Yachtsman Quest For Governor’s Cup Sinks With His Boat

For East London single-handed yachtsman Graham Wentworth his dream of completing the 1675 nautical mile Governor’s Cup was shattered when his trimaran was flooded on New Year’s Eve forcing him to abandon the yacht. Race control received notification that his right hull was flooded shortly after 19h00 local time last night. Attempts to clear the water failed and as the electronics on board followed suit, Wentworth issued an EPB and an emergency rescue operation was launched. Wentworth was eventually rescued by the container ship MV DAL East London. His safety was confirmed shortly before midnight when he was picked up and he is due to arrive back in his home port of East London on January third.MV DAL East LondonA further withdrawal saw Marty Alessa seeking shelter in Saldanha Bay, while the Miura 2 Raging Bull is currently awaiting a lull in the weather to repair rudder damaged sustained over the weekend. Defending handicap champion Our Dianne continues her lead in the handicap position and reported tearing a sail in gusting winds of up to 25 knots by early this morning. Current synoptic charts show the South Atlantic high pressure system still located quite far north and the island is reporting north-westerly winds of approximately 10 knots, which is not very promising for fast finish times.