200 miles offshore with no rudder

Just after midnight, the Grand Soleil 43 Trustmarque Quokka left the River Hamble in the UK, bound for Malta and the Middle Sea Race via Cascais, Portugal. She was skippered by her owner, Peter Rutter, a former Commodore of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, with three highly experienced crew: Graham Moody, Malcolm McEwen and Scott Dawson.

After Malta, Quokka was bound for the Canaries, where she would be joined by her race crew in a bid to win her class in the ARC transatlantic rally, reaching St Lucia in time for Christmas.

Quokka was in ocean-going trim, prepared for commercial MCA approval and equipped with a large quantity of water and food, a water-maker and a full tank of diesel with 70 litres in a back-up container: but 200 miles off the French coast, disaster struck.

Quokka’s rudder snapped, leaving the crew with no way of steering. – Full story