DAY 92: Gregor McGuckin arrives in Perth

Jean-Luc Van Den Heede on course to reach Hobart film drop on Friday

Dateline 01.10.2018 – Les Sables d’Olonne, France

Gregor McGuckin arrived into Rockingham, Perth, Western Australia today aboard the Australian frigate HMAS Ballarat following the dismasting of his Biscay 36 yacht Hanley Energy Endurance during a southern ocean storm on 21st September.

Speaking at a press conference, the 32-year old Irish yachtsman said “It’s fantastic to be here in Perth. While Australia was never my intended final port, I couldn’t be happier and more grateful right now. My journey started some 92 days ago, when I departed France on Hanley Energy Endurance in an attempt to sail alone non-stop around the world.

In a horrendous storm, my yacht was capsized and dismasted, as was my competitor Abhilash Tomy’s yacht. I was uninjured and was planning to sail to safety. However, Abhilash was not so lucky. He suffered a back injury and was in immediate danger, so I built a jury rig and set a course for his location. Thankfully, we were both picked up and Abhilash is now recovering.

The real heroes today are the professionals that coordinate and execute such missions. All services were tested to their limits and excelled. The international cooperation between Australia, France, and India has proven that no matter how remote, there is always cover, and the investment in naval assets and training paid off. I understand the Ballarat crew had returned early from leave and I pass on my deep gratitude to them and their families for their dedication to duty.”

McGuckin added: “Of course, the Golden Globe Race continues and my thoughts are very much with my fellow competitors. My incident merely underpins the challenges they face and I am sure we would all wish the remaining boats a safe passage until the race completes next year. I would also like to thank Don McIntyre and his team for their support.

Right now I want to spend time with my family. I will reflect on my experience and address all matters and questions at great length in due course. Thanks again to all involved. I will forever be indebted for your efforts”

Indian, Abhilash Tomy, who was rescued at the same time is now enroute to his home waters and recovering. These two retirements now leave 8 of the original 18 Golden Globe entrants who continue to be led by French veteran Jean-Luc Van Den Heede and his Rustler 36 Matmut. Jean-Luc has built up a 1,500 mile lead over 2nd placed Dutchman Mark Slats and is expected to reach the BoatShed.com film gate in Storm Bay, Tasmania on Friday. In a satellite call to Race HQ today, the 73-year old Frenchman reported: “All Good, had a good week and good winds. Since this morning i have had 15 knot headwinds from the SE so am close hauled, and can’t go more south at the moment. No major nor minor probleme. ETA: 3 – 4 days depending on the wind direction changing soon or not.”

Estonian Uku Randmaa sailing another Rustler 36 One and All, is 2,132 miles behind the leader, and now in 3rd place. He reported a major change in the weather since last week’s storms. “No Wind, boat ok. On the radio with Susie Goodall and Mark Slats everyday. ETA: 20 days to Hobart”.

Goodall and her yacht DHL Starlight, 664 miles behind, has also been plagued by light winds: “”No wind, but now used to these calms. Boat OK. A whale came yesterday very close, and a sea lion this morning. Not so much water. I’m a little bit concerned.” She would normally be collecting rain caught in the yacht’s mainsail, but the yellow paint finish on the cloth is tinting the water she collects. Her concern is that this could be toxic.

Race Organisers are also concerned for Russian skipper Igor Zaretskiy who reported a week ago that his hands had become so chapped and sore that he was having problems sailing his Endurance 35 Esmeralda. She has averaged only 1.8 knots over the past 24 hours but Team spokesman Rasim Poloskim reported today: “We had Igor on SSB at 1700UTC yesterday. The latest news: is that his fingers are working now. What we hear is that he was pretty much exhaust by the storm on 29 September. It was quite violent, and he decided to weather it by lying hove to. The wind was so strong that it broke the wing of the windvane self steering. Igor has a spare one onboard but it was not safe to work on the stern at that time. As he said, ‘It was the type of storm you are better staying down below in your sleeping bag!’.

