Dismasted Clipper Race Yacht Arrives in Honolulu

Ala Wai Harbour, Honolulu, Hawaii: Thirty-four days after leaving Qingdao, China, to race across the Pacific Ocean, the yacht westernaustralia2011.com has finally arrived in port in Honolulu, Hawaii, to cheers and applause from supporters gathered on the dockside.

Skipper Martin Silk said, “We made it! It is a relief; it’s been quite a long haul with a few unexpected stopovers, quite an adventure as well. It’s been a huge experience for the team and myself. Nobody panicked when the mast went. It was more surprise, really. It’s amazing how quickly we managed to clear it. It felt terrible to cut it away – it’s a horrible thing to see. Plans for here… I think we’re going to have a few days off. We’re getting a few things off the boat now to take away for repair and take the weekend off.”

The yacht, one of ten internationally-backed entries in the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race, was dismasted 700 miles off the coast of Japan on 5 March and crossed the Pacific under jury rig after retiring from the 4,400-mile Race 7 of Clipper 07-08.

Round the world crew member, Lyn Condratoff from Warragul, Victoria, Australia, said, “Words can’t describe – it’s just terrific. Now we’re actually here where we’re supposed to be it’s terrific to be here at long last. Everyone’s healthy and in one piece and that’s the main thing.”

According to Lyn, everyone onboard pulled together when westernaustralia2011.com’s rig failed. “That was the really amazing part,” she says. “You can’t imagine the scenario – the ‘what if’ – Martin was brilliant, his leadership, he was completely composed and it just worked like clockwork. Nobody lost their cool or got into a flap – it was just brilliant.”

It was an emotional welcome for the WA crew as they pulled up alongside at Magic Island Petroleum Fuel Dock where skippers and crew from the other nine yachts had gathered, along with local supporters who have been following the yacht’s progress.

John Kimber, 29, a round the world crew member from West Sussex, England, said, “It’s certainly been an adventure. It’s fantastic to finally get here and everyone turning out to meet us has been tremendous. It’s so nice to see the rest of the crew.”

The yacht had to put in twice at Midway Island, at the north western-most tip of the Hawaiian island chain, the first time to take on more fuel, water and provisions to complete their journey, the second to repair their gearbox which was damaged when a trailing line fouled their propeller.

The Clipper Race Team worked closely with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure the necessary parts reached the isolated atoll, once the scene of a decisive WWII battle, now a treasured and fiercely protected wildlife haven.

Immensely grateful for the help they and the Clipper shore team received, Martin said, “The real success was in the way things flowed once we hit the ground. When it comes to logistics, these people rock; the Islanders that is, the people that escorted us in safely, the people that refuelled us, helped us with tools and repairs, accommodation, meals, accounts, medical care, victualling, flights, the list goes on… then there’s the people that simply turned up to make us feel welcome, the arrival party, those that opened the bar specially, fixed the ten pin bowling machines, repaired the bicycles, run the shop or showed us around the place.

“The team on board westernaustralia2011.com would love to say a very big thank you for all the assistance and support; for going the extra mile, for socialising and dancing with us and for being so passionate about life on the Island and its unforgettable inhabitants. “If I was to mention a name I’d have to name everybody, so thanks to you all; long live the refuge and all who make it such a unique and special place.”

After completing immigration formalities alongside at Magic Island Petroleum Fuel Dock in Ala Wai harbour, westernaustralia2011.com moved to her berth alongside Qingdao and Liverpool 08 at Hawaii Yacht Club where work will begin almost immediately on getting her back racing in the 35,000-mile circumnavigation which will end in Liverpool on 5 July this year as part of the city’s European Capital of Culture Celebrations.

Halfway across the world the replacement mast section for westernaustralia2011.com and the new mast for Durban 2010 and Beyond, the other yacht dismasted in this gruelling race across the world’s largest ocean, were leaving Luxembourg on a front-loading jumbo jet after being completed over the Easter weekend in the UK. Staff at Spencer Rigging and Atlantic Spars pulled out all the stops to make sure the huge pieces of the 81-foot (24.5-metre) masts left their premises in Brixham, Devon, on schedule on Wednesday. They will be transferred to another aircraft in Los Angeles for the six-hour flight to Honolulu International Airport.

In addition to the two masts, the planes will also carry standing rigging, replacement sails, mast electrics, running rigging, rigging tools and a swaging machine. The specialist swaging machine, used to terminate the standing rigging to the fittings, is being flown out to Hawaii as it has been impossible to source one on the islands. Mast fittings for the two dismasted yachts include sets of lights, wiring, wind instruments and aerials. Two boxes of standing rigging for the two dismasted yachts will also be flown to Hawaii, amounting to more than 325 yards (300 metres) of steel cable that support the masts.

Meanwhile, replacement rigging fittings are being produced in Germany to be replaced across the fleet. Despite breaking one of their CNC tools used to manufacture the fittings, the company has sourced a new one and the order is on schedule to be completed today, and will also be flown out to Hawaii.

Clipper Ventures is also flying out four specialist riggers from the UK. Three from Spencer Rigging will arrive this evening and one from Atlantic Spars will join them on Monday to work with the Clipper maintenance team and the local riggers in order to get the fleet moving again as quickly as possible.

Joff Bailey, Race Director, says, “I am sure that the crew of westernaustralia2011.com will get some time to relax and enjoy the Hawaiian hospitality that the rest of the teams have been making the most of while they’ve been here but they and we have a lot of work ahead of us to get them back racing again as quickly as possible. The mainsail is going off to the loft for repairs to begin this afternoon and Martin will split his crew into two teams so one can have some time off while the other continues to work on the boat before switching around.”

The Race Team has asked crews of the first batch of eight boats to report back on 1 April and for the Durban 2010 and Beyond crew to be back on 3 April.

The restart of Race 8 from Hawaii to Santa Cruz was originally scheduled for 26 March. The current delay to the restart is anticipated to be 8-10 days (3-5 April).