HURRICANE, Mark Hassall (Full AUDIO)
Date happened: 11/71 Length: 43 minutes
Narration made while surviving a tropical cyclone at sea in a 37’ trimaran

Jim Brown’s
REMARKS
About this unique OutRig Audio posting …

Mark Hassall’s Contact: Deceased

During Mark Hassall’s first circumnavigation in the early 1970s (he went around again beginning in the late 80s), he and I corresponded via cassette tape. Among these exchanges is this account of Mark and his family crew contending with survival conditions in a true tropical cyclone off New Zealand in November, 1971. Mark’s narrative is made as if reporting live in real time to the listener. His tactics of handling his boat, sails, warps and drogue– are developed during the storm — all while the boat is steering itself under the home-made wind vane he calls “ Tilly.”

While this account contained very valuable information (much of it still valid today), it also contributed to the false notion that multihulls are invincible. Such over-confidence has encouraged some racing sailors to drive their craft to boatcrash, and some cruising sailors to venture into the wrong ocean at the wrong time of year. Both groups have almost purposely exposed themselves to survival conditions, and both have experienced fatal incidents. Given proper handling, We can conclude from sixty years of seafaring experience that most multihulls today exhibit truly splendid seakeeping properties, but (to quote the late, great Arnold Carruthers), “There never was a boat design the ocean couldn’t take care of, if it was ‘amind.”

After receiving Mark Hassall’s real-time narrative of trial-and error storm tactics in 1972, I took the opportunity to analyze his results using sample clips from his narration. This analysis, and Mark’s narrative itself, were quoted extensively in my 1979 book “The Case for the Cruising Trimaran.” Through this Website, now you can hear the waves crash, the wind moan and the pleading in Mark’s voice.

To access Mark’s compelling narration, click here … HURRICANE