heard was BANG!!! Followed by one hell of a crash! I have cartwheeled as much as the next bloke, but this one was different, I spent so much time flying through the air I had time to think what I was going to have for dinner. I have hit fish, plastic bags, jellyfish, a penguin, even managed to sail the bulb on my rudder directly through the eye of a submerged mooring (anchoring me to the bottom), but whatever I hit was big and is also likely to be pretty sore.
I looked back and my rudder was gone. My rudder pin had literally ripped through the back of the carbon tube that held it in. After an hour and a half of getting a hire boat to bring us back in the process started to try and claim a new rudder, foil, gantry, tiller, etc. on insurance.
After spending a couple of days being sent back and forth within the company I finally spoke to the assessor, who said "If it is wear and tear that caused the breakage your not covered, you have to prove to us that you hit something". I'm thinking you beauty how do you prove that you hit something when the rudder is now at the bottom of the ocean?
That particular day I was wearing Richie's Go Pro, but I was shattered when I came in to find out it was not turned on properly and not filming. That night Richie said he had realised that it was however taking still photos every 4-5 seconds. I shot around to his place to go through the 500-600 photos, because there where dolphins out there that day, and you guessed it we found a photo of one. I sent the photo to the assessor and he said they will process the claim, for the only reason that they can't prove that I didn't hit that dolphin.
Below is a pic without my rudder and a pic with the dolphin. I think the moral to the story is NEVER leave shore without a Go Pro stuck firmly on your head, it could save you thousands!!!!!
also, rudders should float. that should be a design requirement!
ReplyDeleteThe rudder was floating, but not long after it broke off it kicked in to 25 knots. I was being blown offshore while the tide was taking the rudder inshore. By the time we got the boat in we couldn't find the rudder anywhere. Can't say that it didn't float though just couldn't find it.
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