Alex Bennet has won the Transat Jacques Vabre in class 2. Photo : http://www.alex-bennett.com
Open 50
Alex Abandons his Open 50 but not his Dream
samedi 15 décembre 2001 –
14th December 2001, 29 26 09’ N 26 03 49’ W : At 23.00 GMT Alex Bennett, 25-year-old solo yachtsman, abandoned his Open 50 racing yacht ‘One Dream One Mission’ to the elements.
At 20.00 without any warning a sudden squall hit the boat and in a breeze of 20 to 30 knots she heeled over and accelerated to 16 knots in the pitch dark.
Alex : "Then I heard a huge bang. I thought we’d snapped the keel and as the boat pitched up at a crazy angle, I climbed up onto the highest side. With all hell breaking loose, I released as many sails as I could and she came upright again. I winched in the genoa and looked over board. The bulb was OK – it was the starboard ram and the keel was left swingly wildly".
Alex attempted to fix the damage by lashing the rod heads in place to lock the keel, but after two hours of trying and physically exhausted he put out an urgency call. A German freighter 10 miles off responded and made for Alex. With his boat crippled and the threat of gale force conditions coming
through his area within the next 36 hours, he was forced to take the sad decision to abandon his beloved boat.
This was just three weeks after he had tasted victory in his first international race, the 4340 mile Transat Jacques Vabre from Le Havre to Brazil, with co-skipper Paul Larsen. Five days after his win he set sail alone for home to train for the rigours of solo ocean racing and his ultimate goal the Vendée Globe in 2004. He had covered over 2/3 of the distance home when disaster struck.
He is now heading for Trinidad with the German freighter, EWL Central America and is expected to fly home on 21st December.
PR Judith Hunt
Portfolio
Dans la même rubrique
-
fr : Circolo della Vela Sicilia
20th Palermo-Montecarlo : Top prize for Manticore as Black Jack sets another new record
After leaving Mondello, just north of Palermo, at midday on Tuesday, competition in the Maxi class, part of the 41 boat fleet in the annual Palermo-Montecarlo, was decided on Thursday. The IRC corrected time victory went to a first time winner, while one of the race’s most frequent competitors was again both first home and set a new race (…) -
en : Offshore racing | Cowes - Cherbourg
Rolex Fastnet Race 2025 : Loison and Kelbert’s JPK 1050 crowned overall winner
Alexis Loison and Jean-Pierre Kelbert’s JPK 1050 Léon has been crowned overall winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race. No other boat still racing on the 695 nautical mile course can catch the French doublehanded duo for overall honours in this, the 51st edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s offshore classic. -
en : Cowes • Team racing
The Admiral’s Cup : Yacht Club de Monaco wins the 2025 edition
The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) is delighted to announce the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) as the winner of the 2025 Admiral’s Cup. After an intense battle during the RORC Channel Race, six inshore races in the Solent and the prestigious finale, the Rolex Fastnet Race, the Yacht Club de Monaco team is victorious. Runner-up for the Admiral’s Cup (…) -
en : New York Yacht Club & Royal Ocean Racing Club
Transatlantic Race 2025 : Line Honours for Christian Zugel’s Volvo 70 Tschüss 2
Volvo 70 Tschüss 2 (USA), owned by Christian Zugel and co-skippered by Johnny Mordaunt, has taken Line Honours in the West to East Transatlantic Race 2025 in an elapsed time of 07 Day 15 Hrs 29 Mins and 10 Secs. Tschüss 2 Crew : Christian Zugel, Johnny Mordaunt, Al Fraser, Andrew McLean, Campbell Field, Christopher Welch, Edward Myers, Fredric (…) -
en : International Maxi Association
Maxi victory for local heroes in 151 Miglia-Trofeo Cetilar
It has been a long time coming after spending much of the 2024 season finishing second and even continuing this in the recent IMA Maxi European Championship, but finally Guido Paolo Gamucci’s Cippa Lippa X has won a race. On Saturday morning at 1012 off Marina di Punta Ala, the white-hulled canting keel Mylius 60 crossed the finish line of the (…) -
en : Leg 1 : Antigua - Panama
McIntyre Mini Globe : 15 boats set sail from the Caribbean Island of Antigua Barbuda
The inaugural McIntyre Mini Globe Race (MGR) has officially set sail, and what a start it’s been ! The first leg from Antigua to Panama has already delivered drama, camaraderie, and a masterclass in offshore sailing in these Mighty Mini’s. With 15 ALMA Class Globe 580s battling it out over 1,200 nautical miles, the MGR is proving to be (…)
