Gipsy Moth IV safely in Tahiti

by Rob Kothe on 7 May 2006 At 0900hrs Pacific Time (1900hrs UTC) this morning Gipsy Moth IV was towed safely into Papeete, Tahiti.

Richard Baggett, the UKSA lead skipper of the Gipsy Moth project reported ‘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'.

Reporting on damage to Gipsy Moth IV, Richard said 'there was some water ingress but this was easily containable with the diesel powered bilge pump, there is some damage to the rudder and as expected the starboard side has suffered scraping from the rocks'.

Gipsy Moth IV has now been lifted out of the water and is now on a hardstand in readiness for the damage assessment by the Auckland surveyor John MacDonald on Tuesday and transhipment to Auckland.

On Saturday afternoon local time Gipsy Moth IV was successfully towed off the reef where she ran aground 6 days ago. The salvage team led by Captain Kleijwegt of Smit and Richard Baggett of the UKSA reported that the operation went without a hitch and within 30 minutes of the tug reaching the scene, Gipsy Moth was gently guided to deep water, checked for water ingress by a team onboard before being towed two hundred miles to Tahiti.

The vessel is expected to be taken to Auckland by ship (currently planned for 13th May).

The Gipsy Moth IV Project Team are finalising details with an Auckland boat yard with 24 hour facilities which will enable repairs to the boat to be completed in the quickest time possible.

David Green, CEO of the UKSA and Gipsy Moth IV Global Project Manager commenting on the incident said, 'We are elated. The Gipsy Moth team has been working night and day to manage this crisis and it is a real relief that Gipsy Moth is afloat again and on her way to Tahiti.

‘The rescue mission was a text book example of international expertise in the form of SMIT Salvage, coupled with Bruno Videau and his local team. Second to getting the crew safely home to the UK the rescue of Gipsy Moth was our next main objective. With that achieved we are free to focus on getting the boat repaired in New Zealand and getting back on track with our Global Voyage.'

When asked about the comparisons with Chichester’s voyage Green said, 'Sir Francis had his challenges, he was knocked down in the Tasman Sea three days out from Sydney and the boat was rolled through 139 degrees. The boat was in chaos and any lesser man would have turned back but in spite of being alone and still having to face some of the most difficult passages of the voyage, including the Horn, he carried on undeterred.

There can be no denying that this has been a major setback for our project and we will now have to redouble our fundraising efforts if we are to continue with the voyage. Like Sir Francis we will pick ourselves up, dust ourselves of and start all over again. To do anything less would be to fail the ‘Chichester Challenge’.'


Gipsy Moth IV had been scheduled to arrive in Tonga on May 10th and in Auckland on 1st of June with a departure to Sydney on 25th June and an arrival on July 20th 2006.