Midnight Special’s 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race

By Ian Griffiths. Published in Ahoy, 1999

The decision to compete in the race was taken much earlier in the year when a couple of the owners suggested that doing a Sydney to Hobart would be a fitting finale to a great year of sailing. We had competed successfully in the Sydney to Mooloolaba race, the Brisbane to Gladstone race, the Airlie Beach and the Hamilton Island race weeks.

With some misgivings, the boat was prepared for the race. From previous races on the boat I know the preparations were meticulous and all the equipment on the boat was thoroughly checked. A new and stronger rudder was also fitted. We had sailed the boat in what seemed at the time severe conditions, (nothing to what we later experienced) and I was quite confident in the design and structural integrity of the boat.

We got a fantastic start with Peter Carter helming and Ian Griffiths calling the shots. We tacked out to the rounding mark off South Head and then set a spinnaker in the fresh north easterly breeze, sailing pretty much along the rhumb line down the coast.

The forecast was for a strong change during the first night. This did not eventuate and we carried the north-easterly all the way to Gabo Island, on the Victorian-NSW border. At no stage were any Met Bureau warnings given about the conditions we were about to encounter. This was confirmed by our commander of the RAN on Channel Ten News on the 30-12-1998.

At approximately 10am on Sunday 27^th we were abeam of Gabo Island and headed out into Bass Strait on Starboard tack. We kept going into increasingly severe conditions and building seas until about 3pm when the decision was made to return to the lee of Gabo Island.

We were getting reports of wind strengths in our area of 75 to 80 knots and I advised the radio relay vessel of our decision to seek shelter.

A number of injuries had already been sustained on board at this stage, due to the severity of the wave induced knockdowns we had suffered. It was almost impossible to brace ourselves below to prevent being hurtled across the cabin due to the force and violence of the knockdowns.

At this stage we were forereaching under storm jib alone, but unfortunately only the port sheet had been attached to the sail. Neil Dickson went to the mast to attach the other sheet, but due to the conditions at the time this could not be done, as the leeward sheet and foredeck were far too exposed and dangerous.

It was decided to tack the boat and try to attach the sheet with the jib backed and this was successfully done.

A course back to Gabo was approximately due north, but this could not be achieved. The best we could do was between 30 and 60 degrees. Conditions by now were extremely perilous and we had some wild surfs down enormous waves and several knockdowns. I estimated the seas height between trough and crest to be the same as a three-storey building, and inside the boat the injury rate started to rise, with us all experiencing some very bad falls during the knockdowns.

At this point it is worth mentioning the skills of our helmsmen, Peter Carter, David Leslie and Bill Butler.

Their abilities and quick reactions on the tiller saved us on innumerable occasions. We had only two people in the cockpit, one steering and the other sitting behind the helmsmen to call the dangerous conditions.

During the day and night we saw flares being fired from a distance, but could do nothing to assist as we were in a survival situation ourselves. Our VHF radio antenna, lifebuoys and danbuoys had been swept away by seas breaking over the boat.

At 11pm I was resting in the forepeak when I felt and heard an enormous explosion. It was a bright white flash and my first thought was that we had been hit by lightning. I still don’t know what the flash was, but I did receive a blow to my forehead.

The boat rolled rapidly through 360 degrees and came up minus the mast.

Those below came up to the sight of the broken mast lying across the deck to windward. Tools and a knife were passed up and the rigging was disconnected and we cut through all the halyards, etc, that we could. The boat was bucket bailed and we were relieved to find no major structural damage to the hull itself, although the cabin had suffered damage. Holes were plugged with spinnakers and sleeping bags, the EPIRB was activated and lashed in the cockpit and the life raft prepared for immediate use if needed.

For the rest of the night we huddled below, all of us very cold, tired, went through a nursing various injuries. Including broken ribs, concussions, a broken leg, crushed vertebra and minor abrasions. It was a very unpleasant night with huge seas breaking right over the boat.

At dawn we heard the sound of an aircraft that made some passes over us. It was an overwhelming sense of relief that we knew help was on the way. Shortly after a helicopter arrived and we started to leave the boat.

The helicopter had taken one person, with the rest of us below and two in the cockpit.

A huge wave hit us and again the boat rolled right over, although this time it did not right itself immediately and stayed upside down. The entrance to the cabin was damaged and could not be opened. I remember standing on the cabin ceiling with the water rising past my knees and waist as it came through the smashed cabin windows and other holes.

For me that was the worst moment, realising that unless the boat righted itself we would be drowned.

After what seemed an eternity the boat sluggishly rolled itself upright again and we could get ourselves out into the cockpit.

The Southcare helicopter took five of us off, and then a Victorian police helicopter arrived to get the other four.

We had to jump into the water and let the boat drift away and then a helicopter crewman was winched down from a great height because of the size of the waves. He attached a sling and we were winched up.

The floor of that helicopter was the finest thing I ever sat on in my life!

I would like to pay a special tribute to these rescue crews. Their expertise and professionalism is of the highest order.

We were flown to Merimbula Airport where ambulances were waiting to take us to the hospital where we had a warm shower and some food and a hot drink.

We left everything except what we were wearing at the time on the boat. And so we were extremely grateful to St Vincent DePaul who provided clothing for us.

Everyone was extremely kind and generous and I thanked them sincerely.