GRACELAND1216 Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Man clings to upturned catamaran overnight. The mother of a man who spent almost 14 hours clinging to his overturned catamaran says she's incredibly relieved he is safe and well. Joel Wilson, 26, a father of two young children from Kingscliff, on the New South Wales north coast, and his friend set out from Cudgen Creek near Kingscliff yesterday afternoon on their 4m catamaran. Mr Wilson's mother, Michelle Green, said the young men hit trouble about an hour before sunset when the sailing boat overturned. "They were riding a wave (when they capsized)," she said. "Then they couldn't right it." They kept trying to right the boat until it was too dark to see properly and were forced to give up the attempt. Ms Green raised the alarm when her son had not returned by 9.30pm (AEST). "It was a hell of a night, sitting up worrying, not knowing what happened out there," she said. "I'm incredibly relieved." Two police aircraft, four helicopters and four boats searched for the missing men and their boat, which had no navigational lights. "They were stuck there (in the water) all night, drifting," Ms Green said. Joel and his friend, identified only as 25-year-old Scott, from Ashgrove in Brisbane, were finally located about 7.30am (AEST). Both were clinging to the catamaran's upturned hull about 6km off Brunswick Heads, 30km south of where they set off. The men were winched to safety and taken to the Tweed Hospital this morning where they were treated for minor dehydration before being released about noon, police said. The catamaran was towed back to Brunswick Heads harbour by the local volunteer rescue force. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl J Barrett Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 On the news here they said that they were on their "small Hobie cat" which was wrong. From the video of the cat being towed back it was an old Caper cat which, by todays standards, had a lot in common with a slab of lead to sail particularly with two on board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornado Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 I know the guy Novice sailor. Sailing a Maricat 4.3 with blue top side. Apart from that..... I'll shut my mouth [This message has been edited by tornado (edited 18 August 2007).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmatelot Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 Hi, the cat in the phote is a 4.0, not a bad boat, but does not look well maintained, and if they are novice sailors they have hopefully learnt a very good lesson, and it is another reminder to all learners, the ocean is not an easy social sail. pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointed Reply Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 From the TV I also think it was a Caper cat with the big hull lockers, and not a Maricat. The rudders were also while not raw fibreglass. Is this photo correct ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornado Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 That's Joel on the left..... Pic taken in 2005 so the boat may have changed. Saw the boat on the trailer last month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmatelot Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 Hi, I did not see the TV coverage, so I was only commenting on the photo. I would rather believe you and Darryl, if you say it was a "Capercat", then I am convinced you are both knowlegable enough to be sure. I was only pointing out the apparent lack of preparation by the very lucky "sailors" pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 The boat on the tv was definatly a caper 14 with the blade rudder mod..... my inlaws had the same type of boat 20 years ago ...I had some fun on that as a teenager... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmatelot Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 Hi, The original 14ft Capercat was a great family fun boat. The Barber bros designed and built the boat for a boat capable of sailing away for a week with storage for all the needs of two people. BUT,(big BUT), it required a capable crew to do that. Many capercats are still around , in various states of repair, and still give pleasure to many. pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl J Barrett Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 Built as strong as the proverbial "Sherman tank" with enormous storage compartments and a spreader bar across the bows, Marketed when new as, "the Caper Cat, the ultimate cat for cruising for a family of four for one day or a week". They also sold as extras all the equipment that could be stored in the hulls I.E a boom tent, a very large esky for beverages and food, sleeping bags, and a whole host of other gear. There was even the option of an outboard bracket and a 5HP motor (though I never saw one mounted) Supposedly a large amount of buoyancy in the hulls, but they were still fairly cumbersome and heavy when sailing in any sort of sea state other than fairly flat. They were promoted as a cruising cat and a lot of their sailing was done on protected inland waterways. They first appeared with the old “surf cat” style, fixed, timber “spade” rudders, but soon had the option of deeper fibreglass ones. They had a pronounced nose-diving tendency in the sea when driven on a reach and particularly down wind, (and that was with just one person on board). All in all, they were made at a time when the “plastic cats” were still trying to find just what configuration was needed to fit into a marketplace that was new (for fibreglass cats) and of “unknown territory”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmatelot Posted August 19, 2007 Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 Hi , I think that the name "CaperCat" came from the original concept, a cat that could do most cruising things. I seem to remember Des Grummit and Alan Barber, (maybe??), sailing one from Brisbane to Sydney, (the Sydney Caper), and another from Brisbane to Cairns,(the Cairns Caper),the CaperCat was 'Australian Boat of the Year',and a lot were sold on the presumption that anybody could emulate these achievments.Many tried, but as i said ,you really needed to be an experienced sailor. A lot still come in for repairs, even one of the 18ft still around. Happy Memories. pete [This message has been edited by xmatelot (edited 19 August 2007).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warbird Posted August 19, 2007 Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 Two adults can't right a 14' cat....go figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmatelot Posted August 19, 2007 Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 Hi Lester, The capercat has huge storage compartments in each hull, and they are very prone to leakage if not kept well sealed . Also they sometimes have a hollow masthead float , which can also be very suspect if not in good condition. When they turtle,they are almost impossible to right, I have seen up to six guys trying, and not making any impression, (and this was on an inland lake) If in good repair,and in good weather,they are ideal for what they are designed for.BUT. pete [This message has been edited by xmatelot (edited 19 August 2007).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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