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24 February 2003

Kingfisher 2 Dismasted: Day 26

(Filed 24/2/03)
www.land-care.org.uk

Click here for previous update

Land-Care's Sympathy

This is a bitter blow to Ellen, the Crew and the Kingsfisher Team. Their many supporters and followers of their progress will all feel great sympathy for them, as their present challenge for the Jules Verne Trophy is abandoned. Thankfully no one was hurt.

After a difficult start and poor luck with the weather, they pressed on - not being discouraged, but determined to make the best of it. The irony is that they were just making good with the conditions excellent, being well ahead of the previous record at this stage and catching up on Geronimo.

It has been a great pleasure and inspiration to follow their progress each day during the 26 days of their challenge. The communications from Kingfisher 2 have been truly superb, including the bilingual audios and of course the superb images. Who needs TV when one can have such a personal and professional service right into one’s own computer?

Our admiration for Ellen and her team remains unabated.

Report from Team Kingfisher

Day 26 from start: KINGFISHER2 DISMASTS ALL CREW SAFE
Monday, 24 February 2003

IN BRIEF:

* JUST AS KINGFISHER2'S LUCK WAS TURNING, almost a full day ahead of Peyron's Jules Verne record pace, with excellent wind forecast for the days to come and with Geronimo virtually becalmed in the South Atlantic, a phone call to mission control confirmed the worst. "This is the call I was hoping never to have to make...we've been dismasted...20 minutes ago" a dispirited Ellen reported.

* AT 2222 GMT LAST NIGHT (SUNDAY 23.2.03) KINGFISHER2 DISMASTED - BOAT AND CREW ARE SAFE, NO INJURIES.... KINGFISHER2 was sailing in moderate conditions of 25-30 knots of wind in a 1.5 metre swell under full mainsail and spinnaker approximately 100 miles south east of the Kerguelen Islands (50 50'S 72 08'E). Suddenly without warning the mast came crashing down, falling forward and missing the 3 crew who were on deck at the time.

* THE 39.5 METRE CARBON MAST BROKE IN TWO PLACES - THE REASON FOR THE DISMASTING IS NOT KNOWN. The mast fell forward and sideways over the port (leeward) hull - the bottom 10 metre section of the mast has been salvaged. But the remainder of the mast, rigging and sails were all cut away to prevent any further damage to the boat - a broken section of the mast in the water punctured a small hole in the port hull but the boat is not taking on water and is now in a good and seaworthy condition.

* DEVASTATED OF COURSE, BUT PROFESSIONAL TO THE END - BY 0230 THE CREW ALREADY HAD A JURY RIG IN PLACE using the boom as a temporary mast...KINGFISHER2 is already making between 7 and 10 knots towards their nearest practical safe haven, Perth some 2000 miles to the east. The 10 metre section of the mast that remained on the boat was used as a brace to leverage the boom into place.

* ALTHOUGH JUST 100 MILES FROM THE KERGUELEN ISLANDS the decision was taken to head east as there are limited facilities on the islands, and ultimately the giant catamaran will need to make to a port with cargo facilities to return her to Europe.

* "WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF BAD LUCK ON THIS TRIP BUT WE FOUGHT ON AND THINGS WERE JUST TURNING FOR US - NOW TRAGICALLY IT'S ALL OVER"... ELLEN: "We have had a lot of bad luck on this trip - a lot of disappointing weather situations which has put us continuously behind the record... But everyone just fought on - there was never any talk of abandoning this record even in the slowest times... The crew were always positive, just wanting to get back at the record and in the last few days that started to happen... We got ahead of Peyron's record and were catching Geronimo who has got becalmed in the South Atlantic - then, bang, all of sudden its all over..to watch all that work drift away was so painful".

* KINGFISHER2 WERE 332 MILES (approx 20 HOURS) AHEAD OF THE EXISTING JULES VERNE RECORD SET BY PEYRON... and had closed the gap on Geronimo to 2 days (859 miles) at the time of dismasting. Just as the KINGFISHER2 crew were getting back on the pace - this is a huge blow... NEAL MCDONALD: "The look on the guys faces just says it all - total doom and gloom...just silence...it's the end of a huge attempt that could have been so successful. Things were really starting to look good for us."

* KINGFISHER2 has made no request for assistance from the Australian rescue services or any other support.

* THE JULES VERNE LIVES UP TO ITS REPUTATION AS ONE OF THE TOUGHEST ROUND THE WORLD CHALLENGES - now 8 out of 12 record attempts have failed since the first Jules Verne record attempt in 1993. The existing record is held by Orange (Bruno Peyron) at 64 days, 8 hours, 37 minutes and 24 seconds. Whether Olivier de Kersauson and his crew on board Geronimo, currently just over a day ahead of this record, can better this time remains to be seen.

* FROM GERRY MURPHY, CEO KINGFISHER PLC, TITLE SPONSOR OF ELLEN MACARTHUR AND HER JULES VERNE ATTEMPT : "We obviously share Ellen and the crew's immense disappointment at the dismasting of KINGFISHER2. However, the safety and well-being of Ellen and her crew has always been our main concern and it remains the most important thing to us.

"The Kingfisher group is extremely proud to be associated with Ellen and her crew. Individually and as a team. They embody all the quanlities and values that we look for in our staff. Their determination, talent and will to succeed are an example to us all.

"We are sure that they will overcome this disappointment to continue their search for new and bigger ocean-racing challenges."