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(i) The author, the captain of the ship and his family started an adventurous voyage by sea on their boat ‘Wavewalker’ in July 1976 from Plymouth, England. The first phase of their planned three-year, 105,000 kilometre journey passed pleasantly. They began to encounter strong gales when they were on their second day out of Cape Town. The captain was aware of the rough weather ahead. That is why he had taken the services of Larry Vigil, an American and Herb Seigler, a Swiss. He did so to tackle the world’s roughest sea, the southern India Ocean
The strong winds blew continuously for the next few weeks. The size of the waves was alarming, which was upto 15 metres as high as their boat’s main mast was. They were 3500 kilometres east of Cape Town on 25th December. Though the weather was extremely bad, yet they celebrated Christmas. iW waves became gigantic at dawn on January 2. They were sailing with only a small storm jib and were still making eight knots
To protect the ship from rough weather, the captain decided to slow the boat down. To do so, they dropped the storm jib and lashed heavy mooring rope in a loop across the stem. In order to protect themselves further, he got double-lashed everything. Then they went through their lift-raft drill, attached lifeliness, donned oilskins and life jackets. This is how the captain tried to protect the ship when rough weather began
(ii) The author, the captain, his wife Mary, his six-year-old son Jonathan and his seven-year-old daughter Suzanne started their round-the-world sea voyage by their boat Wavewalker. They had planned their journey for three years and were supposed to cover 105,000 kilometres. They started their long journey in July 1976 from Plymouth, England.
They reached Cape Town safely. But just on their second day out of Cape Town, they had to encounter strong gales, which blew continuously for the next few weeks. At dawn on January 2, the waves were extraordinarily large and high. At about 6 p.m. there appeared a wave, perfectly vertical and almost twice the height of other waves. Then a tremendous explosion shook the deck. A strong fast stream of green and white water broke over the ship. The head of the captain smashed into the wheel and he was aware of flying overboard and sinking below the waves.
Then unexpectedly, the author’s head came out of the water. He saw Wavewalker nearly overturning. But a wave hurled her upright. He grabbed the guard rails and sailed through the air into Wavewalker’s main boom. His left ribs were cracked and his mouth was filled with blood and broken teeth. Somehow, he found the wheel, lined up the stem for the next wave and hung on.
There was water everywhere. His wife Mary told him that the decks were smashed and they were full of water. He asked her to take the wheel. Through hatch he went down and found that Larry and Herbs were pumping fastly and continuously. After finding a hammer, screws and canvas, the captain struggled back on deck. With the starboard side bashed open, they were taking water with each wave that broke over them.
Somehow the captain managed to stretch canvas and secure waterproof hatch covers across the gaping holes. Some water continued to stream below, but most of it was now being deflected over the side. The hand pumps had started blocking and the electric pump was short circuited. Then the captain connected another electric pump to an out-pipe and it started working. They had been continuously pumping. He also hoisted the storm jib.