After more than a hundred days at sea, only six of the original 16 Golden Globe Race entrants who departed Les Sables d’Olonne in France are likely to pass through the Hobart gate, which shuts on January 31st. First, the Atlantic has taken quite a toll on the GGR fleet, which was confronted by adverse conditions from day three. Three boats retired before crossing the equator, another three on arrival at Cape Town, and two more east of Cape of Good Hope. Guy Waites (GBR) is now Chichester Class, and Elliott Smith (USA) can no longer continue past Australia. The GGR is once again taking its toll on some of the best sailors and yachts.
What a difference an ocean makes. Elliott Smith (USA) had a hard time sailing South, dealing with intense frustration in wind holes. He rose up to the challenge and after numerous repairs and eventually found the resources and the mindset to continue in spite of overwhelming odds.
In fact, he even improved Second Wind’s best 24 hour-distance on December 15 with 174 nautical miles under reduced sails before his bowsprit, repaired at anchor in Cape Town, bent up again.
On Monday morning, Elliott started repairs with a plan: drop the forestay, holding the mast with two spinnaker halyards and staysail stay in order to fit a spare shorter cap shroud as a forestay, cut the end of reefing gear extrusions, refit it with link plates and chain to the stem fitting at bow, and disregarding the bowsprit completely.
Alas, even though the wind was down at the time, Elliott still had a 3-metre swell making repairs up the mast extremely difficult. Nonetheless, he went up the mast no less than 10 times, but the movement at the top of the mast, 13 metres above the sea level, was too much. He got bashed around and lost tools and spares overboard, eventually losing his spare stay, critical to the success of the repair.
That was the end of his Race and dream. He will be in Chichester Class on arrival in Australia in about a month. He then has no time to pass the Hobart Gate and would be out of the GGR. “I think I’m gonna have to call it a day,” he said.
You can listen to Elliott’s call to Race HQ below
“We advised Elliott to slowly make his way North for a couple more degrees to get better winds and then sail East towards Fremantle or Albany, which are the best bet.. It’s unlikely Elliott will be able to repair his mast and make the Hobart gate in time. He now must sail carefully for 2500 miles through the southern ocean and look after the mast at all cost. An injured mast is still better than a jury rig, so he can only use two reefs in the main and a staysail. We will provide Elliott with weather information to assist him in making a safe passage.” Don McIntyre, GGR founder and chairman.
