Cabin Fever I hits stormy seas before Tory

CABIN FEVER I’s contestants must have had that sinking feeling all week.

Well before their vessel sank last Friday, the nine shipmates were engaged in fierce fighting and chopping insults.

The contestants were all smiles when they set sail from Dublin earlier this month on the 90-foot schooner, under skipper Peter Culleton with the grand prize of 100,000 not even a speck on the horizon.

However, the bonhomie only lasted a week. The conditions were just too rough from the start for them to remain on their best behaviour and that was before the accident.

Last week there were stand-up rows and lots of carping and sniping. The skipper, ever fearful of mutiny, has been making the situation more intolerable by barking out orders and being rude to contestants.

Chef Neville Fitzpatrick, originally from Howth, County Dublin, but now living in Liscannor, County Clare, got really stirred up by the skipper's 'sergeant major' attitude:

"He must have read a few books on how to be an a**hole at the weekend." Neville also got in a bit of a stew on Wednesday night with Marie Walsh from Castleisland, County Kerry.

Marie, was on cooking duty but decided she was not hungry and so refused to cook.

Neville had won his challenge earlier in the day and had been given a break from duties, but he still ended up as chef.

Earlier, Cat Sheridan from Midleton, County Cork, was having a conversation with Dean Ward from Navan, County Meath about the row on Tuesday from Ballycastle to Rathlin Island.

Dean, who runs his own security business, started pontificating about how they should have approached the challenge.

Eventually, Cat, a civil engineer with Cork County Council, turned on Dean and the debate turned into a stand-up row before the two stormed off.

Dean also has a major problem with Marie since she started bossing everyone around.

When the ship set sail for Tory Island on Wednesday night the schooner headed straight into a storm with 25ft waves.

The crew got a few knocks and Elaine banged her head, but all were fine after a very unpleasant experience. Instead of getting into Tory Island at midday, they arrived at 6pm.

The weekend was spent sailing around the northern coast to Sligo before the fateful accident off Tory Island.