The raft rams into the sinking yacht

(Continues from last week. The story so far:... )
The yacht I am delivering from Rio to Cape Town has run into a container, is holed, and has flooded very quickly. My lady crew and I are obliged to take to a liferaft ... only when it has filled with gas I see what a very cramped inflatable it is. Documentation shows that is designed for Channel emergencies, not survival in the mighty South Atlantic, and very close to the Roaring Forties at that.

We float away from the hulk, only sea conditions change suddenly and push the raft back onto the hull of the stricken yacht. It seems the pummelling against the hull must soon puncture the raft which will certainly mean the end of us.

Shipmate Beth and I are standing in the cramped raft entrance, pushing hard against the hull to keep us from being sucked under.

Lacking the strength

It's obvious we lack the strength to hold off for long.

Somehow we have to push or somehow force the raft to go along the hull, to get out and clear of the yacht. But which way should we try to go? To the stern seems the natural direction of water along a hull.

No matter how hard we push and haul, we don't make any progress.

Frustration isn't the word for it: we can't stay where we are, because at any moment the raft will submerge. And we don't have the ability to edge the raft back and away.

Then I notice what seems to be a faint current aiming in the opposite direction, towards the bow.

The other way!

The noise of the disturbed sea and the waves striking the raft and shouldering us into the hull makes a real challenge of trying to get Beth to see this alternative possibility.

She doesn't see the movement. 'The other way, Beth!' I shout. 'We must head towards the bow.'

Continues on the blogs for my sailing adventure story, Sailing to Purgatory, at SailingToPurgatory.com