The things that happen when you are not looking

• NEWS
• 28 Dec, 2007 04:44:00 PM

The things that happen when you are not looking

The crew traced the source of the water, closed a seacock to prevent any more seawater coming in and then bailed it out, using buckets and the pumps.

Last night in the middle of Bass Strait, on Toyota Aurion V6, which is the former race winner Brindabella when owned by George Snow, no-one noticed down in the galley when a packed sailbag quietly slipped down from the high side of the boat. In doing so, it dislodged some of the furniture in the galley, which, in turn, ruptured an outlet pipe from the sink. That drainpipe passes through the hull of the boat to the outside. When it is severed, water pours into the boat.

“When we gybed, we noticed there was a foot of water in the boat,” crewman Geoff Cropley said, “and we had to find the source of the leak.”

On best estimates, Toyota Aurion V6 would have shipped about 10 tonnes of water.

The crew traced the source of the water, closed a seacock to prevent any more seawater coming in and then bailed it out, using buckets and the pumps.

“But we kept sailing throughout,” Cropley said.

Today, Toyota rounded up when she was carrying a small spinnaker called a chicken chute and a full main in 40 knots of wind.

"We decided to batten down,” Cropley said, several hours later as they sailed under a small jib and full main, but still in 35 knots of wind.