This page provides details of the incident in the Pacific right up to when Gipsy Moth IV arrived at the Emirates Team New Zealand base in Auckland. You can view pictures of the whole process of rescuing the yacht right through to when work began on the repairs in New Zealand, as well as video footage from Tahiti and Auckland. You can use the links below to jump to the relevant sections of this page.
Gipsy Moth IV was 7 months into her 22 month circumnavigation; during this time 11 crews including 33 young people had experienced the magic of sailing this iconic yacht and had visited some truly amazing places.
The Leg 11 crew were taking the yacht from the Marquesas Islands to Tahiti in the Pacific, a journey of approximately 880 nautical miles. They had already visited some of the most idyllic places and were settling in to enjoy the final stage of their voyage from the Rangiroa Atol to Tahiti.
The Rangiroa Atol is part of the Tuamotu Islands in French Polynesia, and is the largest Atol in the Pacific, and is visited by many world cruisers. After having spent several days enjoying the amazing snorkeling and beaches, the crew of Gipsy Moth IV departed from the atol at around 1500 hrs pacific time on Friday the 28th April en route for Tahiti. After exiting the narrow passage to the east of the atol, the yacht headed approximately two miles north and at 1615 turned west to pass along the northern side of the atol.
Ragiroa Atol
Everything was going according to the skipper, Antonia Nicholson's passage plan; the weather was good, with very light winds from the north east and an 8 foot swell from the northeast. Due to the very light winds Gipsy Moth IV only had her running headsail up and was motor sailing. At 1800 hrs there was a watch change and the crew were preparing their night sailing routine.
GMIV on the reef at Rangiroa Atol
At 1820 Gipsy Moth IV suddenly came to a halt and it quickly became clear that she had struck the reef that surrounds the outer edges of the atol. The yacht was lifted up by the swell and was very quickly left high up on the reef. Fortunately none of the crew were hurt in the incident and due to the professionalism of the skipper and her 1st Mate Chris Bruce the process of notifying the relevant authorities and evacuating the crew was quickly underway.
Gipsy Moth IV is officially part of the Blue Water Rally, if nothing else the events in the Pacific demonstrated the benefit of traveling in company and the depth of experience and support the the BWR are able to offer.
Gipsy Moth was the fourth yacht of the Blue Water Rally to leave Rangiroa that day. Furthest ahead of her was Paulina III (Bernard and Dominique Rocquemont). Much closer were WhiteWings (Klaus and Marlies Schuback) and Onyva (Glenn and Rebecca McMillan). Remaining in the lagoon of Rangiroa were Blackbird (Niels Jahren) and Baccalieu III (Mike and Donna Hill).
Onyva and WhiteWings saw two red parachute flares, which they judged to be about 10 miles behind them on the NW corner of Rangiroa. At almost the same time as the second flare was seen Baccalieu III called on VHF, advising that Gipsy Moth had gone aground, were in trouble and needed assistance. Baccalieu had heard from Paulina, who had received a call from Gipsy Moth by Iridium telephone and had already contacted the French rescue authorities in Tahiti. Immediately Onyva and WhiteWings turned round and headed for the NW corner of Rangiroa. Onyva and WhiteWings continued to maintain communication with Gipsy Moth IV by satellite phone throughout the night.
There is no lifeboat or rescue service at Rangiroa and on the night in question there was merely a duty gendarme of the National Gendarmerie and a local municipal policeman and Deputy Mayor to manage the whole affair. It then fell on them and on local fishermen to risk themselves in small fishing boats to effect the rescue. They had no idea when they left the village that they would not have to rescue the crew at sea and they had first to negotiate the Avatoru Passe, both outbound and inbound, with no choice of timing to obtain best conditions. For those who cannot imagine the passes of the Tuamotus, suffice it to say that currents rip in and out at up to 9 knots with standing waves, difficult and often dangerous to negotiate, even in daylight.
