The Lotus 9.2 - An Amazing Yacht.

The following quoted from "Boating New Zealand" magazine, January 2012, page 114 "Much Loved Lotus".


It is nothing short of a miracle that Kirsten J is still Sailing.
This Lotus 9.2 has clocked up more than 36,000 nautical miles in the last 34 years, and while she doesn't bear any physical scars, her log book bears quite a different tale.

Kirsten J is owned by Kerry and Diane Dobbs and since they bought her, the sloop has been on the receiving end of three whale strikes, a 30 minute pounding on a Fijian reef, a 60 knot knock down and a fire the insurance company deemed to be the end of her.

"She's just a boat you could take anywhere - you could go around the world on her if you wanted," 74 year old Kerry says. "She's very nice to cruise, she's competitive to race and she's part of the family.

In 1980 Kerry and Jim Lott entered the Round North Island Race, a triumph that was trumped the following year when the pair won the two handed Suva Race.

In 1982 Kerry and Jerry sailed her out of Bulgari Passage, Noumea in 30 knots and Kerry realised this was not going to be a walk in the park.

"As the boat fell off the waves it was like a shot gun going off every minute or so." he recalls.
"We were reaching along under head sail only, when next thing you know she was upside down and we were both swimming, it was just so quick."

"The next wave flipped her back up and on short lifelines we were deposited back in the cockpit." Despite taking on a fair bit of water, the only loss was a large tin of coffee that emptied itself into the bilge. "We had instant coffee from window to window."

Upon his return to Auckland Kerry vowed never to sail again but two weeks later he was back in the breeze with plans to replace the rig with a Wright's 10 set up.

After completing an incident free Round North Island Race, KJ had a chance to prove her worth again in another two handed race to Suva. Halfway to Fiji KJ struck two whales while surfing down waves in the dark.
"I was so thankful that I had beefed up the trailing edge of the keel, otherwise I'm sure the whales would've gone through the hull." Kerry said.

The following night they were woken by a towering breaking wave. "The next minute we're bouncing over Solo Reef. I felt this was the end for us and KJ, so I immediately sent a MAYDAY which was answered at once. Thirty minutes later we came out the other side of the reef into calm water."

After finding NO DAMAGE they continued on to Suva and then back to Auckland without incident.



Am I glad I bought a Lotus 9.2?? You betcha.

It looks a bit that way. Kiwi sailors seem to be audacious and not too cautious but I suppose that is part of being adventurous.

As the man in the NAB add currently on TV said "A ship is safe in the harbour, but that's not what ships are for".