The Hatch

Waking up to a dismasting

05 March 2008

It looked like being a nice day as I stared out across a frost-covered lawn, waiting for the kettle to boil for morning tea and the computer to wind up. The computer won and I checked inward emails as a matter of habit. And that’s when the day turned sour. One message glared out at me from our Race Director Joff Bailey, just headed “Dismasted”. I opened it and got the news that westernaustralia2011.com’s mast had broken less than an hour before when her starboard cap shroud had parted. The most important piece of news was that no one was hurt, the next most important was that the boat herself was alright. Our 68-foot racing yacht had been turned into a power boat, possibly an auxiliary power boat if a jury rig could be set up, but where was she to go as there was insufficient fuel to go back 700 miles to Japan against the winds, or to motor all the 2,400 miles to Hawaii. “Suggest we meet at the office at 0900” said Joff’s message.  That made sense as it gave time for the crew to sort themselves out, tidy up the mess and send us back more information.

At 0900 we had assembled the team and had more information to consider. First priority was where to head the boat. To return to Japan meant a long and hard bash to windward, probably not making a very good speed and running out of fuel long before Tokyo Bay was reached. Hawaii was 2,600 miles away, but directly on the path and only 1,500 miles away was Midway island, an ex-US Navy Airfield with facilities. This was downwind, a much easier ride for the boat and crew and one where any sail set in a jury fashion could be beneficial, plus the miles covered were in the same direction as the rest of the fleet and improved the chances of re-joining the race sooner. 

Some 20 years ago I lost both masts on Suhaili in a knockdown in mid-Atlantic and was able to raise a simple jury rig by topping the main boom up vertically and setting the mizzen on it, with the staysail forward. We averaged 100 miles a day for the next 1,400 miles to the Azores, so it can be done.

We sent instructions to head towards Midway and a message to the Island saying they were on their way. 

Next to inform the next of kin of the accident and the fact that no one was hurt nor threatened. Then tell the next batch of crew members what had happened and we’d keep them informed.  You cannot keep something like this quiet so we issued a statement saying what we knew.

The top part of the mast had been lost, which was a pity but probably unavoidable. One sail had been lost and two others seriously damaged. By 1000 we had located a section of mast with the original mast makers and told them to start work on preparing it, fitting halyard boxes and cranes. We started the sourcing of the special rigging wire, ordering new masthead instruments, finding a sailmaker to do repairs and see what could be done about the missing sail. In the meantime a more full report had been received from the boat further filling in the picture.

If westernaustralia2011.com can make six knots under jury rig, she will make Midway in 10-13 days, then re-fuel and speed up to Hawaii, say another six days. That means she could arrive in Hawaii before the next race starts. The job now is to get the new bits and pieces to Hawaii as speedily as possible with the target of having the boat start the next leg with the others. Past experience tells me that the biggest hurdle will be freighting the mast section from South Africa to Hawaii. The actual work of fitting the new section should be a 2–3 day job. But boats are boats, first she has to get to Hawaii. If nothing else the crew will have a very different and rather unusual story to tell when it is all over, much as they will have wished the subject had never arisen.

RKJ