News Around the World
Above: like every top Class40 sailor Route du Rhum runner-up Aymeric Chappellier is keeping an eye out for a last-minute Vendée Globe opportunity but in the meantime has a full Class40 programme culminating in November’s two-handed Transat Jacques Vabre. Class president Halvard Mabire has always argued for Class40 to offer at least one longer event to hang onto the skippers from the top of the fleet who feel that they must look to the Imoca class and elsewhere if they are to advance their long-distance credentials
the keel. On first inspection the keel was still attached. He popped his head out of the water to ask his crewmates to cant the keel to see if he could identify the problem. Less than a minute later he went under again to observe the operation – only to discover the entire keel had disappeared into the deep. The steel fin had sheared just below the hull. So ended the 13-year career of an outstanding 50-footer, which had built a fine record of offshore racing over tens of thousands of miles. Following their much publicised rescue by a Mexican tuna boat,
the Ran Tan crew, Nic Finlayson, Keith Hogan and Kosta Popov, are all safe, but the boat is presumed lost – a sad end to a seasoned and well-respected campaigner. The Transpac mission began with great promise.Ran Tan II loved
nothing more than stretching its legs on reaching and running courses and the prospect of a tradewind sleigh ride from LA to Hawaii had Brian and his crew licking their lips. ‘She was the perfect boat for that race. It is such a shame we couldn’t be there,’ said Brian. Shipping the boat from New Zealand to California proved cost-
prohibitive so Petersen and his crew decided to do it the old- fashioned way and sail across the Pacific, complete the race and then cruise back home. Brian, Don West and Bruce Goodchap set off for California from
Auckland on Easter Saturday, but 300 miles out decided to return to Tauranga after hearing suspicious noises – ironically coming from the rudder. After a six-day pitstop they set off again and had an uneventful passage to French Polynesia, motorsailing much of the way in calm conditions. At Hiva Oa, after a crew swap, Brian flew back to New Zealand,
leaving the delivery crew to continue the passage to Los Angeles in time for the start of the 2,230-mile race. Petersen recounted: ‘In the time I owned Ran Tan I had the keel out twice for routine maintenance, most recently in March this year when it was fully serviced. We stripped all the antifouling off and there were no signs of any issues whatsoever.
20 SEAHORSE ‘When we hauled the boat again at Tauranga to attend to the
rudder there were still no signs of anything untoward. While we were in French Polynesia we twice dived the boat and had a good look at everything underneath and again there was no cause for concern.’ After returning to New Zealand from Hiva Oa Brian was at home
on Thursday May 30 having afternoon tea with his wife when he received a text message from the boat via the Iridium satellite phone. His first reaction on seeing the dreaded words Mayday- Mayday-Mayday was shocked disbelief, but minutes later the phone rang. It was the Wellington Rescue Coordination Centre confirming the message was genuine. The first signs of trouble had occurred the previous evening when
the crew heard some noises coming from the keel area. After motor- sailing in calm conditions for the past 36 hours they had just encoun- tered the first of the northeasterly tradewinds and were sailing north on starboard tack in a pleasant 12kt breeze. They continued through most of the next day, but as evening
came on Kosta Popov was at the helm when Ran Tan II slowly heeled over, despite the keel being fully canted at 40°. They tacked onto port and, with the keel canted the other way, the boat stabilised. Back on starboard tack, however, with full cant applied, the boat remained heeled hard over. The keel fin itself had bent, so when it was canted to starboard the fin and bulb actually hung down vertically. There was no damage at all to the internal structure of the boat, or the ram system. As night fell the crew dropped all sails, donned full wet weather
gear, inflated the dinghy and gathered all their personal belongings and essentials, ready to abandon ship if the boat capsized. Then, after discussing all their options, they put out their Mayday signal. ‘It was a nerve-racking night for them sitting in the cockpit and
expecting the keel to fall off at any minute,’ said Brian. ‘It wasn’t a great night for me either. There were text messages flying back and forth through the night.’ Then, just after dawn next day, Nic Finlayson leaped over the side and dived underneath to see the keel still in place one minute and gone the next.
CHRISTOPHE BRESCHI
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