Golden Globe Race entrant Susie Goodall is currently bailing out her Rustler 36, DHL Starlight after the yacht pitchpoled and dismasted during a storm.

The 29-year-old is reported to be ok, although she did suffer a ‘nasty head bang’. She will now require assistance, having lost her rig and jury rig, although her safety equipment remains intact. The yacht’s engine is also not working.

The hull and deck of DHL Starlight are secure.

Race organiser said they were alerted to the situation by the UK Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre at 1100 UTC today (5 December 2018) after Goodall activated her EPIRB.

MRCC Chile is now in charge of co-ordinating any rescue.

Goodall had sent one of her routine text updates to GGR HQ just a few hours earlier, which read: ‘TAKING A HAMMERING! WONDERING WHAT ON EARTH IM DOING OUT HERE Position: 45′ 33.054 S 122′ 37.061 W at 05 Dec 08:29 UTC”

Continues below…

She made contact again after activating her EPIRB reporting that her liferaft was ok.

“INTERIOR TOTAL WRECK, LIFERAFT OK, NASTY HEAD BANG AS BOAT PITCHPOLED.UNBELIEVABLY ROLY NOW, TOTALLY & UTTERLY GUTTED!”

Goodall, who was in fourth place, had been battling the storm for more than 24 hours, having to deal with sudden changes in sea state and 90 degree wind shift. 

Third placed Uku Randmaa was also caught in the same weather system, but managed to escape its clutches and is now almost clear in his Rutler 36, One and All.

Both had been advised by Race HQ to make east wherever possible in order to avoid the worst of the storm.

Fifth placed Istvan Kopar in his Tradewind 35, Puffin is some 800 miles behind Goodall.

Goodall had changed her storm tactics after experiencing several knockdowns in the southern Indian Ocean, favouring warps and hand steering over a drogue.

This is the fifth Golden Globe Race entrant to have abandoned the race due to their boat being dismasted.

On 27 August 2018, Norwegian Are Wiig was rolled and dismasted some 400 miles south west of Cape Town, but managed to make it to the South African port using his jury rig.

Both Irish skipper Gregor MuGuckin and Indian Navy Commander Abhilash Tomy had to be rescued after their yachts were dismasted on 21 September 2018 during storms in the southern Indian Ocean. McGuckin also managed to set up a jury rig on his Biscay 36 Hanley Energy Endurance and sailed to assist Tomy, who had suffered a broken back.

They were later rescued some 1,900 miles south-west of Perth, Australia, by the crew of the French fisheries patrol vessel, Osiris.

French Golden Globe Race yachtsman Loïc Lepage was also rescued on 23 October 2018 after his Nicholson 32 MK X Laaland dismasted 600 miles south-west of Perth and began taking on water.

Out of the 16 skippers who crossed the start line on 1 July 2018 in France, just five are left in the race, including French solo yachtsman Jean-Luc Van Den Heede whose Rustler 36 Matmut pitchpoled during a Southern Ocean storm, resulting in damage to the connecting bolt attachment to the mast that holds all four lower shrouds.

He has since made repairs at sea, and continues to lead in the race, predicting he will cross the finish line by 23 January 2019.