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IceBear - Blog Entry-Suwarrow



In the middle of the South Pacific lies a small atoll discovered by a Russian named Suvarov.The atoll is also called by that name and, after a 600 mile sail from Bora Bora we are here. But not without a significant emergency aboard Mad Monkey. At 1600 hours, a Pan Pan was radioed from Mad Monkey."We have lost our rudder and fear the ingress of water and are prepared to launch our life raft."

Thank God that was the worst case scenario and their rudder actually came loose from its upper bearings and actually "dropped" down through the rudder post a number of inches and would have gone had it not been for Mark
and his crew jury rigging a loop of DYNEEMA through the top of the rudder and attaching it the spinnaker halyard and laterally to the traveller.World Arc boats immediately turned to aid Mad Monkey and ICEBEAR has a GaleRider
Drogue which we had to demonstrate to the Newport to Bermuda Race Committee that we could steer using the drogue.
Mad Monkey responded to Icebear saying they could use that Drogue System and since we were 58 miles away, we headed immediately North to get to them.

Fortuneately, they never needed the system as the rudder never fell out of the hull.So. Amara and Icebear kept
Mad Monkey company for the 200 miles left to Suwarrow.The beautiful pass was a site for sore eyes, and Madrigal's
skipper,John, was ready with three dinghys to act as tugs and guide Mad Monkey to her anchor site,in case her
turning radius was affected by the dropped rudder.

Losing a rudder is every sailor's worst nightmare and almost losing it in a stretch of the South Pacific that has
no rescue or repair options made us all appreciate the value of travelling in a group of highly skilled boat owners. Among the fleet there is the talent and spare parts and tools to fix this problem and travel to NIUE.

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