Into the Storm (18 page)

S
ix sailors perished in the race. Aboard
Business Post Naiad
, Bruce Guy died of natural causes from a heart attack and Philip Skeggs became entangled in his equipment and drowned when the boat capsized. On
Sword of Orion
, Glyn Charles died after being washed overboard when his harness failed. And from
Winston Churchill
, John Dean, Jim Lawler, and Michael Bannister drowned when their life raft was struck by a wave and they were washed away.

On New Year's Day, a memorial service was held in Hobart to honor the six sailors who had been lost. More than 2,000 people attended, and four planes flew overhead in a “missing man” formation. Friends and relatives of the six who had died had an opportunity to speak. For each lost sailor, a wreath of white daisies and a single red rose was set adrift in the harbor.

Richard Winning, who heroically risked his life as the skipper of the
Winston Churchill
, offered these words of solace: “May their loved ones find some comfort in the knowledge that these men died doing something that they loved.”

The Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club, Hugo Van Kretschmar, spoke as well. “We will miss you. We will remember you always. We will learn from the tragic circumstances of your passing. May the everlasting voyage that you have now embarked on be blessed with calm seas and gentle breezes. May you never have to reef or change a headsail in the night. May your bunk always be warm and dry.”

Not surprising after a tragedy of this magnitude, the memorial service ended neither the mourning for lost comrades nor the remaining questions about the race. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia launched its own investigation and, after six months, released a 180-page report with recommendations intended to improve race safety.

The report found that “no one cause can be identified as responsible” for the multiple incidents that occurred during the storm. Acknowledging that no one measure could by itself be significant, the report went on to suggest a series of incremental changes. Taken together, the investigators argued, these changes could have a substantive impact on the safety of the race.

Changes recommended in the CYCA report included specific measures such as compulsory reporting on strong winds above 40 knots (the
“Sword of Orion
protocol”); compulsory safety equipment including EPIRBs and personal strobes; increases in required experience of crew; and compulsory attendance at prerace weather, safety, and search-and-rescue briefings by at least 30 percent of each crew.

Though the events of the 1998 race were tragic, the CYCA report concluded that the dismastings and rollovers were caused by extraordinarily large waves. Whether one of these “rogue waves” struck a particular boat was, ultimately, a “matter of chance.”

A second investigation was conducted by New South Wales Coroner John Abernethy. The coroner's inquest was initiated because five of the deaths did not occur from natural causes, and Abernethy felt that an incident involving five or more people should be considered a “disaster.” Thus, the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race was a disaster that warranted further investigation.

This coronial inquest produced a document with evidence and findings more than 350 pages long, not including hundreds of additional pages of appendices. Acknowledging that “the window of hindsight is the clearest window of all,” the coroner's report made a number of additional recommendations about safety and equipment.

Abernethy recognized that implementing these recommendations would create extra work and expense. One specific requirement, for example, was that at least half of the crew complete a safety and survival course every three years. Abernethy explained that, from the evidence of the survivors of
Winston Churchill
, it was “indisputable that trained crew have a greater likelihood of survival than untrained crew.”

After hearing testimony from two expert witnesses, Abernethy concluded that the missing caulking “Mega” Bascombe had reported before the race was not a factor in
Winston Churchill
's sinking. Damage from the wave that hit the boat created problems so severe that the yacht foundered. Any small amounts of putty that may have come loose would have had no impact on the
Churchill
's fate.

The investigation did reveal some specific shortcomings in the screening process for qualifying boats. For example, the
limit of positive stability
(LPS) for
Business Post Naiad
was inadequate. The LPS is a measure of how far a boat can tip over and still recover.

The minimum requirement for the race was 115 degrees, or 110 degrees for boats that had been “grandfathered in.”
Business Post Naiad
had a limit of positive stability of 104.7, which would have made it ineligible to race. Whether that would have made a difference is unknown. A number of other boats with qualifying stability metrics met disaster when hit by the enormous waves of the storm.

The coroner's inquiry also probed deeply into the communication between the Bureau of Meteorology and the Race Management Team (RMT). The report was especially critical of the RMT's lack of understanding about the significance of weather forecasts—in particular, predictions about wind speed and wave height.

Abernethy had harsh words about some aspects of race management. But by the end of the inquest he was satisfied that the CYCA had, on its own initiative, achieved radical changes in time for the 1999 race. A number of the club's recommended changes were, in fact, incorporated into the coroner's report. One specific measure was that Bureau of Meteorology personnel would be more involved with the Race Management Team throughout the race.

