Rocky ending to start of world trip
Jun 23, 2008 6:23 PM
An American yachtie is lucky to be alive after the first leg of his solo round the world voyage from Tauranga ended in disaster.
Charlie Whipple spent two-and-a-half years in New Zealand building a yacht for a solo voyage around the world but his dream has been destroyed after his boat hit rocks on Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf.
Whipple, 66, is meant to be en-route to Hawaii after setting off a few days ago from Tauranga in his eight metre boat. But as he slept in his cabin, he was woken at 4am Monday to find his boat crashing against rocks.
"I heard this bang, bang, and I looked out and there's the island right in front of me," says Whipple.
The experienced yachtie tried to turn on the engine but realised there was no hope.
"Two-and-a-half years of work gone on the rocks," he says.
On the first leg of his planned solo voyage Whipple had to abandon his vessel, managing to switch on his emergency locator beacon before scrambling onto the rocks.
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter crew credit their recently introduced night vision goggles for locating Whipple. The goggles magnify light by 2000 times.
"We probably wouldn't have been able to see him as easily without the goggles. So it's made it a lot more quicker and effective and safer," Westpac crewman Leon Ford says.
It was too rough for a boat to get in and it was very steep terrain."
A paramedic winched Whipple to safety.
"There was exposure, fatigue sets in, it was night when he went in on the rocks, so he's very lucky," says Ford.
Whipple is still keen to get back on the water, despite losing his $80,000 yacht.
"It was built out of wood and apoxy so when rocks get at it, it comes apart pretty quickly."
But now his round the world dreams are over, his immediate plans are to reunite with his wife in Japan.
Source: ONE News
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1865287
