Atlantic challenger's true grit

By ROBIN BAILEY

It was never going to be easy. Solo sailor Chris Sayer was aware of the hurdles when he planned his campaign for a second attempt at winning the Mini Transat.

The event is a race across the Atlantic in tiny yachts. He finished third at his first attempt in 1999 in Navman, a wooden boat he built himself.

For last year's event he built a state-of-the art racer in composite materials that was designed by Brett Bakewell-White, one of this country's top creators of go-fast boats.

His campaign took a huge setback when he bumped into something solid off the coast of Northland while sailing solo back from Sydney last year during the proving trials in his build-up for the race.

He lost everything he owned, but decided to try again. The designer came up with an updated version of the race boat, building on what he and Sayer learned during the transtasman voyages.

Sayer set to work again in the yard of Vaudrey Miller Yachts at Henderson. Months of work culminated at the beginning of the year with the launch of the new boat.

Along the way Sayer had made the moulds of his new boat available to Australian sailor Liz Wardley. It was a generous gesture that allowed her to mount her own challenge in the 2003 Mini Transat and possibly even beat him in an identical yacht.

Then came another blow. The French organisers of the race, Classe Mini, changed the rules making it impossible for Sayer and Wardley to compete. This is despite the organisers knowing the Downunder campaigns were preparing to sail the Auckland-Noumea race singlehanded as a qualifying event for the Mini Transat.

This was always Sayer's plan and had previously been approved by the race organisers. To alter the playing field at this late stage has angered both sailors and particularly the designer, who has come out strongly in a letter to Classe Mini.

Among other things, Bakewell-White says: "You must be aware of the effort Chris Sayer has put in to get his campaign back on track. Having to build a second boat has severely stretched his budget, sanity and timeframe. I think his generosity toward Liz and other potential mini-builders is quite astonishing. His focus is on growing the class and the sport of short-handed sailing in this part of the world, as well as competing himself. Surely this is the very thing your class is trying to do.

"The tragedy of the loss of his first boat for this challenge has raised the profile of the mini class, and your event, to a level not seen before in New Zealand or Australia. We have had a dozen new people wanting to build boats as a result of the promotion of Chris and Liz's challenge for your event."

The designer pointed out that Classe Mini had given permission to the pair to qualify by completing races in the Southern Hemisphere, and asked how they could justify changing the requirements at this late stage.

Bakewell-White added that a legal opinion from rules expert Russell Green had confirmed that Sayer and Wardley had a strong case for action against Classe Mini.

Boating New Zealand editor Rebecca Hayter is another Sayer supporter incensed at the actions of the race organisers. "It is his dream and he has chosen to forgo a home and mortgage, live in a caravan and work a 70-hour week to build his boat," Hayter says.

"It was amazing to come back from what he had to do last year after losing his uninsured boat and starting from scratch again with time against him. To be stumped by the Mini Transat class, which he has done so much to promote down here, is unbelievable. I hope they see sense and allow a wildcard entry."

Chris Sayer will sail. He plans to continue his build-up programme, do the Noumea race solo to prove the yacht, then turn up in France in early August in time to get the boat measured.

"Perhaps if I am ready at the start in a proven and well-prepared boat, Classe Mini may relent and let Liz and I start," he says. "If not, I will sail as an unofficial entry and despite the legal advice, I won't be suing the organisers."