Newspaper and magazine reporters had a field day with the disaster, and their investigations ran parallel with official inquiries. Looking for scapegoats, the press pointed fingers at anybody and everybody who could be blamed for the deaths of six sailors.

The rescue effort was expensive and lives were put at risk, but fascination with the race seemed to be about more than the number of fatalities and the cost of the rescue. The end of the year is historically a news drought in Australia, but in 1998 reporters had everything they needed to write vivid, shocking stories. The reporter's expression “If it bleeds, it leads” seemed to fit perfectly. It was a target-rich environment for anyone who wanted to find a villain.

Scathing words were spoken about “the captains who went out in the storm when it was blowing a gale,” and “their recklessness that cost lives.” Though the sailors weren't the only ones to blame, critics argued, “they had the final responsibility about the decision to launch or not.”

For many sailors who had started the race prior to the storm warning, and who were expecting only the usual “southerly buster,” these statements seemed odd. They were trapped in a situation that ultimately became a race for survival. Their view was that “you can call off the race, but not the storm.”

All this controversy and scorn came as a surprise to the Ramblers. They had made a series of decisions, each of which they believed to be reasonable at the time. They had faced everything that nature threw at them with courage and equanimity. And there were no cowboys, hotshots, or rock stars aboard
AFR Midnight Rambler
.

The Ramblers' view of the storm was very different from that of the derisive public critics and many in the media. As Ed Psaltis saw it, “In the end, only the storm is to blame. There was a very volatile low forming, and it could have moderated or it could have intensified. Well, it intensified—but that's ocean racing.”

With all the debate, analysis, and investigation surrounding the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race, the story of the smallest boat in ten years to win the Tattersall's Cup went largely unnoticed. Many newspaper articles were satisfied to write that
“Sayonara
won the race,” with no mention of
AFR Midnight Rambler
as the overall winner of the Tattersall's trophy.

Though the victory of the Ramblers was largely overshadowed, their story provides an extraordinary metaphor for understanding
Teamwork at The Edge
. And it is a story that has continued long after 1998.

Larry Ellison declared that if he lived to be a thousand he would never do another Hobart. But for the crew of the
Rambler
, it's always “next year.”
AFR Midnight Rambler
has sailed in the Sydney to Hobart Race every year since 1998, with many of the original crew members aboard.

Their passion for sailing, and for each other, keeps bringing them back. Ed Psaltis put it this way: “To my mind the Sydney to Hobart is a chance to maintain the spirit of adventure—of ‘having a go,' which is part of the average Aussie. I'll certainly keep doing it. It's part of my life, and I'm still aiming for that second victory.”

A
fter their triumph in the '98 Sydney to Hobart Race, the Ramblers continued to win tough races against the best competitors. These victories have been achieved not only in individual races but also in competitions that require consistent performance in a series of demanding events.

The year after taking home the Tattersall's trophy, the Ramblers took on another hard challenge: the Lord Howe Island Race. Like the Sydney to Hobart Race, the Lord Howe is a
Category 1
race that takes the fleet well offshore. Lord Howe Island is 450 miles northeast of Sydney, and there is nowhere to hide if the weather gets nasty. The Lord Howe can be a three-and-a-half-day race, and as tough as the Hobart.

Weather conditions in the '99 Lord Howe were reminiscent of the '98 Hobart. The fleet was hit by another East Coast low and 45-knot winds pounded the fleet.
AFR Midnight Rambler
won the race by a substantial margin. Coming on the heels of their Hobart win, the Lord Howe victory added to their momentum.

In 2001,
AFR Midnight Rambler
scored again in the Bird Island Race. They knew the course well. The 100-mile sail to Bird Island had been their qualifying race for the '98 Hobart. The Ramblers took first, with a double win on two handicap systems. Buoyed by these successes,
AFR Midnight Rambler
continued to excel. By 2009 they had won every East Coast ocean race in Australia, except one: the Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race.

Promoted as the “great winter escape,” the Gold Coast race was second only to the Sydney to Hobart in its reputation as a tough, tactically challenging ocean race. Like the Hobart, the race begins in Sydney, but then the fleet heads north to Queensland. The 384-mile race is not only demanding—the competition is tough, too. All the hot boats turn up for the Gold Coast.

