DAY 113 - NEWS UPDATE
Dateline 16:30 UTC 22.10.2018 – Hobart, Tasmania Loïc Lepage rescue update French solo yachtsman Loïc Lepage is expected to be evacuated from his dismasted yacht Laaland shortly after first light on Tuesday (23:30 UTC Monday). By then both the bulk carrier Shiosai and the sailing yacht Alizes II will have reached Laaland’s position in the South Indian Ocean some 670 miles SW of Perth Western Australia, and will await the arrival of an Australian P-8A search and rescue plane overhead before starting the rescue operation. The 62-year old Frenchman from Vannes has also cut away all rigging so that there are no water hazards around the yacht, and has his engine ready to start should he be called to manoeuvre his boat. Both Satphone and VHF radio are on standby for incoming communications. The Australian P-8A search and rescue plane will remain on station until the evacuation has been completed. Click here for first update - 20.10.18 Susie Goodall survives ‘ horrific’ storm The storm developed just as suddenly and with the same ferocity as the one that led to Gregor McGuckin and Abhilash Tomy being rolled and dismasted two weeks ago. “The storm really kicked in between 9pm and 9am. I had 70knot winds and 13 metre seas. They were nasty…practically vertical with breaking crests. I don’t know how we got through it. My self-steering broke and I had to hand-steer for 7 hours. We suffered several knock-downs and I feared that we might get rolled at any time.” Susie explained that everything was soaked through above and below deck including bunk cushions and her sleeping back. “I definitely lost some weight during the storm because I couldn’t leave the helm to eat and I am now constantly cold and can’t get warm.” The storm has now passed but left an ugly sea, making it impossible for the moment to repair her wind vane self-steering. “It’s working but not very well. It will only hold a course on a beam reach, so I am having to hand steer with little sail up at the moment.” With 1,000 miles to go to the Boatshed.com Hobart film drop, Susie is predicting an ETA on November 1st. Igor Zaretskiy suffers broken forestay On his return to deck Igor reported that he had lost all feeling in his hands and feet and has since been resting up in his bunk. That explains his very slow progress in recent days, but the Russian says that he is now looking forward to get sailing again and today’s tracker plot shows Esmeralda making 4.3 knots in the right direction again. Both he and 7th placed Australian Mark Sinclair (Lello 34 Coconut) have some catching up to do even to beat Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s relative position in Suhaili 50 years ago. The Tracker now shows Suhaili as being more than a day ahead of them. Jean-Luc Van Den Heede sailing the Rustler 36 Matmut, is now well out in the Pacific, enjoying a 2 week lead over 2nd placed Mark Slats (Ohpen Maverick) who left the BoatShed.com Hobart film gate behind yesterday. Speaking via Satphone to Race HQ today, the 73-year old Frenchman reported “Good winds today and yesterday…I try to go as fast as possible.” He made repairs to his gennaker and was full of praise for his Hydrovane self-steering. “In a gale it has a big advantage because it is not steering the boat’s rudder, but has its own. This little rudder is far more efficient than the big rudder.” Latest positions at 16:30 UTC today 22.10.18
RETIRED Ertan Beskardes (GBR) Rustler 36 Lazy Otter ______________________________________________________ TV VNRs and hi.Res photographsTV VNRs and hi.res photographs will be available to download from the GGR Press Login page goldengloberace.com/press/ If you have not yet registered, do so now to access these copyright free media assets and receive regular press updates on the Race. Password is 2018GGR______________________________________________________CLICK HERE for latest position reports and weather information Hobart Press contact: Don McIntyre +61 (0)481231710 How to follow the raceNEWS: goldengloberace.com/news/ Details of skippers and their yachts Click Here to view skipper profiles and pictures
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