Singlehander Dealing with Bad Weather

Mike Robinson of Orangevale reported this morning that Robert Botha, who left San Francisco solo on January 9 aboard his Alberg 30 Flyer en route to his native New Zealand, has been pounded by storm after storm since leaving the Bay. Botha, who was part of Rutherford’s Boat Shop’s restoration crew for the stunning 126-ft 1901 steam yacht Cangarda which was relaunched last September, spent the fall refitting Flyer for the trip. He’s been communicating with his wife Lydia Mondino via sat phone and email, who has then passed on his progress to his circle of friends.

"Flyer‘s main blew out the week of January 14," Robinson told Latitude. "Bobby jury-rigged it so it was still useable, but then on January 26 he was hit by another storm that pinned him on the foredeck for 2 1/2 hours trying to reduce sail and deal with a fouled halyard. Then his self steering vane broke so he’s been hand steering down big seas in fear of broaching.

"Bobby was able to deploy his sea anchor on Tuesday and heave to but he’s still stuck in the shipping lane so he notified the Coast Guard of his situation. They’ve issued a Safety Alert to all vessels within 300 miles and are standing by to assist him if he doesn’t think he can make it.

"Yesterday Bobby lost his sea anchor and the seas were building again but in today’s email he reports having been able to successfully rig the tiller with bungees so he can get some rest. His current position is N 17° 34′ W 130° 34′." In the middle of nowhere, in other words.

We’ll keep you updated on Botha’s progress but in the meantime, we’re sending all our best vibes to Botha and his wife.