At 11:45GMT today there was a dramatic rescue deep in the South Indian Ocean. The 17,000 tonne bulk carrier CSK Radiance, having been diverted earlier in the week at the request of MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) Reunion, located the stricken yacht Hayai with skipper Nico Budel on board and effected a flawless mid-ocean rescue. Budel, a 69 year old grandfather of five was racing the second leg of the Portimão Global Ocean Race when the lead bulb of his keel separated from the keel fin. While the bulb was still attached at the time of the rescue, and the boat was upright, the danger of the bulb coming loose and the boat capsizing was imminent. For the last three days Budel has been sailing north out of the Southern Ocean in an attempt to avoid violent storms that are forecast for the area. On Sunday night Hayai experienced storm force winds of 62 knots while Nico prepared to abandon ship.
“The conditions for rescue were not ideal,” said Race Director Josh Hall who along with MRCC Reunion, race assistant Alan Green, and the Captain of the CSK Radiance coordinated the rescue. “There was a seven metre swell running and a moderate wind of around 20 knots making it difficult to manoeuvre a ship the size of CSK Radiance alongside a small yacht. Clearly Captain Singson and his crew are highly experienced seamen and we thank them profusely for not only diverting to help Nico, but also for their skill and determination in pulling off a successful operation.”
(Photograph Rolex/ Carlo Borlenghi) The traditional dockside presentation of the Tattersall's Cup to the overall
handicap winner and battle flags to the divisional winners of the 2008 Rolex
Sydney Hobart was a moving occasion, preceded by a wreath-laying ceremony and a
minute's silence to mark the tenth anniversary of the tragic 1998 race in which
six sailors lost their lives.
The ceremony also remembered other sailors
who have died in the race or on delivery passages associated with it, like the
Hobart yacht Charleston, lost with all five crewmembers on the way to the start
of the 1979 race. Members of four families of the lost sailors accompanied Matt
Allen, Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, and Commodore Clive
Simpson from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania - the CYCA's partner club in
organising the race - as they cast a floral tribute into the River Derwent.
Commodore Allen told the gathering, "ten years ago a severe and fast-developing
storm resulted in the biggest ever maritime rescue conducted in Australian
waters with 55 sailors rescued. This rescue operation involved some twenty-five
aircraft, six rescue vessels and approximately one thousand search and rescue
personnel. Five yachts sank and of 115 starters only 44 yachts made the finish
in Hobart in a race that changed our sport forever."
Ramsgate Week is making further changes for 2009 in order to
onwardly develop the successful formula we launched in 2008. We recognise that
we must accommodate those that want to have a full weeks holiday and those that
can only take a couple of days off. We believe we have created a very special
format for 2009 and look forward to welcoming both old and new competitors to
our regatta week.
In 2009 our racing programme has been
amended to provide a gap between the end of Cowes Week and the start of Ramsgate
Week. We are also putting an IRC International regatta series running from
Thursday to Saturday requiring only 2 days away from the office to come and
participate in what is the friendliest & least expensive regatta in one of
the most up and coming holiday towns in the UK.
We aim to capture as much information here as possible to give you everything you need when you are not on the water.
Check out the latest results of ongoing global yacht races as well as whats happening in the industry in the news section on the left. Progress for most races are updated daily so bookmark this page for a regular feed.
At Yachts and Boating, we are always looking for stories or experiences that may interest our visitors, so if you have a tale from the high seas or even at your local club please email it in.
The traditional dockside presentation of the Tattersall's Cup to the overall
handicap winner and battle flags to the divisional winners of the 2008 Rolex
Sydney Hobart was a moving occasion, preceded by a wreath-laying ceremony and a
minute's silence to mark the tenth anniversary of the tragic 1998 race in which
six sailors lost their lives.