The gendarmerie on Rangiroa had responded to calls from Tahiti from the French rescue service there and were already commandeering two small fishing boats (around 25 feet) to assist with the rescue operation. Blackbird had been given a Lat/Long by Gipsy Moth, which initially indicated that the yacht had gone aground about 1 mile off the coast and for the time being the rescue operation continued with the gendarmerie working to a slightly different, but similar, Lat/Long. In particular Glenn on Onyva (a French speaker) did a superb job throughout in managing the comms with the gendarmerie rescue team.
The rescue team proceeded up the inside of the reef (no easy thing to do in complete darkness and given the continuous rows of shallow coral reef areas) and reached the point opposite the stranded Gipsy Moth some 45 minutes after leaving the village. In the meantime the rescuers had asked Onyva to relay a message to Gipsy Moth asking the crew to walk across the reef to meet the rescue boat “lagoon-side”. This Onyva succeeded in doing by contacting Blackbird on VHF, who relayed the request to Gipsy Moth by satellite phone. By about 2100 hours Onyva and WhiteWings (by then around half a mile from the reef and in dangerous shoal waters) saw the lights of the rescue boat the other side of the reef and heard from the gendarmerie that the crew had been picked up safe and sound. As there was no more they could do, Onyva and WhiteWings were “stood down” and continued towards Papeete.
The crew of Gipsy Moth IV were taken to the local police station in the village of Avatoru in Rangiroa where they spent the night. The skipper, Antonia bravely remained with the stricken yacht in an attempt to minimise the damage still being caused by the surf which was literally pounding the yacht against the reef.
The assistance that the Blue Water Rally yachts provided during that night was a great help, but it did not stop there. Peter Seymour, one of the Directors of BWR, who was at that time in Tahiti, had already begun liaising with the authorities in Tahiti. Peter then flew out to Rangiroa the next day to provide further assistance to the yacht and the crew. When the crew were transported to Tahiti the following day in readiness to fly home, the BWR were once again on hand to reassure them and even provide them with clean cloths.
Words can not really express the gratitude that 'we' all felt to the BWR during this very difficult time. Some might say that it was just in the 'true maritime tradition' of helping others, but in reality it went much further than that. Many thanks to all those (to numerous to mention) who assisted.
The BWR Team - From left to right : Peter Seymour, Annette Seymour, Richard Bolt & Tony Diment
In accordance with the Emergency Action Plan that forms part of the Standing Operating Procedures that underpin every aspect of the voyage, the skipper notified the UKSA of the situation once she was satisfied that the crew were all unharmed.
Jon Ely, Director of Business & Development at the UKSA was the first to receive the call, and he immediately notified David Green, the Global Project Manager for Gipsy Moth IV and CEO of the UKSA. Within a few hours the full Gipsy Moth IV team in the UK were in place. The main points of contact 'on the ground' at this point was Peter Seymour, Director of the Blue Water Rally based in Tahiti, and the skipper, Antonia Nicholson onboard Gipsy Moth IV.
As would be expected, the initial focus of the team in the UK was the safety of the crew. Once it was known that the crew were ashore and all in good health, arrangements were soon in place to get them back to the UK via Tahiti.
The next stage for the team in the UK was to begin organising the recovery of Gipsy Moth IV from the reef. Once again, Peter Seymour from the Blue Water Rally was a great help - he was able to liaise directly with the authorities in Tahiti to identify suitable resources that could effect the rescue operation. It was leas's than 24 hours after the initial incident that the resources required had been identified and preparation were underway.
At this point (Sunday 30th April), John Jeffrey, who has been a key part in training the young people who crew on Gipsy Moth IV, flew out to Rangiroa Atol. John was originally supposed to have been Antonia's 1st Mate on the next leg of the voyage, but now his skills would be tested in a far different manner. Richard Baggett, the lead skipper for the Gipsy Moth IV project was also soon on his way out to Rangiroa.
Richard Baggett, GMIV Lead Skipper
Due to the distances involved and remote location of the atol, John Jeffrey arrived on Tuesday 2nd May and Richard Baggett the day after. During this time, it had fallen to Peter Seymour from the Blue Water Rally to assist the skipper as best he could and to support the understandably shaken crew. During this time the team in the UK had been hard at work - in fact the operations room was manned 24 hours a day to provide the necessary support. The arrangements and necessary contracts for the recovery of the yacht had been finalised; this process was greatly assisted by Jonathan Hadley-Piggin, Partner at Shoosmiths who provided legal advice in relation to the contracts for the rescue operation.
