8th Vendée Globe - Day 18: Wilson recounts Cape Horn capsize on 26th anniversary
by Andi Robertson 23 Nov 2016 19:40 GMT
23 November 2016
Wilson recounts Cape Horn capsize on 26th anniversary
American skipper Rich Wilson is best known for being the oldest skipper in the Vendee Globe fleet, but the solo round the world race is far from the only adventure on the seas that the 66-year-old from Boston has encountered over his four decades on the water. Exactly 26 years ago Wilson and crewmate Steve Pettengill nearly lost their lives when the catamaran they were racing around Cape Horn capsized in monster seas. From his IMOCA 60 race boat Great American IV in the South Atlantic, currently 20th in the Vendee Globe fleet, Wilson remembers that fateful day.
“It's beautiful outside but 26 years ago it wasn't so beautiful,” he said. “Steve and I were onboard Great American, a 60ft trimaran, on our first voyage from San Francisco to Boston via Cape Horn. We were capsized 400 miles west of Cape Horn in seas officially estimated at 65ft, and we had 80 knots of wind on the anemometer before it stopped working. We had been sailing for three days before that without sails, under bare poles, dragging 1,000ft of spare line just to try to slow the boat down. It was Thanksgiving Day and we were capsized in the middle of the morning. An hour and a half later the boat was thrown back upright by a wave, the first time in history that had happened as far as anyone had heard. We were dismasted and the boat filled with water.
Seventeen hours after that the New Zealand Pacific cargo ship from New Zealand found us in the middle of the night, and with seas still running at 45ft, were able to rescue us in the dark of night. It was an incredible effort by the captain and crew of that ship. They upheld a maritime tradition to go to the aid of a ship in distress, putting themselves in danger to save us. They did save us and we were able to sail another day. I'm very pleased to say Murray Lister, chief mate about New Zealand Pacific, is now serving as one of our team of experts for our schools programme.”
Alex Thomson still in the lead
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