Crack and you're over

Gunnar Krantz reflects on the loss of SEB's rudder that put them out of leg three

I think the last question made the decision on its own. Safety is paramount. If we stay in Hobart and repair to the normal race standard we will be so far behind that it is more sensible to retire, go north, repair, deliver the boat to Auckland and make final repairs during the long stopover. We did not know how damaged the rudder was and we still don't. We did not know the extent of the damages on the hull.

We could see that the quadrant was repairable and also the frame in the aft compartment, but that was all. The big question marks remained and they were related to the vital parts of the system, the rudder and the boat.

With sadness we realised that the leg was over and decided to head for Eden. With three reefs in the main and a code 3 jib we limped north. With favorable winds the speed was surprisingly high, 8-9 knots and the steering with the jockey pole worked well. We discussed the option of heading straight for Auckland but it was shot down early by a majority. Eden it was.

Happy New Year...

Gurra Krantz
SEB

Matt Humphries grapples with the emergency tiller. Matt is used to this operation. The rudder came off his Whitbread 60 Dolphin & Youth eight years ago.