Yacht losing rudder is towed back to Lord Howe

by Peter Campbell on 4 Nov 2005 The Sydney yacht Local Hero, a competitor in this week’s Gosford to Lord Howe Island Yacht Race, has lost its rudder on the return voyage and was this morning towed back into Lord Howe Island lagoon.

Skippered by Peter Moseley from Middle Harbour Yacht Club, Local Hero left Lord Howe Island yesterday morning, heading south to look at spectacular Ball’s Pyramid before setting course back to Sydney.

Last evening, the yacht called the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol’s radio base at Newcastle, reporting that its tiller had broken and the rudder had subsequently fallen off, although recovered by a crewman diving overboard in lumpy seas.

Attempts to use a jury steering system had proved unsuccessful and Moseley asked for assistance, with the Coastal Patrol contacting Gosford Sailing Club officials on the island.

The powerboat Phasmid, skippered by Lord Howe Island resident David Gardner, reached Local Hero in about two-and-a-half hours, but the tow back to the island took nearly seven hours in rough seas, bringing the yacht back into the lagoon at 7.30am today.

Local Hero, a Sydney 36, was brought alongside the island jetty this morning and at low tide welding repairs were underway to enable the rudder to be re-fitted.

‘It has been an excellent example of co-ordination between the RCVP at Newcastle, race officials, maritime officials and the police officer on the island,’ race director David Slingsby said this morning. Phasmid also took one of the Telstra CDMA satellite phones we had for the race when it went out to locate Local Hero, but they were able to keep contract with everyone by radio, he added.

Local Hero placed third on corrected time in the IRC division of the 32nd Gosford to Lord Howe Island Race.

The last boat in the fleet, the Canberra-owned Gillawa, skippered by David Kent, reached the finish of the 414 nautical mile race at 06:06:02 this morning, taking five days 17 hours, six minutes and two seconds to sail the course, an average speed of just over three knots.