Kirsten Neuschäfer has rescued fellow Golden Globe Race skipper Tapio Lehtinen after Lehtinen’s boat sank and he spent over 24 hours adrift within the southern Indian Ocean.
Golden Globe skipper Tapio Lehtinen has been rescued by fellow solo competitor Kirsten Neuschäfer after Lehtinen’s boat sank and he spent over 24 hours adrift within the southern Indian Ocean.
Lehtinen and Neuschäfer have been each racing within the ‘retro’ single-handed continuous world wide Golden Globe Race, in 2nd and third place respectively.
At 0800 this morning, race HQ confirmed that Neuschäfer had efficiently rescued Lehtinen from his life raft, and “after a glass of rum, transferred him aboard the Bulk Provider DARYA GAYATRI.”
Lehtinen was 2nd within the 2022 Golden Globe Race when his yacht Asteria sank. Picture: GGR/Etienne Messikommer
Golden Globe rescue
Yesterday, at 0654 (UTC), Lehtinen manually activated his Private Locator Beacon (PLB) whereas some 450 miles south east of Port Elizabeth in South Africa.
At 0922 UTC Lehtinen activated the emergency YB3 satellite tv for pc monitoring and texting system which is a part of the seize bag, and at 1002 UTC manually acknowledged the message despatched by the GGR Disaster Crew.
In communication with organisers by way of the YB3, he reported that his Gaia 36 Asteria had quickly sank, stern first, and that he was within the liferaft, and was carrying a survival go well with.
At 1105 he messaged: “I GAVE ASTERIA A LAST SALUTE STANDING IN THE RAFT AS SHE WENT DOWN”
Climate situations on the time have been 15-20 knot winds with 3-4m waves.
Preliminary studies from the Golden Globe race organisers made clear the enormity of the rescue, and in addition explaining that with out his common glasses, the 64-year-old Finnish sailor was struggling to learn and ship messages.
Race organisers additionally raised the alarm with fellow opponents. Initially 4th-placed sailor Abhilash Tomy, who was himself rescued mid-ocean during the 2018 race, turned again in the direction of Lehtinen’s place. Tomy was approx 170 miles south-west of Asteria’s final identified place. Third-placed Kirsten Neuschafer was nearer, round 105 miles south-west of Lehtinen’s final identified place, however race HQ couldn’t initially make contact with the solo skipper.
MRCC Cape City additionally established communication with the majority provider DARYA GAYATRI which diverted to help. The vessel was 250 nm NW from Lehtinen’s place and had an preliminary ETA of right this moment (November 19) at 1200 UTC.
Later yesterday morning, Golden Globe Race HQ made contact with Neuschäfer, who diverted her yacht Minnehaha to Lehtinen, whereas Tomy was stood down and resumed racing.
Asteria had a smooth cuddy added, initially designed for racing powerboats to resist a capsize at 100 knots. Picture: Rupert Holmes
24 hours in a liferaft
Remarkably, Lehtinen then proceeded to ship dwell updates from the liferaft (reported by way of the Golden Globe Race information feed) as he waited 24 hours for rescue.
At 2:47 PM he despatched: “BACK2FAM&YEAM,I,(JNGOODHANDS,RGDS2K,WLDHAVE PRFRRDMINNEHAHA))
[Interpretation: Love Back to Family & Team, I’m in good hands, regards to Kirsten, Would have preferred Minnehaha]
At 4:24 PM he messaged: “ADMIRIMG SUMSET&BIRDS”
At 6:12 PM he tried to get some relaxation, messaging: “:HITTING THERMAL SACK,IT,S A LUXURY RAFT 4 1 ERSON:)
That was shortly adopted at 6:44 PM by “2ALBATROSSES KISSING IN THE LEE OF THE RAFT!”