After another hard slog in 2011,
AFR Midnight Rambler
was declared the overall winner. It was the most grueling race that the Ramblers had done since the 1998 Hobart. But the boat held up, the teamwork was superb, and the
Rambler
was forty-six seconds ahead of her closest competition on handicap. With that victory, the Ramblers had won every major Australian race that they had set their sights on.

Perhaps even more impressive than these individual victories, the
Rambler
has succeeded in races that require consistent performance in an extended series of sailing competitions. The two most prestigious awards are the
Blue Water Point Score
and the
Short Ocean Point Score
, given each year by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

The
Blue Water Point Score (BWPS)
incorporates the big two of Australian yacht racing—the Sydney Gold Coast and the Sydney to Hobart—along with four other long-distance races. The names are exotic: Cabbage Tree Island, Flinders Island, Bird Island, and the Lion Island-Botany Bay races.

Winning the
BWPS
is a tremendous challenge. It demands consistent performance in an arduous series of long races—not unlike running six marathons over hilly terrain. By 2005, the Ramblers had taken second in the
BWPS
, but the title of
Blue Water Champions
remained elusive.

In the 2006-2007
BWPS
competition, the Ramblers were on their way to victory when they encountered a setback in the Flinders Island Race. They had won the race twice before, but in 2007 the weather was particularly harsh. Racers were confronted with 40-knot southerly winds, big seas, and cold, rainy conditions. When one powerful gust hit the
Rambler
, her mainsail exploded. The sail was Kevlar, and Kevlar doesn't tear—it just goes “Bang!”

They still had 40 miles to go before reaching Flinders Island, the point at which they could turn around and head home. The Ramblers had two options. They could retire from the race and admit defeat, taking them out of contention for the
BWPS
. Or they could continue with a much smaller storm sail, but at a slower pace in miserable weather. The Ramblers had been in this jam before.

No one in the crew even considered the first option. The word
retire
didn't come up, and there was no discussion. Almost instantaneously, the mainsail was down, the storm sail was up, and they were back in the race, plugging away.

It was slow going with their little “handkerchief” of a sail. The mainsail acts like a second rudder for the boat. Without it, the Ramblers were struggling to sail high enough into the wind. Ed Psaltis remembers, “We were going too slow and sailing too low. Boats were passing us. We could see lights behind, overtaking us and passing us. It was very depressing, but we didn't give up.”

They reached Flinders Island and were faced with another decision. Headed home, the wind would be behind them. Under normal conditions, when they rounded Flinders, they would raise a spinnaker. But with the “handkerchief” trysail and spinnaker combination, the boat would be so unbalanced it would roll erratically. Steering downwind in these big seas would be extremely difficult.

They had previously decided against the spinnaker, electing instead to use a smaller headsail. But when the
Rambler
began its homeward run, Ed had second thoughts. He proposed trying the spinnaker to see what would happen, and everyone agreed. Confident that it was a risk worth taking, the Ramblers raised the kite in the dark of night.

Had it been daylight, the sight of the
Rambler
pitching and yawing with a tiny trysail and huge spinnaker would have been a rather terrifying sight. But in the dark, only the Ramblers knew about their roller coaster ride.

AFR Midnight Rambler
was difficult to control, and, as expected, the crew did experience some “wipeouts.” But they stayed on course through big waves, hit some top speeds, and got home in reasonable shape.

When the race was over, the Ramblers found that a number of other boats had encountered similar problems, with torn mainsails and broken rigging. Many of those boats retired and went home, but the Ramblers had persevered. Even with the storm sail, they finished third in the race, upholding their reputation as a crew impervious to brutal weather.

The final race of the 2006-2007
BWPS
series was the Gold Coast race from Sydney to Southport. Five of the crew that had sailed
AFR Midnight Rambler
in the '98 Hobart were on board. To win the
BWPS
, the Ramblers had to do well, beating tough international competitors. Their experience working together as a team in '98 would prove to be invaluable.

Ed recalls, “The sea was horrible. It was a bloody hard race.” They had traded in their old Hick 35 for a faster boat called a Farr 40. Still named
AFR Midnight Rambler
, the new boat was lighter and faster. But sailing downwind in the boat was hard work. Because it was relatively light, they were tossed around in the heavy seas. They ripped the main and two spinnakers, but—with the help of Bob Thomas' navigational skills—they excelled.

After years of trying to win the prestigious
Blue Water Point Score, AFR Midnight Rambler
finally cemented a victory. They won the point score series by two points—a slim margin, but enough for a victory. Had the Ramblers turned around in the Flinders Island Race, they would have lost the series. Because they persisted, the six-race series ended in a spectacular finish and a
Blue Water Championship
.

