We had spent a lot of time planning and designing this trip. Our guests, Reshad and Karl had sailed with us earlier, on a short but eventful 3-day sail from Bombay to Goa. They were now looking for something more exciting. Together we put together a sail plan that included stopovers at Murud, Jaigad, Devgad and Gokarna, before returning to Goa. A leisurely stroll along the coastline, savouring the coast, sampling local cuisine, reliving history.
After setting off on a warm Tuesday afternoon, we made brisk progress towards Murud. Too brisk perhaps, as both our guests were caught off guard with an unexpected bout of seasickness. No one cared to look at the Kheema Pao or Karl’s birthday cake as we made steady progress towards our first stop. Good winds had us at the entrance to Murud harbour by 0200. A gybe and a couple of tacks delayed our entry into port to first light. Sailing quietly past the silhouette of Janjira fort, we dropped anchor just off the fishing hamlet of Rajapuri, at 0600.
A good night’s sleep and a quiet anchorage revived our appetites and the crew made short work of stuffed kheema omelettes. A small rowboat showed up even as we were finishing up with our meal, to transport our guests to Janjira fort and the rest of their exploits.
Antara had settled down at anchor and both Dilip and I managed to get some shut-eye. Which was just as well because all hell broke loose thereafter!
We were pottering around on deck making plans for lunch when we realised that Antara was drifting. Even as I started up the engine two motorboats came alongside on either side of us. One bore the Coast Guard, the other the local cops. They seemed to add to the drag as Antara drifted even closer to the fishing boats anchored aft.
Both wanted to see our papers and insisted Dilip step across onto one of their crafts. So he did! Which left me tethered to our drifting anchor, revving the engine just to stay in place. This went on for almost 20 minutes before Dilip was able to convey our perfectly normal intentions to the authorities and was set back on board.
We quickly picked up the anchor, circled back to our anchoring spot, using the waypoint on the chart plotter and dropped the anchor again. Dilip was rustling up lunch, when the alarm on the chart plotter went off. The rudder feed was malfunctioning. So he opened up the aft hatch and peeped in.
The rudder appeared a little loose and unsteady on its platform, and a pool of water under it. After mopping up the water, we realised that the platform was weak and chipped at the edges around the rudder stock so it had no support and hence was loose; triggering the alarm. Dilip took a couple of pictures and a video of the rudder and sent it across to Ratnakar.
We had a quick lunch as we waited for a response, wondering why Antara and Murud didn’t see eye to eye.
Ratnakar was of the opinion that this was serious and needed dry docking. And, on priority, we need to prevent the rudder stock’s sideways movement.
We were weighing our options when our guests called to say they were at the jetty and ready to come back on board. Meanwhile, the wind had picked up again and the water was quite choppy. The local boat was unavailable so we made a couple of hairy attempts to transfer them from a Fort ferry to Antara, before opting for a transfer from the ferry to another small boat to Antara.
Once Karl and Reshad were back on board we broke the news to them. Our trip was effectively over and we offered them the option to stay on at Murud or hire a cab to go back to Bombay. They decided to spend the night aboard and mull over their options.
All this while we continued to exchange calls and text messages with Ratnakar as well as the local cops. The former wanted more images and shared possible short term fixes. The latter wanted more papers and our guests’ IDs - which were promptly WhatsApped across.
Between 1600 and 2000 Dilip spent the entire time curled up inside the rudder compartment to create a series of stoppers around the rudder, fashioned from a stick of wood we happened to have on board. The rest of us chipped in to help any which way we could.
The rudder movement reduced dramatically and we were able to sit down to a well-earned dinner washed down with rum and cola.
The wind had subsided, the anchor had held well and Antara was bobbing gently in place.
We had been tossing around our options even as we worked on the rudder and decided to spend the night at anchor. Knackered, we took to our bunks, agreeing to set off at first light the next day, for Goa.
As we nursed Antara back home, Neptune was on his best behaviour, sending light winds and dolphins at play. With both sails up, Antara ate up the miles with aplomb.
The night brought jagged cracks of lightning, distant thunder and white horse, so we sailed with 2 reefs and a shortened genoa till the next morning.
The next day was a repeat of the previous one and the night a replay of the previous night! So no surprises, just a lot of edge of the seat nerves as we took turns to peek into the rudder compartment and keep track of unnecessary movement. Not taking any chances, we sailed close to the coast, within mobile coverage and sent regular updates to Ratnakar.
Incidentally, Reshad and Karl enjoyed their time in Murud. They explored the fort and other historic sites, followed by lunch at Dilip’s uncle’s farm, returning replete with good food and ancient lore; and, a doggy bag of local delicacies to be served on farm fresh banana leaves!
It was a relief to come alongside at the Captain of Ports jetty on Saturday afternoon and celebrate our safe arrival with chilled beer and Goan Prawn pulao.
Ratnakar dropped by shortly. On reviewing the situation together, we agreed to dry dock Antara to ensure a permanent fix for the rudder. As this will be a long drawn process, we are forced to bring the curtain down on this season this weekend.
We will be back, fit and fine, for Season 2021-22.
Until then, stay in touch and keep track of us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, our Blog or our website
Sorry to hear about issues with the rudder. Will she be dry docked at Divar? Maybe just her way of wanting to go back there for a bit 😜. In other news, DGCA has finally renewed Mahi after a great deal of inspection into her mad adventures, to fly for another year, so off WE! go again.