Tough as Nails they say……
Driving down Wakehurst Parkway after work last month, the Manly sailor was confronted by a car coming towards him on the wrong side of the road.
The drivers were able to drop their speed marginally before impact, but the collision was still heavy.
While the driver and passenger in the offending vehicle were okay apart from some minor whiplash and shock, Stenta wasn’t so fortunate.
He suffered a cracked sternum, two broken ribs and some internal bleeding and spent time in hospital.
“There was a separation in the road and it was divided by cones and he (the other driver) thought he was moving into the right-hand turning lane, but he was actually on the wrong side of the road,” Stenta explained.
“We were both initially doing 80ks and hit around 60, so the impact was around 120.
“I’ve got a non-collapsible steering wheel because it’s such an old car so I got knocked around a bit.
“When the ambos saw the car they said I was lucky to be here.
“Now I look back on it I realise I’m fully lucky to be alive.”
While in the back of the ambulance, Stenta text the crew aboard Sutech Building to inform them he’d be okay to sail in the NSW Championships the day after the crash.
The X-rays back at the hospital soon put pay to those plans.
But just three weeks after the accident, Stenta did return to the water.
He jumped in the bow on Saturday to help skipper Daniel Turner and Paul McKenzie to victory in the fourth heat of the Manly club championship.
That victory has put Sutech at the head of the overall pointscore with four races to sail.
“I was keen to get back as soon as possible and I’m lucky I was able to sail so quickly after the crash,” Stenta said.
“We had a good win on the weekend and hopefully we can carry that through to the national championships next month.
“Fingers crossed for a podium finish.”
Manly will host a non-pointscore race on Saturday before the fleet takes a short break for Christmas-New Year.
The Australian 16ft Skiff Championships, to be hosted by Middle Harbour, will run January 2-7.
