Gunboat 66 Catamaran: “SugarDaddy” Saves The Day At Fanning Island

Many visitors will remember Gunboat Catamaran’s famous 66′ build, “Sugar Daddy,” a past winner of the Heineken Regatta in the Caribbean.

Owners Bruce and Nora Slayden took their prized possession on an ocean “wanderlust” with a bunch of their family to the North pacific — the first GunBoat to venture into this sprawling ocean.

For a while the family maintained an entertaining blog and then went off the ‘web’ radar around March 25, 2009 with their final post “The REESSTTT of the story”.

A recent blog entry by Kym & Stu, a monohull couple sailing back from the United States to Australia, briefly mention an encounter with Bruce and one other (family?) member called Travis from Sugar Daddy at Tauberan island, commonly known as Fanning Island.

The buccaneering family came to the couple’s aid after a random squall helped shred a foot of sail.

Further assistance was offered by the Catamaran “Blue Bie” who via VHF relayed their call for help to other boats in the area including Sugar Daddy.

It looks like Kym & Stu were very appreciative of the help given to them by the Sugar Daddy crew.

“… Before long the damaged sail was unfurled and Travis from the catamaran Sugar Daddy arrived with his Bosun’s chair saying that he was a rigger and wanted to help.

He quickly diagnosed a twisted shredded halyard at the mast head and went up to retrieve it, climbing the 60 foot mast like a spider monkey. While we were at Hawaii I had bought a length of rope long enough to be a spare halyard which Travis spliced into a halyard.

Mike from Kia Kaha came over with his sail maker’s sewing machine and in no time the headsail was repaired. The following morning we were fully repaired and we left Fanning again.”

If any of our visitors wish to add more regarding Sugar Daddy’s whereabouts please let us know!

GEOGRAPHY LESSON

Fanning islands sits amongst the Line Islands midway in the Pacific Ocean, and is part of Kiribati.

This atoll Resides at 3°51?36?N 159°21?52?W Coordinates: 3°51?36?N 159°21?52?W.

HISTORY LESSON

Here is an interesting historical side bar about Fanning Island from the website Jane’s Oceania Home Page:

In September, 1914, the German cruiser Nurnburg slipped up to Fanning, flying the French flag. They landed and wrecked the cable station, cut the cable, and destroyed a cache of spare instruments. With the assistance of Hugh Greig, who dived for the several ends of the cable, communication was re-established within two weeks. In 1939, it was reported that the island was being fortified against a repetition of this; but the report was denied, it being stated that an undefended island of purely commercial importance was safer.