Sir Hubert Wilkins completes friendly tow

by Rob Kothe & Hobart Mercury on 24 Jan 2003 A ``friendly rescue mission' was accomplished last night when the dismasted round the world yacht to Hobart. French solo yachtsman Jean Luc Van Den Heede was towed into Hobart.

Van Den Heede had been slowly making his way towards Tasmania since a Southern Ocean gale ripped his mast off on January 7 from his 26m monohull Adrien about 1500km south of Tasmania. He had spent more than 60 days competing in the round-the-world Global Challenge, which finishes next month.

Antarctic privateer Don McIntyre said yesterday his Hobart-based expedition vessel,
the 37-metre icebreaker Sir Hubert Wilkins had gone to his aid.

The Adrien has no motor and had been travelling at about four knots under a makeshift ``jury rig'.

``He was not in distress, so he did not need urgent assistance,' Mr McIntyre said.
``We' just waited until he was within about 100 [nautical] miles of Tasmania and we went and picked him up.

``Jean Luc is like myself, he'd rather organise his own help than have the authorities come out.'

``It was not a rescue mission, he's just a good friend of ours,' Mr McIntyre said yesterday.

``We're organised it now and put a volunteer crew together. We met up with him around 7am, yesterday morning. He was taking good progress but the breeze dropped around 11am and then we took him in tow 18 nautical miles south west of Cape Raoull.’

The Sir Hubert Wilkins with the jury-rigged yacht reached Hobart at 5pm yesterday afternoon.

This news follows an e-mail posted on Mr Van Den Heede's website www.vdh.fr this week, which confirmed he was heading straight for Hobart, after considering Melbourne or New Zealand.

``Since the BOC round the world race of 1986, I have kept in touch with lots of people in Hobart,' Mr Van Den Heede said.

``I have sympathetic and very useful logistical support there, in the form, particularly, of friends who possess an enormous boat which they use for expeditions in the Antarctic. They will be able to come and meet me and tow me into the port.'

``Either I could have a new mast built on site somewhere, or I could get Adrien taken home by a merchant vessel,' Mr Van Den Heede said.
``My decision has still not been made.

``But at the present time, the cost of repatriation by merchant vessel is totally foolish.'
It was his third unsuccessful attempt at the Global Challenge and he hinted it could be his last.

``I'm not one to give up but, all the same, three failed attempts, that's tough,' Mr Van Den Heede said.

For more information on Sir Hubert Wilkins, which is now for sale after the successful completion of a number of Antarctic expeditions

www.oceanfrontiers.com.au