Wasabi retires – Cadi and Pippin assessing options

by Di Pearson on 29 Mar 2007 In a phone call through his son Lucas a short time ago, Wasabi’s owner/skipper Ken Down has advised the Melbourne Osaka Race Director Kevin Wilson that Wasabi is officially retiring from the 5,500 nautical mile race.

Down and co-skipper Shane Gaddes from Mooloolaba, are presently motoring to Sydney to effect repairs to the new Sayer 12’s rudder and are due to arrive some time this evening.

Cadi, the Jones 13m co-skippered by Queenslanders John Netherton and his son David, is presently in Eden, attempting to repair a split fuel tank.

The tank split when the boat was sailing to windward, crashing down onto waves whilst travelling at 8 - 9 knots in 18-20 knots of wind, spilling 100 litres of diesel into the bilge of the boat. They are pulling the tank out to access the damage before deciding what further action is needed.

Disappointingly, the pair will most likely retire from the race according to David Netherton, who will advise Wilson tomorrow of their plans. Cadi’s crew told of the thrilling match race they had been having with the two Sayer 12s, Wasabi and RYU-JIN – fgi from early in the race, David describing it as: 'the highlight of our race so far.'

In a third Queensland incident, Pippin, a Farr 37 from Noosa Heads, is heading into Eden with steering problems. Their ETA is 6.00pm today. Whether or not they can make repairs and keep racing is yet to be established.

Jovial owner/skipper Roger Sayers will be disappointed, having expressed prior to the start how much he was looking forward to the race and to beating the time he set in the 1999 race.

Updates will be forthcoming when more is known.

About The Race:

Staged every four years, the Organising Authority for the Melbourne-Osaka Yacht Race is made up of City of Melbourne, City of Osaka Promotional Council, Osaka Hokko Yacht Club, Japan Sailing Federation - Offshore Naikai, Sandringham Yacht Club and in association with Yachting Australia.

The event was first held in 1987 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the opening of the Port of Osaka and celebrates the sister city relationship between Melbourne and Osaka.

Race Record: Grant Wharington and Scott Gilbert on the 50ft Wild Thing in 1995, in the time of 26 days 20 hours 47 minutes 6 seconds, with an average boat speed of 8.5 knots

Positions from the Argos tracker on 29.03.07 at UTC 22.00.00 (8.00am AEST & 7.00am JPN):

Wasabi (Ken Down/Shane Gaddes - heading to Sydney) RYU-JIN (Murray Bucknall/Jon Sayer), Gusto (Patrick Giudice/Brian Pattinson), Alex (Jock and son Hamish MacAdie), Dekadence (Phil Coombs/Peter Walsh), Runaway (James Ryssenbeek/Andrew McCole), Cadi (John and son David Netherton), COCORIN interland (Itaru Matsunaga/John Bankart), Southern Light (Tom Crabb/Trent Justice), Tamagomalu (Makoto Hisamatsu/Jimmi Doherty), Hullabaloo (Jim and son Joe O’Keeffe), Ingenue (David James and wife Rosie Colahan), Pippin (Roger Sayers/Anthony Brown), Esoterica (Campbell Reynolds/David Best), Wild Boar (Shozi Yuneda/Jun Kanda), and Asadori (Shinsuke Nishi/Kyojun Fujita).