Dalton considering options after mast comes down

Solo New Zealand sailor Graham Dalton was prepared to abandon his yacht for his liferaft when the mast came down in huge seas and 50 knot wind gusts off the coast of Argentina early yesterday.

Dalton lost the mast of his Open 60 yacht Hexagon north west of the Falkland Islands.

He was in fifth place in the fourth leg of the Around Alone race when the mast came down as the autopilot crash gybed his boat in 35 knots of wind early yesterday morning.

"What followed was a frantic few hours of dreadful conditions and concerning times."

Dalton told race headquarters overnight he knew immediately he was in trouble when the mast broke into three pieces and fell over the side.

"As all of this happened, the wind suddenly increased to 50 knots, and the mast broke further into four pieces.

"There was white water all around. The ocean surrounding Hexagon was covered in breaking waves and lying right next to her was the mast, still attached to the boat by its rigging and banging against the hull.

"Initially, my thought was to save the rig. With a piece of the mast I could make a small jury rig and sail to the coast of Argentina.

"I winched the largest piece of the mast on deck and tied it down with the sheets I use to hold my headsails in."

He said moments after he went below to tell race headquarters of his predicament, a massive wave broke over Hexagon.

"The force of this wave picked up the mast and snapped the sheets like they were pieces of cotton. The rig was once again in the water, and was now a potential danger to me."

Dalton said he had to cut the mast free because of the danger it posed for the boat but with waves breaking over the deck it would have been foolhardy to go on deck.

"So I had to sit below and listen to the noise, waiting for the wind to abate. I closed all the hatches and each of Hexagon's watertight compartments, so if the boat was holed, only one section would flood and this could stop her from sinking.

"I also got all of my safety equipment out so it would be ready to deploy should the worst happen. "

American skipper Brad Van Liew on Freedom America was diverted from his position 156 miles from Hexagon but told to resume his course when Dalton was able to go on deck and cut the pieces of the mast and the rig free.

"Now I am just sitting in the hull of Hexagon. Once the weather has abated and when I have enough light I will go on deck and do a thorough check of the boat and its conditions. I will need to make sure that there is nothing trailing underneath the boat before I start the engines, as if I foul the propeller I will have no way of powering myself at all."

Dalton said he was not giving up.

"Even if I have to float to the finish I will never give up. The plan is to try and make Mar del Plata, which is 650 miles away. I do not think I have enough diesel to get me all that way by motor, so will organise for a vessel to come and meet me and tow me the rest of the way.

"My shore crew are at the moment investigating the different options that I have for replacing Hexagon's mast and rigging."

Dalton also broke the boom on his yacht 11 days ago but repaired when Dalton called into an Argentinian port which cost him a 48-hour penalty.

- NZPA