Best crew stories

[snowleopard]

So give us some examples of crews actions above and beyond the call.

Here's one of mine...

We were heading up channel in Lutine, a Nic 55, on a murky night with a lot of wind up our tail. Two of us went up on the foredeck to change to a smaller headsail as it was getting a bit lively. We hauled down a large wet genoa and lay on it to tame it as the wind tried to take it away. We opened the forehatch and started to stuff it down into the fore cabin but found there was a crew member in the lee bunk directly below the hatch. He looked up, saw what was happening then reached out and started hauling the dripping sail down on top of him.

As we made our way back to the cockpit I commented to my companion that I was impressed by the unselfish action. He replied 'He wasn't worried, he was in your sleeping bag'.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

So give us some examples of crews actions above and beyond the call.

Coming round Carnsore point a huge thunderstorm with corresponding deluge arrived. All 3 young 'uns in the crew went below to help each other make tea leaving my 82 year old granddad up top in the downpour. There was a thin waterfall streaming from the tip of his Searush-type beard. He says he remembers 3 pairs of eyes looking out through a crack between the hatch and the top of the washboards.

 

[Robin]

My SWMBO keeping up the plot on the chart (pre GPSdays) making copious pots of fresh filtered coffee and hot food whilst I hand steered for some 13 hours in huge breaking seas with true winds over 50kts against strong tides off North Brittany. Then being ready to go off again to Poole after just a 12 hour stop in Guernsey, mind she did have a golf game booked for the day after we got in.

 

[boguing]

Cross Channel (Solent - France) race of the type that starts Friday pm, neatly done so that anyone prone to seasickness arrives in the Channel proper at dusk. Works every time.

This time though, it's just me left. The other ten or so all smitten and abed.

Barring Rick. Sick as hell, but stayed up all night, made me coffees, held the tiller while I did sail stuff.

Great bloke.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Light airs race, finishing Yarmouth. Wind dies. We start going backwards on the tide. Skipper calls "Let go the kedge". The Scotsman does just that, without tying it on to anything. It disappears over the bow. The Scotsman now universally held in low regard. We give up and motor into Yarmouth. The Scotsman jumps off the boat, nicks a dinghy and starts rowing to Hampshire. The tide takes him towards the Needles Channel and points west. The HM motors after him in his dory to bring him back. Politely offers to tow him in. Greeted by invective, the gist of which seems to be "Who ra feck d'ya think youse are, Grace feckin Darling."

 

[johnalison]

Ivan's a very careful chap and had been with us several days, so he knew that our stern ladder was never tied up, for safety reasons. After a disturbed night on Ven we decamped at 4 am for a bit of rest in Rungsted, but Ivan woke at about 7 am and decided that our stern needed cleaning. He was fully engaged in this with a sponge when those of us inside heard a long groan uuuuuuuuuuuurrgh - splash, as the ladder proved unreliable as a hand-hold. The marina were very understanding and let him shower and didn't charge us for the night.

 

[E39mad]

Not quite above and beyond the call but there was a call involved.....:

Racing First Class Europe one designs in Cowes Week 1989 - fleet of 12 which started 10 mins behind Sigma 38 fleet. By the first run we were overhauling the Sigmas.

One of the Europes had some mouthy but good racers on board and hailed over to Yeoman 27 or 28 (can never remember which) to HRH who was helming:

"Oi Stavros don't gybe in my effin water"

Retort from HRH:

"It's my wife's water and I can gybe where I bloomin well like"

Don't think the mouthies had an answer to that!!