A good sunny autumn days sunshine greeted the ”Gallant little ship” as she made her way through ”The Heads” across Port Philip bay to the Royal Victoria yacht club’s landing pontoon. Having last been on her over four and a half months ago my eye could pick up the wear and tear that had occurred over nearly twelve thousand NM. of sailing. More obvious though was the damage sustained during the knock down. The beautifully crafted rowing boat no longer there and just torn wood where the chocks to hold her should have been! A piece of the gunwale planking on the port side and with it some sponsors names that were engraved seemingly for all time torn away as if by some angry hand! In spite of this she looked positively magnificent and the crew tried to harness what little breeze there was with the tan sails making a nice contrast to the backdrop of blue sky. Pulling alongside in our press boat we shouted a few hello’s. I could see that the guys were so much leaner than I remembered. Tired looking but smiles all round as they threaded through the flotilla of boats that had come out to greet them. A small delay whilst they dropped the sails and stowed them before motoring into the club landing stage. On the pontoon Mark, the crew member who a few days earlier had had the misfortune to be on deck when that rogue wave struck. His leg now pinned and bolted and obviously still giving him severe grief waited. I had the pleasure of taking the stern line from Pete’s hand, an honour that I was promised way back all those months ago in cold wet England! On the club front lawn a cornish band took up a song as the crew, Mark now being pushed in his wheelchair by Pete made their way to the veranda clutching Cornish pasties and glasses of beer! The welcome speeches were made and acknowlegement to the tenacity of the guys who had done this all those years ago. All in all a fitting end to a voyage that had started in England last October in the teeth of a Channel gale to come to it’s climax here on the lawn of the Royal Victoria yacht club in beautiful sunshine.
Article and Photos By Colin Merry, Challenge and Adventure
