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Silent fear: Fighting the 'twister'

"Twister" shown from the deck of the Djuice

SYDNEY, Australia -- Tales of the giant "twister" waterspout that screamed past competitors in the Sydney-Hobart race on Thursday, raining hailstones the size of golf balls, are likely to become legendary. Here, some of the sailors recall their panic.

Lude Ingvall, from the Swedish 79-foot maxi Nicorette, said: "I really feared for my life. It was the most unbelievable thing I have ever seen. I saw it coming and tried to out-run it. It looked like it was going behind us, but then it turned and got us."

Ingvall, one of the most experienced sailors in the fleet, sent all but three of his 23 crew below.

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"I felt it was like a wrestler grabbing the back of my jacket and trying to list me of my feet. I was looking up a tunnel of water and could feel my jacket riding up my back."

Ingvall's rival Grant Wharrington, on the yacht Wild Thing, added: "We were expecting to see cows and motor homes and everything in it. It was really quite scary, I've never seen anything like it."

'Helpless'

John Kostecki, skipper of Volvo Ocean Race yacht Ilbruck, said: "It developed quickly and formed a vertical funnel cloud down to the water. It was an incredible sight.

"Those of us who have sailed offshore a lot have seen several of these, but normally from a distance of five to 15 miles. This one developed quickly about two miles from us and started racing right at us.

"I guess the southerly winds started to steer it more and it was headed directly at us about half mile away -- scary sight.

"I asked for everyone onboard to have their harnesses on and to be ready for anything.

"Now it was only 400 metres away, blowing 60 knots and this huge spiralling cloud was nearly on top of us. We had to change course again, 90 degrees up so that it could pass to leeward.

"There was a moment where we were all just silent hoping that it would pass by us. It came very close to us, about 200 metres, and it slowly passed in front of us.

"We had a helpless feeling, where this freak of nature was chasing us down. Nobody onboard has ever experienced anything like this and we all hope we never do again."