‘He balanced Esmeralda by setting her storm sails, fixed the wheel, and was quite happy how she held a course. His storm jib sustained some damage and the bilge pump failed – although the latter has now been fixed. `last night he sounded pretty chipper, and signed off with his usual phrase, ‘Esmeralda OK’ .”

Latest positions at 12:00 UTC today 01.10.18

1. Jean- Luc VDH (FRA)Rustler 36 Matmut
2. Mark Slats (NED)Rustler 36 Ohpen Maverick
3. Uku Randmaa (EST) Rustler 36 One and All
4. Susie Goodall (GBR) Rustler 36 DHL Starlight
5. Tapio Lehtinen (FIN) Gaia 36 Asteria
6. Istvan Kopar (USA) Tradewind 35 Puffin
7. Igor Zaretskiy (RUS) Endurance 35 Esmeralda
8. Mark Sinclair (Aus) Lello 34 Coconut

CHICHESTER CLASS

1. Loïc Lepage (FRA) Nicholson 32 Laaland

RETIRED

1. Ertan Beskardes (GBR) Rustler 36 Lazy Otter
2. Kevin Farebrother (AUS) Tradewind 35 Sagarmatha
3. Nabil Amra (PAL) Biscay 36 Liberty II
4. Antoine Cousot (FRA) Biscay 36 Métier Intérim
5. Philippe Péché (FRA) Rustler 36 PRB
6. Are Wiig (NOR) OE 32 Olleanna
7. Gregor McGuckin (IRE) Biscay 36 Hanley Energy Endurance
8. Abhilash Tomy (IND) Suhaili replica Thuriya
9. Francesco Cappelletti (ITA) Endurance 35 007

BoatShed.com Film Gate in Storm Bay, Hobart, Tasmania
All skippers are compelled to pick up a buoy and stop in Storm Bay for a minimum of 90 minutes to hand across film and letters, be interviewed by the media and meet family and team members. No one can board the yachts or provide any assistance and the skipper cannot disembark.

Each skipper will be interviewed live by Race Chairman Don McIntyre and answer questions from media gathered at GGR Race HQ in Les Sables d’Olonne and Hobart. These interviews will be broadcast live on Facebook, and TV VNRs and hi.res photographs will be available to download from the Press Login pages on www.goldengloberace.com.

Don McIntyre is already in Hobart and available for interview on +61 (0) 481231710. Contact Don also if you wish to participate in one or more of these interviews don@goldengloberace.com

The post DAY 92: Gregor McGuckin arrives in Perth appeared first on Golden Globe Race.

DAY 88 – GGR skipper Istvan Kopar goes to the aid of solo yachtsman in South Indian Ocean

Dateline 05:00 UTC 27.9.2018 – Les Sables d’Olonne, France

At 20:00 UTC on 26th September, Golden Globe Race HQ in Les Sables d’Olonne received a request from the manager of the 32ft sailing yacht Selene for assistance from any GGR yacht in the area because her skipper Kjell Litwin is running out of water.

Selene is currently some 3000 miles west of Perth, Western Australia and unexpectedly has only 10 ltrs of water left onboard.

Istvan Kopar, the American/Hungarian GGR solo skipper sailing his Tradewind 36 yacht Puffin, was 20 miles to the west and was asked by Race HQ to assist.

Selene‘s skipper Kjell Litwin, is on a solo non-stop circumnavigation, having left Falmouth UK on the 13th June this year. She was on the GGR marina rafted up with the GGR fleet for the Suhaili 50 Falmouth Parade of Sail marking the 50th anniversay of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston‘s departure in the first Sunday Times Golden Globe Race in 1968.

Litwin reports that he unexpectedly lost all water onboard.

During the past few hours GGR Race HQ has has confirmed that Istvan Kopar is happy to share his water and has a container onboard. The plan is for Istvan to throw a rope to Seline‘s skipper with a 20Ltr water container attached as Puffin sails past. Kopar can use his motor on approach.

Puffin‘s GPS position is being relayed by Race HQ and Kopar has confirmed that his is now in VHF radio contact with Selene‘s skipper.

Istvan is sailing in 30-35kt NW winds and 3-4m seas. It is still dark on scene with first light approx. an hour away. The wind and sea is forecast to moderate slowly during the day.

