A near miss with a cargo ship: The story of Peter Bourke’s Solo Trans-Tasman

The ocean was calm, but there was no land in sight when Peter Bourke turned 74 on June 8 during the Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Race. To celebrate he cut a slice of cake, prepared a birthday dinner and fished a cold beer out of Diablo’s galley. 

Then before he could crack his beer he sailed in under a rain cloud, the wind got up and the boat was heeling over. Peter jumped into action, furling the gib and putting reefs in the main just to get through it - battling until at least 10pm. By then his birthday dinner had gone cold and he was exhausted:

“That’s just what the ocean does. The Tasman doesn’t care about your birthday plans!”

10 days, 19 hours - Braving the Solo Trans-Tasman 

The birthday celebrations didn’t go well, but he says the rest of the race did despite some wild weather. Diablo sailed wonderfully in high winds to get out of the Bay of Islands in a good position in the fleet, and sailing was smoother until they reached North Cape:

“It was really good. I had to battle straight into a gale up to North Cape. Conditions were reasonable across the top of North Cape and then when I reached Cape Reinga the wind swung into the north and it was full on.”

There were big waves around Cape Reinga and the Three Kings Sandbanks, and Peter says that was a highlight:

“Just being there. Seeing the elements at their most brutal. As far as memory goes, that’s the one that sticks. The water was very disturbed there, where the Pacific and Tasman collide, there are quite extreme conditions.”

Peter battled the northerly winds and ended up to the left of the rhumb line, but then, when he got further north, the weather cleared, and he had a beautiful run until he reached the Gold Coast. 

“It was certainly a challenge because of the weather. But the boat did incredibly well, a lot better than I did. I was surprised, though, and pleased with myself that I was able to pace my effort. It never felt like it was all too much.”

Near miss with a cargo ship, but Diablo pulled through

In classic Peter fashion, he understates the drama onboard. But from the sounds of his stories, there were a couple near misses, including up around Cape Reinga:

“One wave broke right over the top of the boat. It was a huge collision, the force of the water was immense. And in an instant, the stern was at 90 degrees to the wind. Thankfully, it peeled off, and away we went again.”

“The boat was on autohelm, washboards in, the whole thing closed down below. Very small jib up.”

Peter also recounts, very casually, that he almost collided head on with a massive container ship towards the last days of the race:

“I had to take evasive action with one ship. Thankfully, I saw it coming on the radar and thought, ‘Jesus Christ’ that thing’s going to run me over. I swung the boat around and went away for five to ten minutes. Quite a close call. Fortunately, I had the electronic equipment for it - the radar proved really valuable.”

Shortly after the weather that ruined his birthday, four boats pulled out of the race with failed sails, rigging, and other issues. Diablo also had a laundry list of parts that needed replacing, and bits and pieces that required repair after the race, but Peter says her performance was brilliant:

“It coped really well, and being the oldest boat in the fleet, that was pretty good — a smaller boat doesn't have the same loads on it, and even so it coped admirably.”

“Because it was a major restoration project, I'm quite satisfied the work I did stood up to the task. Not that I'm a master craftsman — I took an approach of over-engineering, no corners cut, and nothing sacrificed for reliability in favour of performance.”

A pitch black, stormy arrival into the Gold Coast

Peter went through a fair bit of drama on his trip, but the ocean saved the best for last. At 5am in the pitch dark, exhausted after almost 11 days of sailing, he reached the entrance to Southport Harbour in the Gold Coast. The end of the race. But his troubles weren’t quite over yet:

“The conditions were roughest for Diablo then. You finish just outside the entrance to the harbour, and it's a notorious entranceway because surf rolls in through it.”

“The boat that was on the finish line recorded our finish and then escorted us in, following our stern. He said afterwards, "I wish I'd got a photo of Diablo". It was in wild water, and at one stage the bow was right up out of the water. I had no recollection of that.”

After braving one last trial, Peter and Diablo arrived on the shore. He was greeted later that day by his wife, one of his daughters, and his granddaughter, who’d flown over just to congratulate him at the finish line:

“That was a wonderful welcome. And the skippers who did it. Eleven of us formed a really tight group. We all had the same sort of experience, something in common. A real bonus for the future.”

Peter completed the race in 10 days, 19 hours, 3 minutes and 57 seconds, travelling 1308 nautical miles. He placed fifth out of 12 teams in the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) and ninth out of 15 teams for line honours. His was the smallest boat in the race, and the only wooden boat, competing against much faster vessels. The race announcement described his impressive feat:

“Peter's achievement captured the imagination of many followers throughout the race. Battling heavy weather and ocean conditions in a classic yacht, Diablo embodied the adventurous spirit that has always been at the heart of offshore racing.”

Peter’s return to NZ

Peter says he absolutely loved the experience of the race (as expected):

“Yeah, it was a really good one for me. It wraps up a whole lot of things I have a passion for. I did it, and I think I did it well. Efficiently, no spectacular dramas. Just a huge sense of satisfaction.”

Now Peter has to turn around and do it all again to get Diablo home. But he explains, the way back will be different - no sail changing, and the engine will be in gear. Before he set off, the inspector showed a little concern:

“He asked how I was going to get enough sleep to ward off exhaustion. I said I just love the boat, so I get a lot of sleep — the bunk is my favourite place. If I have any spare time, you know where I'll be.”

Despite his great success, Peter isn’t keen to compete again. For him, the future’s going to be all about taking his time aboard Diablo and soaking it all in:

“No, I won’t do it again. But I’ll still be getting out there. I’d like to explore more of New Zealand’s coastline. I’ve done a circumnavigation before, but this time it’d be more about the journey rather than the destination. I’d like to stop everywhere and have a look.”

Next summer he has plans to take the boat down to the Marlborough Sounds and Abel Tasman, to take the family cruising around the region’s beautiful coastlines. Then he might leave the boat to winter in Nelson, and take it down to Fiordland later in the year and spend a month down there. 

“At some point my wife can join me and we can cruise together. I tell you what though, the standard of cleanliness and tidiness will lift significantly when she’s aboard,” Peter laughs. 

There are good things ahead, but Peter wrote mid-race that completing the Solo Trans-Tasman ties this era of his life in a bow:

“After five years restoring this dear classic kauri keelboat, a circumnavigation of Aotearoa New Zealand, then getting her to Category 1 standards, the Solo Trans-Tasman Yacht Challenge marks the grande finale in a restoration project and a love affair between boat and man.”