‘Laying on the bed trying to keep the porthole closed with my feet’: Sam Newman in high seas drama

Footy legend Sam Newman and his friend Sue Stanley have endured “horrendous weather and huge sea swells” aboard his boat — fittingly called Angst — causing a porthole to blowout, flooding and more.

Sam Newman has been battered by waves, had a porthole blow out in a storm, seen part of the living quarters on his boat flooded and endured engine leaks and burst hoses as he takes to the high seas for charity.

Newman and his friend Sue Stanley, left Queenscliff on May 27 and are heading to the Whitsunday Islands in Queensland, raising awareness for the Rule Prostate Cancer organisation along the way.

On Saturday they were at the Gold Coast Marina where Newman’s boat Angst was undergoing running repairs after wild times at sea.

Newman endured hell on the high seas. Picture: YouTube

Newman in calmer waters. Picture: YouTube

“We have had some reasonably horrendous weather and huge sea swells of six to seven meters which lifted the boat and ran it down the front of the swells like a roller coaster,” Newman said.

“The boat has held up pretty well, I’ve held up pretty well, no one has thrown up yet.

“We had to pull into Jervis Bay for repairs after the waves blew out a porthole and flooded most of the boat. We were battling through some pretty heavy swell and there was the sound of a crash. Sue had to drive the boat while I lay on the bed down below and tried to keep the porthole closed with my feet.

“It was like throwing cream puffs at the town hall. It did a fair bit of damage to the electrics and the interior of the boat.

At one point he had to keep a porthole closed with his feet. Picture: YouTube

Sue Stanley and Newman in 2023. Picture: Supplied

“We have had a few other minor problems; a transmission leak, a steering ram hydraulic leak, we have had a couple of burst hoses, we have had a little trouble with the radar, but we have survived.

“Talk about motion on the ocean, I have bounced from bollard to bollard, wall to wall. I have more bruises than I ever got while playing football, but it has been fantastic and we are only half way there.”

Although he has owned a number of boats Newman has never done a long sailing trip.

“I have never taken the boat out of Port Phillip Bay. This is like jumping in the deep end right away before you can even swim,” he said.

The trip is not cheap, petrol alone to get to the Whitsunday’s and back will cost $100,000.

“I knew that before we started – maybe I will have to go back to work,” he said.

https://www.ruleprostatecancer.org.au/donate