Seline is NOT in distress. In the opinion of GGR organisers, Kjell Litwin, the skipper of Selene knows that he is likely to catch rain water over the next month while sailing to Australia. But it is sensible seamanship to ask for water from any close vessels just in case. Istvan Kopar is more than happy to assist another sailor. Both yachts are expected to meet in the Southern ocean today.

GGR HQ will update progress as it evolves on www.facebook.com/goldengloberace/

The post GGR skipper Istvan Kopar goes to the aid of solo yachtsman in South Indian Ocean appeared first on Golden Globe Race.

Day 87- LATEST ON RESCUE

The Australian frigate HMAS Ballarat will be within helicopter range of Ile Amsterdam at first light tomorrow (Thursday) and will commence operations to pick up Gregor McGuckin, one of two Golden Globe Race skippers dismasted during a fierce storm mid way across the South Indian Ocean last Friday.

The second skipper Abhilash Tomy, who sustained serious back injuries when his yacht rolled through 360° by 15m high seas, will remain in hospital until the arrival of the Indian Navy Frigate INS Satpura on Friday when he will be transferred by helicopter for ongoing medical treatment and return to India

HMAS Ballarat will then proceed back to Fremantle with McGuckin who remains in good health, arriving there on 2nd or 3rd of October.

Capt. Dilip Donde, Abhilash Tomy’s manager, reported today that Thuriya’s skipper can now stand and is eating and drinking, but requires complete rest. He will be evacuated from Ile Amsterdam on a stretcher.

Capt. Donde also announced plans to salvage Tomy’s yacht Thuriya, left drifting in the Indian Ocean when he was recovered by the crew of the French Fisheries Patrol ship Osiris on Monday. The plan is for the Indian Navy to tow Thuriya to St Paul’s Island some 40 miles north, and leave a crew to make repairs and sail her to land.

McGuckin’s yacht Hanley Energy Endurance was also left drifting when the Osiris crew picked him off the yacht. In a statement today, Neil O’Hagen, spokesman for Team Ireland said

“During the controlled evacuation of Hanley Energy Endurance, McGuckin was instructed to leave the vessel afloat. The French fisheries patrol vessel Osiris instructed McGuckin that scuttling the vessel would be in breach of international maritime regulations. Hence, McGuckin removed all debris from the deck that could become separated, secured all equipment on board, and ensured the AIS beacon was active. The power source to the AIS device is solar panels which should remain active without any outside assistance reducing the risk to other vessels. Precautionary steps were also taken to ensure the relatively small amount of fuel onboard is secure.”

Meanwhile, the eight remaining Golden Globe Race skippers continue to race eastwards. French leader Jean-Luc Van Den Heede sailing the Rustler 36 Matmut, passed the Cape Leeuwin longitude on Monday and is expected to arrive at the Boatshed.com film drop point off Hobart on October 3rd or 4th.

The post Day 87- LATEST ON RESCUE appeared first on Golden Globe Race.

DAY 85 – RESCUE UPDATE:

The French fisheries patrol ship reaches Tomy’s yacht
Rescue now underway

Media update 07:00 UTC 23.9.2018 Les Sables d’Olonne, France
Day 4 of the rescue of injured Indian Golden Globe Race solo sailor Abhilash Tomy from his dismasted yacht Thuriya approximately 1,900 miles SW of Perth Western Australia

The French fisheries patrol vessel Osiris reached Tomy’s yacht at 05:30 UTC today and Australian and Indian long range P8 Orion reconnaissance aircraft are circling overhead. Thuriya’s position is 39 32.79S and 78 3.29E

Weather conditions are favourable: 15-20knots from the South West, 2m swells and good visibility. A radio briefing was held between the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre on Reunion Island, a doctor located on Amsterdam Island, and the master of the Osiris before the French crew boarded Thuriya from Zodiac inflatable boats to administer immediate first-aid and assess his condition.

Abhilash Tomy, 39, is a Commander in the Indian Navy and has been confined to his bunk, unable to move since his yacht was rolled through 360° and dismasted in a vicious Southern Ocean storm last Friday.

