Holmdale towing dismasted Enterprise to Lyttelton

Press, 28 February 1986, Page 36

Holmdale towing dismasted Enterprise to Lyttelton

The dismasted NZI Enterprise was being towed to Lyttelton by the Chatham Islands freighter the Holmdale last night after withdrawing from the Whitbread round-the-world yacht race. The yacht’s skipper, Digby Taylor, said he was bitterly disappointed at having to pull out of the race. The Holmdale, with the yacht in tow, left the Chatham Islands early last evening and is expected to arrive in Lyttelton late tomorrow afternoon. The decision to bow out of the race was made after a team of design and construction experts and crew members dis-

covered that the replacement mast flown from Cape Town would need more work than expected. Enterprise has been in the Chatham Islands since Saturday after breaking its mast in three places last Wednesday, just five days into the third leg of the race. “Digby is very, very disappointed,” said Rob Crabtree, a spokesman for the NZI Enterprise camp. “Digby said he could not put into words how he felt His main aim at the moment is to get the yacht back to New Zealand.” It had been decided that Enterprise would need to leave the Chatham Islands by March 7

to reach Punta del Este, Uruguay, in time for the start of the final leg to Portsmouth. , The work necessary to refine and,, attach the new mast precluded that departure date. “The decision was made when it was found that the parts flown out from South Africa and the parts of the mast in the Chathams did not match up,” Mr Crabtree said. “The time needed to fix the mast was not available.” Max Jones, the syndicate chairman, said yesterday that race headquarters in Portsmouth had been notified of the yacht’s withdrawal. “Needless to say the decision, forced upon us after canvassing all pos-

sible options, has been made with great reluctance and disappointment,” he said. “It is not a question of lack of resources; it is just that we do not have the time to complete the necessary work. We’ve discussed matters fully with the crew and everyone accepts the decision.” i A decision will be made on the yacht’s future, once a mast has been refitted; in the next couple of weeks. A watch captain from Enterprise, Mike Keeton, said in Auckland yesterday that the crew were upset but accepted it was the only realistic decision. “The first few days were the worst,” he said.

“When the mast first snapped we thought, that’s it, but gradually it dawned on us that maybe we could resurrect it. But this morning it became obvious we could not carry on.” The future of funds raised in public appeals for Enterprise remained unclear. The public affairs manager for N.ZJ. Corporation, Reg Clough, said there were still heavy commitments despite the withdrawal. It was over to the organisers of the appeals, however, to decide where the money went Mr Clough said the campaign had been a $5 million project and N,Z.L

has got good value out of it “But I’m disappointed for the poor guys in the crew. It’s a bitter blow,” he said. L’Esprit d’Equipe, meanwhile, has lost all chance of regaining the handicap lead in the race, after having to cut Its speed dramatically on Wednesday when a mast spar broke off. - The single-hulled yacht, second over all to Philips Innovator on compensated time after the first two legs of the 27,900 nautical mile journey, was going nicely at about 13 knots in winds . of 30 to 40 knots at about midday local time, when the spar cracked.