Lite Skin sailcloth
DEVELOPED BY DIMENSION-POLYANT, Lite Skin sailcloth is a sheet of random array, non-woven filaments that provides increased abrasion resistance at a minimal weight gain. The Lite Skin is further accented with an opaque finish that virtually eliminates the traditional panelled sail appearance, delivering a sleek visual look. Lite Skin provides specific advantages when compared to the standard film/film and taffeta products. Calibre Sails 09 430 0388 dparr@calibresails.co.nz www.calibresails.co.nz
presumed they were spearing surface fish and could be lifted aboard the motherships overnight and for long distance travelling. The fishing boats seemed to share identities, displayed in colourful signs on their small cabins, but he couldn’t identify the boats’ home ports.
“Usually just one or two small boats from the mothership came over to be inquisitive,” he says. “Sometimes they indicated they wanted food, in which case we just waved them away.
“Some of the fishermen who came close, you looked into their eyes and they had that glazed look; they looked a bit stoned. I suspect it was betel nut.”
On Saturday, 9 May around lunchtime, Sam Dewes was on the helm, due to go off watch at 1pm. In light conditions, the Leopard was motoring on one engine at about 4.5 knots. Kendall and Tapsell were below decks when they heard the familiar sound of the small fishing boats approaching.
“Initially we thought little of it, but they all came together,” Kendall says. “They’d obviously been planning it. We had one on each bow, one on the stern, two or three over the back and one on each side. We were surrounded. The young guys [his crew] were getting pretty nervous. “I said, ‘Let’s keep cool heads. Nothing’s going on at the moment.’” Unlike the earlier visits from the fishermen, several of these guys were masked with black bandanas. One was dressed totally in black with black shirt and black trousers in contrast to the other fishermen they’d seen who had been wearing long shirts and trousers of various colours.