Jonathan Hadley-Piggin
To execute the rescue operation, UKSA selected Captain Bruno Videau in Tahiti as the man in charge. Captain Videau was able to marshall resources from Technimarine based in Papeete, Tahiti, as well as from the Port Authority.
In addition, UKSA also employed the services of Captain Burt Kleijwegt from SMIT to provide consultancy services on the ground in Rangiroa and act as a second opinion for the team in the UK.
With the crew on their way back to the UK, the focus for the team in the UK was on the recovery of Gipsy Moth IV. During this time we had started to receive images of the damage caused by the grounding on the reef, and for all of those involved in the project these were hard to see.
Although it is hard to tell, the image opposite shows the hole in the starboard side of the hull and one of the shattered frames. In addition to this, most of the bulkheads had come away from the hull as it had flexed inwards. The onboard media systems were completely destroyed, but fortunately all of the main navigation system are on the port side and suffered virtually no water ingress. At this stage the full extent of the damage could not be accurately determined, but we all knew that we had a challenge ahead.
It was not until Thursday 4th of May that the plan for how to recover the yacht was finally agreed upon. Having had an opportunity to fully assess the situation and discuss all of the possible options the plan was as follows:
Use a JCB already on the atol to lift the yacht sufficiently to affect temporary repairs to the hull and to insert a 'skid' of sacrificial wood that would protect the hull from further damage.
The Tahitian Port Authority tug that had traveled to the atol would then drag the yacht back into deeper water.
Once floating the hull would be checked by divers before the yacht would begin the journey to Papeete in Tahiti by tow.
When summarised like that, it all seems remarkably straightforward, but as you can imagine this took an enormous amount of effort and co-ordination. As a picture speaks a thousand words, the images below give some idea of the work that was undertaken.
Throughout all of the planning and preparation work, one of the main concerns was the weather. The reef at Rangiroa is known to be 'dangerous and aggressive', and had the swell continued at 8-12 feet it is unlikely that there would have been much left of Gipsy Moth IV to recover. Fortunately, the project benefited from the expert advice and input from Dr. Andrew Eccleston, from the University of Plymouth, who has been the official meteorologist for the project since the voyage began. We were all relieved when Andrew informed us that despite reports in the press to the contrary, the swell was forecast to reduce considerably to only 4 feet and that the weather overall was likely to be excellent both for the recovery and the trip to Tahiti.
The tug arrived in Rangiroa at approximately 1200 hrs on the 5th of May and Gipsy Moth IV was off the reef and afloat again by 1300 hrs. The speed at which the whole process took place really stands as testament to the almost super-human efforts and professionalism of all those involved.
The picture opposite shows Gipsy Moth IV having just been pulled off the reef at Rangiroa. It was decided that Richard Baggett and John Jeffrey would remain onboard during the passage to Tahiti. This enabled them to keep a close eye on the damage and determine the extent of any water ingress through the temporary repairs. Remarkably, we were all pleased to hear from Richard that there was minimal leakage and that Gipsy Moth IV was behaving very well.
At 0900hrs Pacific Time on the 6th of May (1900hrs UTC) Gipsy Moth IV arrived safely in the marina at Papeete, Tahiti. Richard Baggett, the lead skipper of the GMIV project said 'the crossing went very well, we had light SE wind, low swell and the weather overall was very kind enabling us to make good speed'.
John Jeffrey who has been involved with the salvage in Rangiroa said 'this has been one of the hardest weeks of my life, I am bruised, battered and extremely tired, but I could not be happier with the outcome of the teams' efforts'.
Port of Papeete, Tahiti
With the help of Peter Seymour from the Blue Water Rally and Captain Bruno Videau, arrangements were already in place to have Gipsy Moth IV lifted by Technimarine and chocked on the hard stand in the marina.
