Party day for lost Whitbread round-the-world mast

Yachties at Auckland's Royal Akarana Yacht Club plan a party on Thursday to mark the 25th anniversary of the dismasting of Ceramco New Zealand in the 1981-82 Whitbread round-the-world race.

Peter Blake was skipper of the 23m Farr maxi - the first New Zealand boat to enter the race - when its mast folded in the South Atlantic three weeks into the first leg, on September 21, 1981.

Blake and his crew salvaged a piece of mast long enough to enable the yacht to sail 8150km to Cape Town, where the mast was replaced.

Although the incident cost the team any chance of winning the overall race, it went on to win two legs.

- NZPA