“When you can swim, I’ll buy you a boat.”
That is what William ‘Bill’ Hatfield’s father said when he enquired about a boat to use off Green Island, Cairns in 1944. That was all the motivation a young Bill needed.
When the Hatfield family moved to Hawkesbury River Bill made his dad built him his very own dinghy from ply wood. A man of great endeavour and hunger for the ocean, Bill discovered his passion for sailing. This was the beginning of what can only be described as an epic sailing journey.
Now he is embarking on a solo round-the-world record, westabout on his Adams 33, forerunner to the popular Mottle 33, Katherine Ann. A solo mission like no other that will take 10 months to complete, if all went to plan.
Plans change.
Setting off from Southport Yacht Club on the Gold Coast, Bill’s Adams 33 self-steering rudder broke and he had to pull into the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and wait for replacement parts. This is where Bill shared his journey and his connection to Paddington and the CYCA.
Bill was 15 when he moved to Paddington and began working for Michael York at a boat yard in Rushcutters Bay.
Often referred to as the Godfather of the CYCA, Michael York recognised for his 70 years of membership at the club earlier this year. York reflected on what he remembered of Bill’s work ethic in and around the boat yard.
“Bill drove my tender when I owned York’s Marine Service, he delivered all of the guys around the 29 moorings that I had, he worked weekends and was a lovely bloke, very reliable,” York reminisced.
Bill studied Civil Engineering. “It wasn’t too bad of an industry to study because there was a lot of construction work going on and I was able to work seven days a week,” Hatfield said. “I moved around a bit once I was qualified and worked on construction projects throughout Sydney, Papua New Guinea and Gladstone.” Testament to his hard work Bill laid the first piece of concrete at the Alumina Limited Plant at Parsons Point. A little piece of Gladstone history that Bill was a part of, Queensland Alumina Limited is today one of the world’s largest refineries producing in excess of 3.96 million tonnes of the world’s best smelter grade alumina per year.
In 1972 Bill brought a Triton 24 Raconteur. “I loved the thought of heading off into the South Pacific and just sailing so I brought my own yacht and sailed across all the islands, around Cape Horn where we lost our rudder, spending six months on Faulkland Islands until a replacement arrived,” Bill reminisced. On this journey Bill travelled with his partner, Barbara Braddock, who he met at the Bundaberg Yacht Club while he was working in the area. “Barb sailed well and learnt a lot from her parents so she knew what she was doing, we didn’t have charts or anything we just though ‘we will go up here for a look.’”
From there the pair sailed to Buenos Aires, Rio and to the Amazon using nothing other than celestial navigation – the seven stars and occasionally the moon.
They travelled up the Panama Canal, spent time on Cocos Island, Easter Island, Pitcairn, Tahiti, the Cook Islands and then Fiji where they welcomed their first daughter, Katherine Ann into the world. At the tender age of two weeks old, Katherine set off sailing with her parents to Vanuatu.
The question beckons: how do you sail with a two week old?
The answer: It is a conviction of love.
“I remember the hardest part was keeping the nappies clean, it was next to impossible, we tried hanging them behind the boat to rinse off but they just gathered more rubbish and smelly nappies in 35 degree plus heat certainly wasn’t pleasant.”
The trio then sailed back to Bundaberg, purchased a fishing trawler, started a fishing business and welcomed another daughter into the world, Helen Margaret. It was there, 150 miles off the Coast that a life event like no other struck Bill and his young family.
Tropical Cyclone Cliff. This cyclone is one etched into Bill’s mind as one of the most terrifying experiences.
“We were all out on the trawler when we got caught in a cyclone, trying to get on the life raft when it broke away from the boat. Barb had the two girls on the life raft and I was still on the boat and desperately dove into the water in an attempt to get to the raft. In doing so I got tangled in the nets and the raft had disappeared into the huge seas.
“I climbed back on the boat that was getting thrashed and dumped by the waves and managed to break free with the dinghy on the other side and set off after where I last saw the raft. After a number of hours the weather cleared a bit and I could see bits of the boat everywhere and spotted the life raft upside down in the water. As I paddled hectically towards the raft I thought to myself ‘there will be bodies underneath this’.”
As he flipped over the raft, Barb popped up clutching both girls.
All four survived the cyclone and the two and a half days that followed drifting at sea.
“I caught a seagull for tucker but no one was really keen on it, the hardest thing was no water and stopping the girls from drinking the sea water,” Bill said. “Eventually we were picked up by a Japanese Coal Carrier that was heading to Newcastle. Both myself and Barb were exhausted by the time we got on the coal ship and all the girls wanted to do was run around.”
It is hard to image that after an experience like that why anyone would want to go back out on the ocean again. Barb certainly did not. After owning the fishing business for 25 years and bringing up their two daughters in Bundaberg, Bill ‘retired’ to Brisbane and started planning his next big ocean adventure.
“Both of my girls have grown up now, Katherine is a lawyer in Brisbane, happily married and gave me my first grandson, Constantine William. Helen lives in Brisbane and is also happily married recently bringing into the world another grandson, James Edward.”
Having been through all of this you could be forgiven for putting up your feet and being content with your life achievements.
Not Bill.
“I thought I’d like to go sailing again and have a bit of an adventure,” Bill said. “Katherine thought it was a great idea and would be something different but Helen tried to talk me out of it.”
Smiling at the thought of his youngest daughter being concerned, Bill understands the danger but has an appreciation for the ocean and everything it has to offer. He is prepared, ready and equipped with the best possible resources to get him through this solo record attempt.
A sailing adventure like no other.
Stacey French – CYCA Media
*Bill competed in the 1979 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race on board Mystic Seven (N.D Chidgey) another tick to his vast sailing résumé.
Follow Bill’s record attempt online via his blog – https://www.sailblogs.com/member/whatfield1/?show=contents