Early this morning (02:00hrs) he reported: “A PIECEFUL NIGHT UNDER THE STARS, HAVE SLEPT LIKE IN CRADLE”
03:13 ”YOU CAN:T GET MUCH CLOSER 2 THE OCEAN, I LOVE IT, BUT THIS IS C”
03:18 ”CLOSR ENOUGH, THMX 4 LOOKING AFTER ME”
He continued updating on the wildlife he noticed, writing at 04:17 “A JUVBMILE WANDERING A CAME2AAY HI,A CPL STEPS&FLAPS&OFF HE WENT GLIDIN, THEIR FLIGHT IS ADDICTIVLY SEAUTIFULL SSE F4. CUMULUS”
Then, at 05:09, got here the messages he had made contact with Neuschäfer: ”JST SPOKE W HER”.
05:22 “I D HER”
At 0639 Neuschäfer confirmed that she had spoken to Lehtinen by way of VHF, and was on a direct course to the liferaft’s place. Circumstances have been honest, F4 SSE and 3m waves.
An hour and a half later, race HQ confirmed that Neuschäfer had efficiently rescued Lehtinen from his life raft, and “after a glass of rum, transferred him aboard the Bulk Provider DARYA GAYATRI.”
Lehtinen was reported to be properly, and ‘on good type’. In an announcement, organisers mentioned: “GGR needs to thank the MRCC Cape City, Capt. Naveen Kumar Mehrotra and the crew of the DARYA GAYATRI for the exemplary coordination of Tapio’s rescue.”
We’ll replace extra on the rescue as we’ve got it.
Neuschafer on her Cape George 36 cutter, Minnehaha, was first to succeed in Lehtinen within the lifefraft. Picture: GGR
Skilled opponents
Each Lehtinen and Neuschäfer are exceptionally skilled sailors. Lehtinen was the one skipper returning to compete within the second working of the ‘retro’ Golden Globe Race in the identical boat that he sailed in 2018.
Asteria was the oldest boat within the fleet, however lovingly restored and extremely dependable. The Gaia 36 is an S&S design from 1965 which Lehtinen efficiently accomplished the circumnavigation in in 2018/19, ending fifth, regardless of huge barnacle growth that slowed his boat to a crawl.
The boat had been extensively refit earlier than the 2018 race particularly for the calls for of the continuous around the world course, together with laminated kevlar panels for affect safety.
Moreover three watertight bulkheads and foam buoyancy within the bow, Lehtinen added an extra pair of watertight bulkheads aft, which weren’t specified within the security necessities of the race guidelines however he inbuilt for added safety. The primary was simply ahead of the rudder tube, the second a couple of ft additional ahead. All through-hull fittings have been place between the 2 to attempt to get rid of the danger of a failed pores and skin becoming flooding the boat.
Lehtinen additionally narrowed the unique cockpit properly of Asteria, so it snugly match the liferaft, and lessened the amount of water that the cockpit can be flooded by in waves.
See our sister title Yachting Month-to-month’s tour of the boat
Lehtinen’s intensive expertise consists of competing within the 1981/82 Whitbread Around the World Race, the Azores and Again Race (AZAB), and different offshores. He has additionally been making ready a crewed entry within the Ocean Globe Race, which celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the Whitbread Around the World Race.
Kirsten Neuschäfer crusing within the prologue race in Gijon forward of the 2022 Golden Globe Race begin. Credit score: GGR
Neuschäfer is a South African sailor who has sailed extensively in excessive latitudes, together with the Antarctic Peninsula with Skip Novak’s Pelagic Expeditions. She is among the many Golden Globe Race skippers with probably the most Southern Ocean expertise.
Her Cape George 36 cutter, Minnehaha is among the quickest boats within the fleet, and was totally refit in Prince Edward Island, off Nova Scotia, in 2020/21. Pre-start, Neuschafer then sailed Minnehaha solo from Newfoundland to South Africa, then as much as France, giving her invaluable sea miles to check reliability.
Neuschäfer has now resumed racing.
