Hell on High
Water was the story of the severe storm that devastated the 1998
Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race, one of the toughest and most prestigious
events in the sailing calendar. Fierce winds and mountainous waves left
six men dead and took all but 44 of the 115 boats out of the competition.
The programme focused
on the experiences of the worst-hit participants but also talked to
weather forecasters, fishermen and rescuers about the extreme conditions
that unfolded during the four-day crossing.
When the fleet left
Sydney on Boxing Day, there appeared to be no cause for alarm. However,
by evening, meteorologists were warning that a low-pressure system would
affect the race. Despite this, no one could have predicted the intensity
of the storm's core. When he realised what was in store for the sailors,
weatherman Roger Badham thought: 'This is Armageddon.'
A dozen boats behind
the leaders were the worst hit as rogue cresting waves reached 100 feet
(30 metres) and winds topped 70mph. One victim was the Winston Churchill,
whose crew were tossed around Bass Strait for more than 24 hours in
two life-rafts after their yacht sank.
Crew member John
Gibson recalled: 'The sea went berserk. Man was in a place he shouldn't
have been.' When his raft was flipped over, he and his five companions
found themselves underwater in an air pocket. Then the inflatable was
righted – only to be hurled down the crest of an enormous wave.
Three of the men died.
Afterwards, the
race organisers were blamed for allowing the contest to continue, but
the meteorologists bore the brunt of the criticism for not pinpointing
the danger precisely enough. And, while the winner of the race, Larry
Ellison, put the sailors' determination to battle the waves down to
'curiosity', New South Wales fishermen accused them of 'arrogance' for
not respecting the power of the sea.