The
Short Ocean Point Score (SOPS
) is the second prestigious award for a series of sailing competitions. The
SOPS
consists of twelve 30-mile races off Sydney Heads, each of which lasts about three hours. It's different than the
BWPS
, and it calls for a somewhat different set of sailing skills. These shorter races are less about heavy seas and endurance, and more about being quick around the buoys with just the right sails and trim.

Though the demands of the
SOPS
are different than the Hobart and the
BWPS
, the Ramblers have been successful in these shorter races as well. And in the 2006-2007 season,
AFR Midnight Rambler
was victorious in both the
Blue Water Point Score
and
Short Ocean Point Score
competitions. It was an extraordinary accomplishment—one that few boats have achieved in a single season.

Within a decade of their triumph in the '98 Hobart, the Ramblers had won every major race on the East Coast of Australia, along with the two most prestigious series competitions of the Cruising Yacht Club. And capping off a banner season in 2006-2007, the CYC broke tradition with a joint award. Both Ed Psaltis and Bob Thomas were honored for the second time as
Ocean Racers of the Year
.

The Ramblers' sustained record of success reflects an extraordinary breadth of seamanship, tenacity, and teamwork. As impressive as these victories have been, however, one of their most important achievements had nothing to do with the past. It involves the future of
AFR Midnight Rambler
.

Though the Ramblers continued to sail well, it became clear to everyone that—if they wanted to sustain their winning record—younger sailors would be needed. And not only did they need to bring in new talent, but these talented rookies had to be successfully integrated into a crew of veterans who had sailed together for years.

The process of finding fresh talent has taken time, but the Ramblers have demonstrated an unusual ability to recruit new members—and to create a unified crew of rookies and veterans. This was brought home to me when I went to a crew dinner for the Ramblers before the 2006 Hobart.

When I arrived at the CYCA, I was somewhat surprised to meet a young woman who had been asked to join the crew. Samantha Byron, an energetic Scottish sailor, had met Ed Psaltis at a work function. Ed encouraged her to come along on a couple of weekends for some inshore sailing, and “Sammy” did a few Saturday sails with the Ramblers. That led to the Bird Island Race, and eventually to the Sydney to Hobart.

Sammy was the first woman to do the Hobart on
AFR Midnight Rambler
. I saw her with the crew at the Shipwright's Arms after the 2006 race and was struck by the realization that Ed and the team truly understood the importance of diversity. They realized that continuing to win meant changes not only in technology and technique, but also in the talent they brought to the team.

Ed recruited another new member, Tom Barker, from the CYCA's Youth Academy. Tom, who had sailed since he was two months old, had done match racing and had a great resume. Ed had done his homework, and he was confident that Tom would be a tremendous asset to the crew. He left a message on Tom's voice mail with a very specific request: Ed asked Tom to sail with the crew for the offshore season, including the Sydney to Hobart Race.

Tom joined the crew in 2004 at the age of 18. With a combination of his ebullient personality and exceptional sailing skills, Tom quickly won the respect of the “old guys.” He was savvy enough to come on board in an understated way, seldom speaking and learning how the crew worked together. Eventually his superb sailing skills and pleasantly “cheeky” personality emerged. And his relationship with Ed evolved as well.

Ed had long realized that he often tried to do too much. He had his mind on everything, including steering, trimming sails, and giving orders. Doing all that effectively was an impossible task. With the help of Tom's technical skills, however, Ed shifted focus to steering. He can now maximize his extraordinary skill at the helm, letting Tom worry about sail changes and planning the next leg of the race.

AFR Midnight Rambler
has compiled a truly extraordinary record of team successes. And individual crew members have received awards as well. Ed Psaltis and Bob Thomas have been cited as
Ocean Racers of the Year
, and both Michael Bencsik and Tom Barker have won recognition as
Ocean Racing Crew Person of the Year
.

A new chapter in the Ramblers' story began in 2012, as Ed, Bob, and Mix purchased a new boat—the fifth bearing the name
Midnight Rambler
. Still passionate about ocean racing, the Ramblers have continued their impressive record, winning the
Short Ocean Point Score
for the 2011-2012 season.

The
AFR Midnight Rambler
story is inspiring. But what are the lessons that can be extracted from their success at
The Edge
? What, specifically, are the factors that underlie their victories? And what are the takeaways that can be used by teams in any organization faced with big challenges? Part Two of the book provides answers to those questions.