More than six years ago Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) member Stephen Foot set off across the Atlantic Ocean on his Centurion 45 Water Music, bound for Antigua. In the Caribbean he was joined by his wife Grace and they set out on their circumnavigation dream. Tragically, the dream came to an end in the Indian Ocean, when rudder failure caused the loss of their boat and the rescue of Stephen and his crew.

Published 1 month ago

Source:  Ocean Cruising Club

In this blog extract, skipper Stephen summarises what happened in the Indian Ocean, after leaving the Cocos Keeling Islands bound for the island of Rodrigues, en-route to South Africa.

We Lost the Rudder

“About 1400, local time… we lost the rudder.  There was no warning, but it all went.  I ascertained this by swimming under the boat. There was no ingress of water just no way we could steer.  We attempted a spinnaker boom with floorboards and using blocks and tackles – to no avail.   This morning we streamed the drogue – which helped for a bit – but then the stitching all fell apart and we lost it.  Wind has been blowing 25kn – so not excessive, but very uncomfortable cross seas. We did not believe we could sail to any point on land and so made the decision for a Mayday.  The Chinese bulk carrier, SMAC Transponder, stayed with us yesterday and picked us up this morning.  We have scuttled Water Music.  We all got off without any personal loss or injury.  The ship is now heading to China and will drop us off at Jakarta, Indonesia.

Going to Windward

“Water Music’s still happy crew is for the first time ever going to windward. The journey is just over 1000 miles from her final resting place to Jakarta.
That distance is long enough for each of us to re-qualify as members of the Ocean Cruising Club. However, the fact we are on a 200,000 tonne bulk carrier bound for China would disqualify us anyway. Going to windward on a ship like this is certainly a lot more comfortable.

We were unable to get a spinnaker pole rigged as a rudder – partly no doubt due to the continued cross sea running and relatively high wind. The sea anchor worked for a short while – before blowing apart. We were unable to steer and at least 2000 miles from anywhere we could get the damage repaired. That left us with no choice than to accept a lift aboard this ship.

Coming alongside a ship of this size was quite challenging and securing her was equally difficult. In that process, we ripped two cleats off the boat, a chunk of toe rail and a running backstay.
 Cutting a pipe inside the yacht was my final act of betrayal (to ensure she sank and was no danger to passing traffic) and a poor way to thank an old friend for the loyal service she has given us over the last 16 years. She looked after us better than I looked after her.”

Read more about Water Music’s adventures prior to her sad loss at Water Music’s Blog.

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Related Links:

• Link to the Water Music Blog
• Link to OCC Webinar presented by Stephen in 2021 telling the story Water Music’s voyage to New Zealand

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