Sea Change retires with rudder damage
by Lisa Ratcliff on 3 Aug 2004
Michael Belahkov’s Sydney 36 Sea Change has been forced to retire from the Ingles Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race with rudder damage.
The disappointed Sydney skipper advised race organisers at 11.37am this morning that they had sustained rudder damage and had lost steerage of the boat.
Ballina Coastal Patrol is currently towing the boat to Ballina, the same location Skandia’s crew disembarked yesterday morning, where they plan to utilise the slipway to affect repairs before continuing north to Queensland where they are competing at Hamilton Island Race Week.
Crewman Peter Collett was sent under the boat to inspect the damage and he believes a rudder bolt has sheared.
“We can’t turn the helm, nothing is connecting to the rudder,” said Collett.
Sea Change was cruising along doing 6 knots of boat speed when they lost steerage.
Ninteen yachts have now finished the Ingles Sydney Gold Coast Race, the latest was Laurence Freedman's Espresso Forte.
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