We were almost so cool – 11th Hour Racing

We were almost so cool…

Well we almost thought we were going to be the coolest boat around, but oh well…. I’m not sure if anyone reading this blog follows the Volvo Around the World Race? If you have been following, then you might know that there were some very challenging moments for many crews as they came across the Southern Ocean. One boat, the Hung Kai / Scallywag tragically had a crew member swept overboard. A few days later and just a bit after rounding Cape Horn, the Vestas 11th Hour Racing boat dismasted and had to cut away their mast and sails for safety of the rest of the boat and the crew. They were then able to motor to Stanley, and with the help of perennial yacht friend and savior, Paul Ellis, get the boat checked, sorted, and ready to motor to another port to get a new mast. Shortly after leaving there were mechanical issues and 11th Hour had to return to Stanley. They returned just before Ocean Tramp arrived into Stanley. With Plan A gone, Plan B gone, the crew were now looking for plan C (or D or E) in order to get their boat up to Itajai, Brazil where they could properly fix the rig and rejoin the race for the next leg.

The challenges of being this far south are also offset by its advantages – the challenges are the limited transportation
connections, logistics, lack of specialized parts. The advantages are of course the whole community comes together for whomever needs help and with Paul Ellis leading the charge, the sailing community came together. Various yachts dug out old sails for 11th Hour to use. Ocean Tramp gave up her mizzen sail to use. One sailboat had an old mast (albeit 8m, compared to their 30-or-so- odd-meter mast!) Ironically the mast found (which is rumored to have been a lamp post prior to being a mast), was an old mast of the sailboat Porvenir, which was formerly Wild Pigeon, which was the sailboat that Charlie Porter first sailed south down to Patagonia from the US. (Charlie Porter was the owner of Ocean Tramp prior to us) What a small world – the mast and a mizzen sail – off of two of Charlie’s former vessels – his spirit lives on!

A new part and a new crew was flown in and yesterday the whole sailing community came out to watch the 11th Hour Racing boat be craned into the air, so the sail drive underneath could be replaced; once completed they stepped the mast. As she moved away from the dock her dimensions looked more like the Kon-tiki than a racing boat, with her stubby mast a large base. But one must do what one must do, and this was what had to be done. With this rigged up, the primary crew hugged the transit crew and left – for a week or two of recuperation before most would rejoin in Itajai.

This morning, 11th Hour Racing left Stanley, although with out the Mizzen of Ocean Tramp (thus we were way less cool than we thought we would be) – they managed to find a sail that would better fit their jury-rig set up. We wish the crew fair winds and we hope to see them up in Newport, RI when we are there in May!