[Public-List] Kalitsah

[David Fisher]

Yep, it was unpleasant there for a while.  Lesson, if you're going to do a complete refit, don't do it while living aboard and at anchor... Fishing boat through the side was quite an experience, and came right at the point when I'd finally talked myself back on board to continue with the work.  Funnily enough, after so much soul searching while I'd been away and having convinced myself that continuing on was really what I wanted to do, this new calamity didn't seem to phase me too much at all.  On the contrary it was all quite fun, in a macabre sort of way. I was on my way up to Brisbane from Sydney at the time, and had stopped in a fine little bay at Broughton Island, where I planned to wait for a southerly breeze due the next day.  I picked up a mooring rather than anchoring, given the number of them in there and the conscequencial lack of room to swing at anchor, and tucked myself in to bed for the night.  There were plenty of other boats in the bay, and with National Parks signs limiting speeds to four knots, I'd lulled myself into a rather false sense of tranquiltiy and safety, and didn't bother setting an anchor light. It was about three in the morning when I heard that oh so familiar sound of an outboard racing somewhere close by.  I barely had time to mutter about another ****head travelling too fast when there was a tremendous crash and the whole boat was thrown over.  Half asleep, it took me some time to get my head around things.  My first thought was that there must be a couple of dead folk in a motor boat somewhere close.  The hit had been pretty terrific and, from the sound of it all they had at no point seen us and tried to avoid a collision, so it was a direct hit.  They would easily have been doing 20; certainl yup on the plane.  Their boat was a little half cab glass runabout, maybe 16' with a 90hp on the back.  I called out to them and was answered by two of the most irate individuals I've ever had the pleasure to know.  "Where's your f***ing light??"  At least they were alive.  I told them to come alongside, but they were having none of that.  Probably a good thing too, as their impression of a pissed off bull terrier was uncanny.  I could only assume that they had a boat rolling full of beer cans, and weren't keen for me to see.  We exchanged details, he adamant of my being at fault.  I'd pay for the damage I'd done, he ranted.  Sinking, he said.  Though whenI pointed out I was moored and so didn't need a light, also that he was speeding, he headed back out to sea and off into the night. Morning allowed me to assess the damage properly.  He'd hit just aft of the aft port lower chainplate.  Kalitsah's chainplates are on the exterior of her hull, and the impact had forced the one hit right through the toe rail, compressing the deck in by an inch or so.  Just behind the chainplate was a hole perhaps 20cm in diameter, which had gone through just behind the bulkhead between saloon and heads.  The force of the hit had popped this bulkhead out.  All the damage had been well above the water line, so sinking didn't seem likely.  However the sliding sink in the heads did jump out and break off the pump for the heads. Broughton Island is a pretty isolated spot, so getting the police on site was unfortunately not going to happen.  My southerly did arrive however, and into this I was forced to motor the 15 or so miles back to Port Stephens, where I could deal with this mess properly.  I had been too nervous to set any sail given the hit to the chainplate.   At Port Stephens the lengthy process of making a claim, finding a yard and getting on with it all began.  For some reason this whole period has been repressed in the depths of my unconscious mind, and so I won't go into them now.  Suffice it to say that she's all better now, and it's hard to tell anything ever happened. I did learn an awful lot though.  I had decided I was safe unlit as I was given the circumstances, and legally that was the case.  However my decision not to put on the anchoring light had been based also on not wanting to power a light all night when I'd be wanting the pilot running the next day.  Legality aside, it's entirely possible that my reluctance to use that amp an a half for a few hours cost me a couple of months off the water, and almost my boat.  Having said that, though, there were so many boats in there that if he hadn't hit me, he'd have hit someone else, light or no light.  I've alleviated some decision making by switching to LED for the anchor light, which is now permanently on at night no matter where I am. The worst of the experience was for my crew, a fellow I've been sailing with for years and who I subscequently helped sailing his own boat on the same route without mishap.  He was throuwn from his bunk and fractured a vertibrae.  He is completely recovered now, but could easily not have been.  This weighs heavily on me.  It should not be lightly that one should take responsibility for another by having them on board.  Cheers,D
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