Gerald Levy wrote:
>
> I'm back in New York City again ... about 9 days earlier than I
> anticipated. (No, I haven't read my e-mail yet).
>
> I had a *GREAT* summer ... until Wednesday morning.
>
> I spent the summer sailing out of Newport, Rhode Island and living on
> my 27' sailboat, "Bon Copain". Except for 2 stormy Mondays and this last
> rainy Monday, I sailed *every* other day. I sailed throughout
> Narragansett Bay and elsewhere (including Block Island, the Elizabeth
> Islands, and Martha's Vinyard) ... all singlehanded. It was everything
> (and more) that I had hoped for.
>
> On Tuesday, I sailed in a fresh (15-20 knot) southwesterly wind to
> Cuttyhunk Island (the westernmost island in the Elizabeth Island chain). I
> anchored outside the breakwater in 14' and got myself ready for a stormy
> . The forecast was for the winds to veer North - Northeast and
> increase in intensity to 25 knots. It was a very stormy night indeed with
> gusts above 35 knots and waves that came into the anchorage that made the
> yacht pitch violently. Under these circumstances, it was hard really
> falling to sleep. So every 30 minutes or so I would get out of my berth
> and check our position (by looking out the ports to take a range on other
> nearby moored vessels and a light) and the fathometer (which indicates the
> water depth). It wasn't a pleasant night, but we appeared to be safe.
>
> Then at about 0215, there was a loud bang on the side of the hull. It
> sounded *very* bad so I jumped out of my berth, threw on a few clothes,
> and went up the companionway. What I saw would put a chill in the heart of
> any mariner! We were broadside to the stone breakwater smashing against
> the rocks with each roll!
>
> The anchor must have dragged and, within seconds, we were on the rocks. I
> thought about starting the engine, but it was already too late. The cabin
> was beginning to flood (indicating that she had been holed and was
> taking on water fast). I would have liked to go down below to gather some
> of my possessions (including my heart medication), but seconds mattered.
> I.e. I felt confident that given the proximity of the deck to the rocks I
> could climb off of the boat and save myself if I timed it right and acted
> quickly; if I went below for a few seconds the boat might shift and I
> might find myself having to swim for the mussel and barnacle-encrusted
> rocks (leaving a vessel for the rocks is a very risky, and often
> life-threatening, proposition). Luckily, I got onto the rocks with hardly
> a scratch. From there, I sent out a "Mayday" message with a portable VHF
> radio. The US Coast Guard answered my distress call and a private vessel
> (which had been out answering the distress calls from two other vessels in
> nearby Quick's Hole and Hadley Harbor) picked me up a few minutes later.
>
> I was lucky to get out of the boat in one piece. From the rescue boat, I
> could see that my boat was already descending below the waves. I was taken
> to the Captain's home and given some dry clothes and then put up for the
> night in the Town Hall -- which, I was told, was the traditional place to
> take shipwrecked sailors to.
>
> Of course, I couldn't sleep. At first light, I walked back to the
> breakwater ... hoping that my boat and personal gear could be salvaged.
> It was a pitiful sight. She was holed in several places, her decks were
> awash, she was flooded, and her mast was leaning at a 60 degree angle. She
> was wrecked!
>
> I went back later that day ... three more times. I wasn't able to salvage
> much of anything.
>
> In addition to being my boat, she was also my home for the summer. When
> she went down, so did most of my clothes, personal items, gear, etc. The
> boat was insured, but I will still take a large financial loss for the
> uninsured items. And, of course, I also lot my boat ... which had given me
> such pleasure and pride.
>
> It was a very wrenching experience (it still hurts a lot), but I'm still
> alive! And I'll buy another boat and be back sailing next summer! I won't
> be defeated.
>
> It seems weird being back in NYC. During the summer I didn't have a
> computer, telephone, television, refrigeration or basically any of the
> modern conveniences. I was also basically inaccessible. It was great but I
> look forward to hearing again from my many friends -- of which there are a
> lot on this list.
>
> Life goes on ....
>
> A shipwrecked mariner