Few sailors’ journeys start in Afghanistan – but Craig McGrath is like few others.
The 2018 Australian Invictus Games competitor was on assignment in the flat, dry southern part of the war-torn country when his life changed forever… and he was, eventually, introduced to the sport that has changed his life.
“I was dismounted as part of a commando company. We were doing a compound clearance in Afghanistan and in that compound there were booby-trapped improvised explosive devices (IEDs),” McGrath, a former sniper and special forces unit member who served in the 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment for the majority of his career, tells Offshore.
“They ended up being 105mm artillery shells that were booby-trapped into the walls. One of the guys trod on a pressure plate and I was standing in front of the bomb. I wore the whole lot. Lots of shrapnel damage, broken bones, perforated ear drums – that kind of stuff. I had pretty good eye protection on that saved my eye sight – if I didn’t have that on I’d be blind.
“If I hadn’t been injured I don’t think I’d ever have sailed. I started sailing in 2014 – a really good mate of mine from the Army joined the Mates4Mates program in Queensland, a program for veterans to do ocean racing, with the culmination to compete in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. I think the first time they did it was in 2013 and he convinced me it was really good and something to have a crack at, that I would enjoy it.
“I went and did a crewman’s course down in Jervis Bay for the Navy… that was my first introduction to sailing. From that moment I was hooked. It just felt right.”
For McGrath, who competed on Spirit of Mateship in the 2014 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, sailing has been a cathartic experience – an opportunity to come to terms with his new life, now-limited physical capabilities and the trauma that came with it.
“I didn’t know anyone who had a boat or who had sailed, it was those connections in the Army who started me,” McGrath says. “I have a lot of damage in my hip that’s aggravated by running… doing more damage if I do that. I needed to find something else in sport to occupy my time and sailing’s it.
“It took a long time to recover but they got me out of there (Afghanistan) pretty quickly which was great. They got me through a couple of hospitals in Afghanistan, a sequence of hospitals, to get me out into Germany. There I was prepped for the trip home – going from Afghanistan home is just a bit too far in the condition I was in. They flew me home first class which was nice – the first and probably only time! I spent about a month in St Vincent’s in the Navy Ward, learning to walk again and getting the muscles to function properly once again.
“It’s taken a fair bit of work to work through it all. I’ve looked after a lot of guys who have been injured in the Army before and avoidance is probably the worst thing you can do – getting in and talking about it, getting it out and letting the emotions flow is the best way to go about it… from my perspective if you avoid talking about it, it gets worse.
“Being good at something again is a nice feeling. Being injured, I couldn’t do my job any more.
“I’ve been discharged from the Army now, so it’s nice to be able to be good at something again. I’m sure I could be good at a few things but I’m physically not capable – being good at sailing is a great feeling.
“I’m a bit of a nerd and I need and want to know about everything – I Google the hell out of everything…and I love the racing side of things and the chess game on water. It’s a lot of fun.”
Now discharged from the Army, McGrath is looking to the future. First stop, however, is putting his best performance forward for his country at Invictus Games Sydney 2018 presented by Jaguar Land Rover.
“I’ve only just been discharged and I’m putting my feelers out in the job market – but at the moment I’m just making sure I find something I enjoy and making sure I’ve got time for the family. They’ve missed out on having me around for a long time and this time gives me the chance to be the father and husband that they (wife Jodie and sons Lachlan, 15, and Thomas, 12) deserve.
“I don’t want to come off the water thinking there could have been something more I could’ve given or something else I could have done – and even with the IED I’ve spent a lot of time analysing my actions and considering if I could have done something differently – so in this particular regatta and in every boat it’s just about doing my best.
“If anyone needs a random [to crew] – for any race for that matter – my hand is up. Ocean racing’s something I really enjoy… but this kind of racing, short bursts around cans where you can see all the boats on the water, will be fun.
“I’m really excited about the Invictus Games and representing my country.”
Craig McGrath is part of the 2018 Australian Invictus Games sailing team. Invictus Games Sydney 2018 will be held from 20-27 October. The sailing competition will be held on Sunday 21 October on Sydney Harbour at Farm Cove. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia is the Supporting Club for the sailing component of Invictus Games Sydney 2018.
This article first appeared in Offshore, the official publication of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia
