Crew rescued after container collision

Eleven teams crossed the start line on June 18 for the Transatlantic Race 2025, leaving Newport, RI for the 3000nm course to the finish off Cowes, England. One boat had to be abandoned… here’s their story from crew Sara Burke:

Approximately 18 hours before the rescue, 1200 nm from land and more than 1500 nm from our starting point, we struck a submerged object (most likely a shipping container) that slammed into our boat and scraped along the bottom, destroying the propeller and pushing the rudder violently upward and sideways, jamming it within the rudder bearings. The wheel would not turn. The rudder would not move. We could not steer the boat.

We hurried to deploy our Hydrovane backup rudder and steering system. Working in tandem before dawn with my crew mate Dale, who was deep inside the stern lazarette, I descended into the cold water in a drysuit to remove and replace the broken Hydrovane bolt and mount its rudder. Unfortunately, as we soon learned, our jammed main rudder, which was stuck off-kilter by 5 degrees to starboard, overpowered this system and prevented it from working. Unless we could dislodge the main rudder and drop it to the sea floor, High Note would remain inoperable. – Full report

Event information – Race details – Tracker – Results

Transatlantic Race 2025 started June 18 from depart Newport, RI. A virtual gate off Lizard Point enabled teams to challenge the course record for this historic passage, but the official finish took place off the Royal Yacht Squadron’s waterfront castle in Cowes, England.

Organized every few years, competitors covered a distance of approximately 3,000 miles with IRC handicap scoring determining the winners in each division. The 2025 edition was the 32nd Transatlantic sailing competition organized by the New York Yacht Club.