The last known image of Asteria before its loss, as Tapio Lehtinen passes Cape Town film drop during the Golden Globe Race 2022 (GGR2022) - photo © Aïda Valceanu / GGR2022
Dear Recipient Name
If you've sailed offshore, you understand how dependent you are on your boat, its systems, and your own seamanship. If you're like me, you've likely found yourself (perhaps more than once), laying in your bunk, listening to the sound of the water passing by the hull mere inches from your head, pondering exactly how thick the carbon fiber, fiberglass, metal, or wood skin is that separates the brine from your berth. This can be a humbling thought, especially if you find yourself in a seaway, far from shore.
While I've been fortunate to have always sailed offshore on well-prepared boats, surrounded by experienced sailors, and supported by layers safety gear, things can still sometimes go south.
Such was the case for Finnish sailor Tapio Lehtinen, who was racing aboard Asteria, his Sparkman & Stephens-designed Gaia 36 Masthead sloop, in the Golden Globe Race 2022.
Lehtinen was asleep in his berth while sailing in the Southern Ocean, some 450 nautical miles from Cape Town, South Africa, when he was awoken by a loud noise that emanated from Asteria's stern section.
Six minutes later, Lehtinen entered his liferaft wearing his survival suit and watched as Asteria's bow craned unnaturally up towards the sky and as the sea consumed her stern.
Sometime later, the Finnish sailor saluted his beloved boat, which had carried him around our lonely planet in the Golden Globe Race 2018, as its bow pulpit slipped below the water's surface.
While this stretch of ocean enjoys a fearsome reputation for delivering rough sea states, Asteria succumbed to the deep in calm conditions. Moreover, Asteria was one of the best-prepared boats in the GGR 2022, and Lehtinen was already sitting on a successful (albeit slow, thanks to extreme hull fouling) circumnavigation, not to mention decades of previous experience.
Fortunately, Lehtinen was equipped with the right beacons and communications equipment, and the race organizers, along with the Cape Town Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, sprang into action.
All told, Lehtinen spent just over a day in his raft before he was rescued by fellow GGR 2022 competitor (and eventual race winner) Kirsten Neuschäfer, who was sailing aboard Minnehaha, her Cape George 36. Then, after enjoying a rum and some rare companionship in this retro solo-around-the-world race, Lehtinen was successfully transferred to a ship bound for China.
While I was familiar with the story, some of the germane details were buried in the sands of time in my head, at least until last Thursday, when the Golden Globe Race released the 36-minute film, "Asteria's Final Voyage", on YouTube.
So, I immediately did what any self-respecting sailing journalist would do and watched the film, which was well-produced (minus the AI-transcribed subtitles, which could have used some help from a human editor, ahem) and engaging.
Some backstory: Don McIntyre, the founder and chairman of the Golden Globe Race, had entered into an agreement with a Canadian production company, who produced a documentary on the GGR 2022.
But the company oddly omitted Lehtinen's story.
"I objected to the producers explaining that without Tapio their film lacked integrity and honesty," McIntyre said in an official release. "The producer suggested they just wanted a character piece and there were enough characters without telling Tapio's story. I was stunned and shocked. They launched the film without him. It's a good film, but it tells a lie by what is not there. As the organizer we cannot endorse it as the "Official Film" of the 2022 GGR. I felt so sad for Tapio and his team."
"Asteria's Final Voyage" corrects this wrong, while also presenting a fascinating account of Asteria's final moments afloat, and the impressive rescue work that transpired.
But what struck me most about the film was Neuschäfer's account of Lehtinen's unflappable positivity.
I'll be honest: it would take a lot more than a day alone in a liferaft for me to emerge in a positive mood after watching my ship—and my dreams for GGR redemption—sink.
But then again, no one would describe Lehtinen as an "average" sailor, nor as an average human being.
So, if you love offshore sailing and you find yourself with 36 minutes—whether spare or manufactured—add "Asteria's Final Voyage" to your watch list. You won't be disappointed (especially if you turn off the captions).
May the four winds blow you safely home.
David Schmidt
Sail-World.com North American Editor
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