<%@ Page Language="VB" ContentType="text/html" ResponseEncoding="iso-8859-1" %> The bad the good and the ugly
 
 

The Bad the Good and the Ugly

by Barbara Garland

Monday evening June 13, 2005

The bad

Everything considered, it was a great weekend. The sailing was incredible. Evie and I had a wonderful sail for about 3 ½ hours. Of course we were ahead of the group - except for David in the Corsair 31 trimaran. It was 12:30, we were almost in Newport harbor headed for the wedding, when it happened. David's Corsair bore off. He was headed down toward us. As he got closer, he was headed right for us. At the last minute I tried to tack and he turned in the same direction. It turns out he didn't have good vision and didn't see we had changed course. He hit us amid ship - essentially with his bowsprit. No water taken on (except rain on the way home Sunday) Evie had a cut on her hand. It took 11 stitches. The hull was dented in about a foot above the water line. The liner inside was cracked in 2 places down about that height. The main damage is to the deck mold - port side - as it turns to become the sides - and pop top cover. Evie's hand was cut when the pop top cover jumped up and then came down on her hand. The damage on the deck comes all the way through to the head liner.

The reality of the accident is that it could have been much worse. If the boat had hit several feet further aft into the cockpit, there would have been a lot more damage

Those are the facts. What happened around the incident is amazing. The good:

First of all, I sat next to David at dinner on Friday night. He is a wonderful person - happy to be a new member of the group. I think he feels as badly about this (or maybe worse) as I did.

The group did what the group always does - offered assistance and support- offered to follow us back to Allen harbor.

In the end Ed and Tony followed us back. Tony took Evie to the clinic to have her hand stitched, while Ed looked at the boat, sat and had lunch with me, checked the insurance policy, and was there with me when David came ashore.

When Evie and Tony came back, Evie and I decided not to go home. We felt our choices were to stay on the boat in the water, to stay on the boat on land, or to stay at a motel for the night. We asked what Tony and Ed's plans were and Ed's answer was - why don't you come to PotterCove with us - and that's what we did.

Tony and I arrived first - to a round of applause from the group. Al H's comment was that they had hoped that would have happened. There wasn't much time for conversation because we had to break up the raft -but we did gather with several people over the course of the evening - and got to sleep out in the cockpit again. The evening was incredible. The only problem was waking up at 3 am - with my mind racing about what to do.

Back at the ramp on Sunday, there was lots of concern, lots of consolation, and lots of support.

Now as for Evie - she is a new person in my life. I met her as a counselor in my bereavement group 2 years ago. She and here husband had sailed many years had spent 6 years cruising as a live aboard before his death 11 years ago. At one point they had owned a Venture 24. She was an incredible sport about the whole thing. She loves sleeping on deck and though Ed offered her the front v berth, and there is more privacy on the San Juan, she opted for sleeping in the cockpit. She was so impressed with the group, which is a great reminder of how wonderful you all are. I have an absolutely wonderful support group in you.

I came home to a friend who was in Newport for the weekend. She was thinking about me at about the time the accident happened. She didn't have my cell phone number or she would have called me. We spent about an hour walking and talking last night.

Then there is Rob. I always touch base with him when there is an emotional problem. I told him the facts - I had about 5 minutes and lost cell phone coverage. He called me at home at about 9pm and, after going thorough the details, asked me the hard questions. What happens if the boat is totaled - because of structural damage. How would I FEEL. The thought has been in my mind since Ed looked at the boat.

The bottom line is - it's OK either way. Of course I want Whale. But the reality is a lot of structural damage. One telling sign is that - though I got the dagger board up, it won't go down on it's own. There are cracks in the head liner where it joins the deck over the sink area - all the way to the starboard side. I have an appointment with a surveyor tomorrow. That will tell the answer.

But if there isn't Whale - there is no question about the fact that there will be another Mac - most likely a 26 D - hopefully and 88 and it's name would be Orca. (thank you Jack and Rani for not taking that name)

So thank you Ed and Tony, my Sunday night walking friend, Rob and all the rest of the NE-TS group.

That's the bad and the good. The ugly pictures are below.

One picture of the outide

Pictures of the interior upper port headliner near the daggerboard


Lower center part of the port side

Pop Top cover

Over the sink, just under the pop top cover

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