Walter Marks ' Culwul / a Ill . The rescue of the crew from Curry Sark took 50 minutes and during that time the entire ship ' s company of Swa11 worked as a team to complete the exercise . Once the crew of C11rry Sark were aboard , Commander Cummins immediately rumed his at · tention to searching ror Nimbus II , a searcb . that continued throughout the night and all day Sunday without success . Summing up these dramatic 24 hours at sea . Commander Cummins said :
We used standard military prooeduresofcommu · nication and co-ordination in planning the search and rescue . But the most notable thing about this search was the way in which the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol and the water police were in direct voice communication with Swan and the Airf orce Hercules .
In particular , I must commend the excellent watch-keeping and radio procedure of the Coastal Patrol vessel So11rh Pacific . As far as Swan is concerned , it was a splendid team effon in wb . icb . the entire ship ' s company played a role .
John Alsop still has one pan of Cu1ry Sark-her wb . eel . This was tom from the binnacle when a line from Swan twisted around it . The nylon line cata · pulted the wheel out of Curry Sark ' s cockpit onto the quarter deck of Swan .
38th MONTAGU ISLAND RACE- 1984
Entries were down on previous years as most of the maiti · yacb . ts were absent from Sydney due to Clip · per Cup involvement nnd other overseas ' winter reganas '. It was considered that the 1960 Montagu Island Race wns the most difl1cull on record when only two yachts finlsbed . That year JM11n ~ Brodie
• defeated the renowned Solo and these were the only
IWO finishers .
Twenty-four years later a new record was es ~ b lished . Twenty-five yachts started Friday 120ctobcr in a light ESB winds and were able to carry shy spinnakers down the Harbour . However , within the next 23 hours , all of the competing yachts had retired from the race due 10 rough seas and a constant 50-knot southerly wind .
Saltpera did not repon in on the Saturday after · noon radio sked so Coastal Surveillance , Canberra , was alerted and a search was commenced on Sunday morning . F-Onunately Solrpera sailed into Sydney Harbour on Sunday aftemoon and the search was then called off . Fiona required assistance on Satur · day night and police boalS departed from Sydney . Botany Bay and Pon Kembla . Sea Hawk from Pon Kem bl a was able to locate Fiona and took her in tow at 9.00 pm . A cocktail patty was held at the club on Wecloesday 17 October 1984 , in lieu of the noanal prizegiv · ing function . to which the skippers and navigators of the yachts that siancd in the race were invited . One problem that confronted a competitor , whose yacht did a complete roll , was that the battery acid spilled out of the ba11eries because the push-on tops came off . As n result , the mixture of acid and water caused gas to fonn and one of the crew members who was resting on a quaner berth suffered some minor acid burns . He considered , as an afterthought . that it may be prudent 10 tape rubber sponge on top of the baucric • to absorb any acid ' Pill if a similar situation occurred .
Two crew members were washed over the side of another yacht that had retired during a change of watch . Fortunately , by responding quickly , the don buoys were ca . st over , the order of ' all hands on declc ' was given . sails were dropped and the motor was started . The yacht was able 10 return to the life rings and recover the crew in a very short space of time . Even though their actions were considered to be fast , the helmsman was amazed at tho distance travelled by Ll1e yacht from 1l1e time the incident occurred until they returned to the people in the water .
This race has always been considered by highly experienced ocean rocingcrews as one of the tough · est on the calendar . Being held on the long weekend in October , it is close to the equinox and the winttt westerlies have not , at that time , departed from the scene .
When one looks back at previous results , famous yachts like Kyuma , Kurre ..> a IV , Even , Solo , Enid , Salacia , Ragamuffin , BalondraandParriceshowup as prolific line honours and handicap winners .
Competitors in the race have experienced the extremes between gales and calms ; the uncenaincy of the finishing day which has fluccua1ed from Saturday until Thursday ; 1hc stopping over in Ulladulla 10 ' replenish ' stol ' es and sheltering in Jervis Bay be · tween the gust . s . 38th Montagu bland results : Yachts Nil-Hughie 25 !
192