Double disaster

Three life and death situations I was in:

#  The Cairgorms. My cabriolet with top up was the car, it was Christmas Day, I drove as far as cars could up the mountain, weather fair, certainly snow in the air. This car had a massively powerful heater, the temperature outside was ok, there was traffic. My rag top was specialised … zero wind or water leakage, it was the goods as long as the engine worked.

The Cairngorms weather struck, snow soon enveloped the road and car but I’d already turned for the lowland. There were orange markers to the sides of the road, I had chains on. There was a vehicle ahead, a snow clearer, he went all the way down, flashing lights, me in his wake.  By that time, there was no side of the road, as in Russia years later. The car stood up to it very well.

#  Ayer’s Rock, central Oz. Mid summer, wrong time of year. Idea was to climb and get down before dawn.  Temp was around 25C before dawn, a crowd were climbing. I’d been told a litre of water per half hour. I’d taken two litres.  The calculation was so direct and true. The crowd was holding us back, I saw the dawn approach in the distance, realised I had to get off that rock.

Halfway down from the halfway point, about 150 ml of water was left, I ran out, I was almost there, the sun hit the rock and the temp jumped to around 40C. About 50 feet to go, I cramped, lost legs and arms, had to baby crawl, not one person offered to help. The car and water was another 100 feet. No one helped. I got there and liquified.

#  Mt Martha YC, Victoria. I was racing the A Class, took a long leg out on a point of sailing called a reach, the expected sub-gale came through, the two club rescue boats were busily attending to the overturned kids and ladies, mayhem plus, I’d turned and was heading back towards the throng at speed, on trapeze, offshore wind, heaped up seas, trapeze snapped, I was flung off the boat maybe 10-12 feet, boat sailed on.

Last race of the year before winter. Water was cold. Ten minutes treading water, boat had sailed off on its own and tipped upside down. Hypothermia was gripping, could not reason, shore was half a mile away but the waves made it difficult. No boats out there by now, a motorboat with hooligans came around the far point. I’m here typing at you today.

Any tales of your own? (Jazz at 1630.)