Although the temporary repairs were still in place, this was the first time that the full extent of the damage could be assessed. John Macdonald from J Macdonald Marine Services Ltd. was soon on site by the 8th of May to undertake a detailed marine survey that would form the framework of the repair work to be undertaken in New Zealand.
GMIV lifted by Technimarine
John Macdonald
The most significant damage had been sustained on the starboard side of the hull where Gipsy Moth IV had laid on her side against the reef. The picture opposite shows John Macdonald inspecting the damage to the hull beneath the starboard side pilot berth in the saloon. The rudder had also been badly damaged and the keel had sustained considerable impact damage which had resulted in the lead in the keel being displaced.
There was also considerable damage to the interior of the yacht as a result of the hull flexing. This had displaced a number of the bulkheads which would require much of the furniture to be reworked or replaced.
While the survey work was ongoing, the UKSA team in the UK were busy arranging for the transportation of Gipsy Moth IV to New Zealand. Bernard Hack, Managing Director of Taurus Logistics Ltd. in New Zealand was enormously helpful in this regard. Bernard was able to arrange for Gipsy Moth IV to be shipped on the vessel Thor Simba (pictured opposite). The company Tönnevald & Clausen A/S was formed in 1994, and then became T&C A/S in 1996/1997, also known as Thor Chartering A/S, then 2003 became CEC Shipmanagement A/S on being acquired by Clipper Elite Carriers, part of Clipper Group (Management) Ltd.
Thor Simba Vessel
In preparation for shipment to New Zealand, Gipsy Moth IV's rig needed to be removed and a cradle built for her transportation. Once again thy team from Technimarine came to the rescue. The cradle was ready just in time for Gipsy Moth IV to be lifted onto the Thor Simba on the 16th of May for the 8 day journey to Auckland, New Zealand. You can watch the video opposite of the yacht being returned to the water and then lifted onto her cradle ready for shipping (you will need Flash 8 to watch the movie).
While Gipsy Moth IV was en-route to New Zealand, Richard Baggett flew ahead to Auckland to meet up with Chris Fewtrell who had been making arrangements for the repair work to be carried out. Chris has many years experience in the sailing industry and his knowledge and contacts in New Zealand really showed through. The first bi break for the project cam when Grant Dalton, Managing Director of Emirates Team New Zealand kindly offered the use to the Emirates Team NZ facility in Auckland to the Gipsy Moth IV project. This was a major break, not only are these state of the art facilities at no cost, but the reputation of Team NZ has helped to garner further support in New Zealand for the project.
Grant Dalton, Managing Director of Emirates Team New Zealand
Whilst Richard and Chris waited for Gipsy Moth IV to arrive in Auckland, they were busy promoting the project and finalising the contracts for the skilled labour needed to carry out the repair work. TV New Zealand took a keen interest in the project and have run several stories since Gipsy Moth IV arrived (Rich and Chris are pictured opposite with the film crew and Sean Regan from ETNZ). A large number of local suppliers and boat builders in the Auckland area also committed themselves to the project - you can find out more about these companies of the GMIV NZ Support page.
TVNZ Film Crew with Rich & Chris and the ETNZ Team
Gipsy Moth IV arrived in New Zealand at 1900hrs local time on the 24th of May. She was immediately lifted off Thor Simba and made ready for inspection by the New Zealand Customs Authorities. She could not be transported to the ETNZ facility straight away due to restrictions on transporting heavy loads through Auckland after 1800 hrs. You can watch the video opposite of Gipsy Moth IV being lifted from Thor Simba and transported to the ETNZ facility (you will need Flash 8 to view this).
As soon as Gipsy Moth IV was safely in the Emirates Team New Zealand shed work started immediately on the repairs. The fact the Richard Baggett and Chris Fewtrell had worked so hard to get everything ready for her arrival really paid dividends.
As the temporary repairs to make GMIV watertight for the passage to Tahiti were removed the extent of the damage to the hull could be assessed for the first time. John Macdonald, the Marine Surveyor was on hand and had organised for the infra-red survey of the hull to be undertaken.
