Boaties Band Together Following Cyclone Koji

Suzanna Mcloughlin

Last weekend, local boaties banded together to rescue Kevin Ditton’s yacht, Freight Train, after it became one of 22 displaced by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji.

The ex-racing yacht had been swept away from its mooring outside Coral Sea Marina, and shipwrecked on the rocks of Pigeon Island, during the early hours of 11th  January.

When news broke of the upcoming cyclone due to make landfall two hours north of the region, Kevin had hurried to make arrangements to move Freight Train to a safer spot. But the motor wouldn’t start, and he couldn’t find assistance, so he had no choice but to leave the boat where it was.

Being a 25-ton boat on a 50-ton mooring, so far south of the cyclone’s centre, it seemed likely the boat would withstand the weather – and for a while, it did. On the morning of the 11th, however, Kevin got a call to say Freight Train had gone for a wander – and when he headed down to Cannonvale beach, there she was, in the distance, strewn across the rocks on Pigeon Island.

This, it turned out, was relatively lucky. The island was protecting Freight Train from the swell, and her position, tipped on her topside, stopped her from being pounded on the rocks. A carefully-engineered Freires design and aluminium body also helped protect the boat from further destruction.

Built in 1983, Freight Train was originally made for yacht racing, between Sydney and Hobart. After retirement, she was brought north to the Whitsundays, where she carried backpackers and holidaymakers out to the islands for more than 30 years.
Although most of Kevin’s old crew now run their own vessels, they were the first to appear at his side, ferrying him out to Pigeon Island to assess the damage.
When the tide went out, the boat was left high and dry on the island, so the damage was easy to see. There were two holes under the water level that needed patching, and a lot of smaller holes, dents and cracks higher up on the body.

Over the next few days, Kevin and his old crew mates got cracking, patching and sealing the damage, sourcing equipment including pumps and a generator. There had been a brand new generator on Freight Train, but sadly that was now broken and unusable.

A couple weeks later, with the boat patched up, the time came to move it. A couple of cruising yachties, strangers at the time, approached Kevin and offered their help, which he gratefully accepted, having been struggling to hire assistance himself. Rescue attempts started on Saturday, with large tides working in their favour. The weekend was unsuccessful however, with a broken pump delaying their work. When Monday came, it brought extra helpers.

Kevin and his volunteers finally had the boat standing upright, when a new helper in a catamaran arrived, and then a third boat turned up, too. The helpers, including Mahesha Goleby, the crew of Drumbeat and Robin & Annie Cooke of the Joshua C, towed Freight Train carefully, inching her back into the water, and freeing her from the rocks.

The help was invaluable, Kevin said: “All too often nowadays, people don't want to get involved, but this lot turned up with a can-do attitude, making it happen, and that's what Australia is built on- helping a mate.”

“I said to one guy; mate, can I go get some diesel for you, something, whatever?” Kevin relays, “And he said, no. Just say thank you.”

For Kevin, that’s what community is all about. “Knowing that you’ve helped someone who really appreciated it, that's worth more than money, isn't it?”

The storm had come at a difficult time for Kevin, coinciding with his brother passing away over in the USA. He was planning to travel to join his nephew when the cyclone waylaid his plans. Amidst a tough time, it was affirming for Kevin to feel the community show up for him – whether by giving him a call, or turning up to ask how they could help. He found that kindness refreshing, comparing helpers to those who instead chose to grumble and speculate about his situation on Facebook.

He hopes his experience serves as inspiration to the community, urging them to stop when they see someone struggling, and simply ask – Can I help?

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Captain Kev by the site of the rescue

Freight Train was patched up on Pigeon Island. Photo supplied.

Stuck on the rocks. Photo supplied.

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