By MICHAEL FORBES - The Southland Times
Even with his yacht near crippled in the Indian Ocean, dismasted and without a radio, Phillip Zwies showed how much of a Kiwi bloke he is – refusing to ask for help. The 27-year-old Bluff sailor's attempt to solo navigate around the world was cut short on August 24 when his 10m sloop cutter yacht Caval rolled in heavy seas about 1500 miles off Cape Town, South Africa. Mr Zwies' friend Anna Crooks, of Invercargill, said his mast effectively snapped in two after enduring about a week of intense storms. He also lost the aerial off his VHF radio, severing his ability to radio for help, Ms Crooks said. But Mr Zwies knew setting off his Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) would mean having to abandon his boat upon rescue – something he could not bring himself to do, she said. nstead, Mr Zwies fashioned a makeshift rig out of a spare sail and attempted to limp the rest of the way to Bluff, she said. Easterly winds ended up pushing him into Hobart, Tasmania, on Thursday last week, after 73 days alone at sea. "He nearly died, but it was just one of those things that if you keep your head and do the right thing then you can get through it." Ms Crooks said Mr Zwies arrived in Hobart in surprisingly good spirits.