Fellow GGR skipper Gregor Mcguckin whose yacht Hanley Energy Endurance was also dismasted in the same storm last week, is making 2.2 knots towards Thuriya’s position, sailing under jury rig. The 32-year old Irishman is still 25 miles to the West and in radio contact with the reconnaissance aircraft. He is not in distress but has asked for a controlled evacuation from his yacht.

Faced with a 1,900 mile sail across the Southern Ocean to Western Australia under a small jury rig and without an engine (his fuel was contaminated when the yacht capsized), this is a responsible decision taken by a professional sailor when all the rescue assets are close by. The alternative would have been to continue sailing singlehanded without the aid of self-steering (also smashed in the capsize) and risk having to call on the Rescue Services again should he be disabled further in another storm.

Once the two solo yachtsmen are safely aboard the Osiris the French fisheries patrol ship will proceed to Amsterdam Island where the rescued sailors will be given a full medical examination. The hospital on Amsterdam Island is well equipped with X-ray and ultrasound equipment.

Race organisers continue to work closely with The Australian Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre and are extremely grateful for the efforts being made by all involved.

For Media interviews with Don McIntyre, GGR Race Chairman, call +33 (0) 251040434

The post DAY 85 – RESCUE UPDATE appeared first on Golden Globe Race.

Day 84 – Code Red alert update

13:00 UTC Les Sables d’Olonne, France

A multinational search operation is now under way to rescue injured Indian solo sailor Abhilash Tomy from his dismasted yacht in the Southern Ocean some 1,900 miles SW of Perth at the extreme limit of immediate rescue range.

The 39 year old yachtsman was lying in 3rd place in the Golden Globe Race when he and fellow competitor, Irishman Gregor McGuckin were overtaken by a 70knot storm and 15 metre seas on Friday. Tomy’s ketch rigged yacht Thuriya, was rolled through 360° and dismasted and the skipper suffered a back injury that has left him immobile.

Tomy’s latest communication sent at 08:26 UTC today: LUGGED CANS OF ICE TEA. HAVING THAT.VOMITTING CONTINUINGLY. CHEST BURNING Position: 39′ 33.512 S 077′ 41.608 E

McGuckin’s yacht Hanley Energy Endurance, was also dismasted 90 miles to the SW of Thuriya, is the nearest vessel. The Irishman, who suffered only minor injuries, has since set up a jury rig and is making 3 knots towards Tomy’s position aided by continuous navigation updates from Race HQ in Les Sables d’Olonne. He is expected to reach the Indian’s position at first light on Monday. Weather permitting, he may be asked by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Canberra to abandon his own yacht and board Thuriya to provide immediate assistance to the injured yachtsman. Telemedicine doctors MSOS in the UK would then be able to speak directly to Abhilash via Gregor’s satellite phone and suggest appropriate first aid as well as advise JRCC of his condition to help forward planning.

The French fisheries patrol vessel Osiris, which carries medical support, is making her way from a position 123NM SSW, but experiencing adverse seas and making only 4.1knots. She is not now expected to reach the area before 1000UTC on Monday

Overnight Saturday, an Indian P8 Orion military plane out of Mauritius overflew Thuriya to assess the yacht’s condition. Photographs taken by the crew show the yacht dismasted with her rig still attached to the hull acting as a sea anchor, and slowing her drift westwards.

Abhilash Tomy, who has reported severe back injuries, is unable to move from his bunk, but heard the plane fly overhead and acknowledged this by turning his emergency beacon off and on.

Two further planes, one outbound from Perth, and an Australian Defence Force P8 Orion operating from Reunion Island also overflew the two yachts a few hours later and managed to communicate directly with McGuckin. JRCC in Canberra, which is organising this multinational rescue with Indian and French authorities, can now position aircraft overhead during any rescue operations on the water.

The Australian authorities have also despatched the Anzac class frigate HMAS Ballerat from Fremantle overnight. She is due to take 4-5 days to reach the area. The Indian Navy has also diverted the frigate INS Satpura, and tanker INS Jyoti Mission from exercises off South Africa to assist in the rescue.

The post Day 84 – Code Red alert update appeared first on Golden Globe Race.