Graham Dalton arrives in Norfolk, USA

by Tim Kelly on 26 Apr 2007
Having completed two legs of the VELUX 5 Oceans, the tenacious skipper will not be able to race Leg Three but will sail to Bilbao to finish his own personal journey.

At 02:57 local time (06:57 GMT) on Wednesday April 25, brave solo skipper Graham Dalton finally arrived in Norfolk, Virginia (USA), 102 days after leaving Fremantle (Western Australia), in what has been an epic battle across the planet’s fiercest oceans in The Ultimate Solo Challenge. Having now finished leg two of the VELUX 5 Oceans, he will not be able to complete leg three within race rules and will therefore be classed ‘Did Not Start Leg 3’.

Dalton will not be classed as a finisher in the VELUX 5 Oceans. However, after a journey that has captured the imagination of sailing fans and people from all over the world, the determined skipper will still sail back to Bilbao to complete his own personal journey and a monumental solo circumnavigation that is a testament to his character and conviction.

It is a devastating blow for the experienced yachtsman, who was hoping to finish the race in memory of his son Tony, who died of cancer in 2005, and complete the daunting challenge following his retirement from the last race in 2002, when he dismasted after rounding Cape Horn. Sailing onboard an Open 50 yacht, named in Tony’s honour, Dalton’s race has been plagued by onboard problems that have caused him to make no less than six pit stops around the world. Whilst at sea, A SOUTHERN MAN AGD showed great pace but was battered by extreme weather and strong winds that would have tested the nerve of the hardest of competitors.

Speaking from Norfolk, a philosophical Dalton commented, 'The fire still burns very strongly within me. On the one hand, I am just pleased to be here, but at the same time very unhappy. Five or six weeks ago I was only 3,000 miles from Norfolk and I was set to come in around 1,000 miles ahead of Robin. Not to start leg three is pretty disappointing quite frankly, but that’s the situation. I can’t do much about it, I just have to manage it and do the best I can.'

'You never give up. I see it as a lack of character. I see it in yachting, I see it in other sports, where someone’s not winning, and because someone’s not winning, they give up. I see it as a heresy; I see it as a lack of character, and a lack of backbone. You have to take it on the chin, you have your good days and your bad days.'

'To complete the race is something I’ve wanted to do for 40 years and that I’ve worked towards my entire life. Not just Leg 2, but 40 years. Everything you’ve done in your life has been geared towards this. But these things happen. I’m going to Spain, I’ve said before and I’ll say again, 'there’ll be snow on the Equator before I give up.' I can’t change any administrative decision, that’s a simple fact of life, but what I can change is the way I react to it. The way I react it is we will do what we have to do here, and we will reach Spain.'

Race rules state that a competitor must spend a mandatory 72 hours in Norfolk and start leg three within one week of the start gun firing. The remaining competitors left Norfolk at 12:20 on Wednesday April 18. This meant that in order to respect the 72 hour rule, Dalton needed to arrive in the Virginian city by 12:20 on Sunday April 15. Although he will now not officially complete the race, he has in fact already completed a solo circumnavigation of the planet, as his qualification for the VELUX 5 Oceans was a solo navigation from Norfolk to Bilbao; so his arrival in Norfolk will complete the circle he started in September 2005.

Despite all the problems of leg two, Dalton still looked set to reach Norfolk in time until lady luck dealt a final blow as a storm shredded his genoa and damaged the autopilot system, meaning he had to seek port in Bermuda. Race rules also mean that competitors must respect a 48 hour time penalty for receiving outside assistance. This left nearly 600 miles for A SOUTHERN MAN AGD to cover in just over 24 hours, from Bermuda to Norfolk, in order to put him in a position to continue in the race without breaking the rules.

Commenting from race HQ, Race Director David Adams concluded, 'It is such a tragic end for such a devoted and hard working competitor. Despite our sympathy and empathy for Graham’s situation, we must stick to the rules as set out in the Notice of Race and therefore class him as ‘Did Not Start’. Graham would like to continue sailing and finish the course in Bilbao and we will of course provide as much support as possible.'

'This race is called The Ultimate Solo Challenge and it truly is one of the toughest sporting events in the world, that tests us physically, mentally and emotionally. Graham’s story in this race has captured the imagination of people all over the world and we would like to thank everyone for their messages of support, which we have passed onto Graham. Completing this race in memory of his son and to address the unfinished business of 2002 was Graham’s ultimate goal. Sadly this will no longer be possible, but we should take inspiration from the dedication and tenacity he has shown, never giving up despite all the barriers and bad luck thrown at him. I hope we will see him here again on four years time and I know everyone hopes that he will one day complete The Ultimate Solo Challenge.'

Dalton’s story in the VELUX 5 Oceans has been a rollercoaster ride of emotion, drama and plain bad luck. Yet the plucky New Zealander has never conceded defeat throughout the race, despite the incredible storms he has encountered, the damage sustained to A SOUTHERN MAN AGD and the other drama surrounding his campaign.

Graham entered the race with a new boat but no title sponsor, choosing instead to name the yacht after his son Tony, who tragically died of cancer in December 2005. He only just made Bilbao in time before race start as he had an atrocious qualification sail across the Atlantic, during which he contracted septicemia and destroyed a rudder.

Dalton missed the start of leg one because of a storm that swept through Bilbao three days before race start, damaging the spreaders on his mast, which was off the boat in the dockyard. The delay ultimately meant that Dalton missed the infamous Bay of Biscay storm that ripped through the fleet, forcing over half the fleet back to shore. He finally set off a week after the start and made good progress with the fleet, before a bearing issue with his rudder system forced his first pit stop at Porto Santos, near Madeira.

Racing hard through the Southern Ocean, Dalton’s smaller yacht kept pace with many of the 60 footers, but he was again forced to land, stopping at the remote French colony of the Kerguelen Islands in the Pacific Ocean to repair a torn headsail and re-fuel. As Dalton approached Western Australia at the end of leg one, Christmas Eve alone at sea the worst storm seen in the race, as two areas of low pressure collided and produced winds of 90 miles per hour and huge seas. A seasick and badly hurt Dalton rang home to say goodbye to his family believing he would not survive. However, he made it through and despite two stops, a smaller boat and a mainsail ripped to tiny shreds, the brave skipper arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia, in fourth place and one day ahead of Basque skipper Unai Basurko.

However, on arrival Dalton discovered that his partner Robbie had been diagnosed with breast cancer during leg one and had undergone a mastectomy. Luckily, the cancer was successfully removed and Robbie informed Graham on the docks in Fremantle as he arrived, knowing that if she had told him at sea he may have sought land and she did not want to put his dream in jeopardy. Dalton only had a short number of days to prepare his yacht for the gigantic second leg to Norfolk, Virginia, but managed to make the start line in condition.

After another strong start and impress