Oops! My rudder broke off and I'm only 300 km. from shore!

I have never been an offshore racer or even sailor, I have no desire to spend days out of sight of land - I would turn into a worry-wart, imagining all sort of dire dangers. So I have to tip my hat to the courage and pluck of these offshore folks when things go wrong. The Capetown to Rio fleet this year got hit hard just after they left Capetown. The Dudley Dix designed Black Cat broke their rudder about 300 km. out of Capetown and had a helluva time before making it back to a South African port. Their harrowing story is told below on video. (Dudley Dix was also the skipper, he operates his prolific design business out of Virginia Beach. I have posted a picture of him sailing his Paper Jet design at the Wooden Boat regatta out of Rock Hall, Maryland)



Black Cat tell their story. from Steve Searle on Vimeo.