Question

What damage did ‘Wavewalker’ suffer as a result of bad weather?

Answer 1

Mighty waves struck Wavewalker. The decks were smashed. Water was gushing in through holes and openings. The whole starboard side had bulged inwards. Clothes, crockery, charts, tins and toys moved around noisily in deep water.

Their hand pumps got blocked up with the debris floating around the cabins. The electric pump short circuited. Water level rose high. The two spare hand pumps had been wrenched overboard. Waves had also swept off the forestay sail, the jib, the dinghies and the main anchor.

There was a tremendous leak somewhere below the waterline. The boats main rib frames were smashed down to the keel. A whole section of the starboard hull was being held up by a few cupboard partitions only. The hull of the ship had been damaged so badly that the pressure of rigging could simply pull the damaged section of the hull apart. Wavewalker was so damaged that she could not hold together long enough to reach Australia.