Voyage overview
- Year: 2004
- Destination: Newfoundland
- Boat: Shadow in Indigo
- Vessel type: C&C 44
- Distance sailed: 185 nm
- Skipper: Mark Daniel
- Crew: Chris Robson (“AC”), Mark Wells (“Wellsvigator”), Andrew Wagstaff (“BigWag”), Simon Tyler (“Galley Slave”), Warren Creates (“Warberg Boy”), David Ashfield (“Garmin”)
Logbook notes
The voyage that became legend — and birthed the Trinity Prop Trophy.
Simon’s first sailing trip, aboard a stripped-down racing boat owned by Bob Gnu — all speed, no comfort.
Kevlar sails, ultra light rigging, no cupboards, no doors, a temperamental head (kept alive thanks to Chris and his coat hanger), and a galley that sloshed with melted ice and Warboy’s experimental sauces.
Mid-ocean, the propeller fell off, leaving the boat adrift in cold, iceberg-strewn seas. Where In the calm haven of Ireland’s Eye, brave, bold and ballsy BigWag heroically, eventually, dived into near-freezing water to inspect and confirm the damage. That night, after much debate, with only light winds and no radar, the crew limped back to Trinity Bay, in constant contact with the over-stretched Newfoundland coastguard service.
Locals Bruce Miller and Tyler Bokie helped source and fit a replacement prop — which didn’t fit, was taken away, ground down, and tried again. During which time, the stranded Buoys became local celebrities on Trinity Wharf, hosting visitors and picnics while waiting for repairs.
From this ordeal came laughter, friendship — and the now-famous Trinity Prop Trophy, sculpted the following winter by Warren and his son Neville from an antique bronze prop and a craftsmanlike carved mahogany base.
It remains the crew’s most cherished tradition and perhaps central to the entire Phat Buoy story.
The impact of this amazing adventure inspired Simon to bring his daily journal notes to life, and a year later, with the technology and teeth-grinding effort required in those days he printed and published “Stuck in Trinity”.
