Tapio has shared this message from on board m/v Darya Gayatri, Indian Ocean. The ship is on her way to Rizhao, China, and will arrive in about a month.
Thank you once again everybody involved in my flawless rescue operation after the sinking of Asteria.
The accident was a devastating surprise, I had 100% confidence for Asteria being fit for fight, the boat performed beautifully and I was very happy and proud of her. After a total rebuild four years ago and being fitted out and inspected again this year, being flooded up to deck level in five minutes and sinking twenty minutes later in beautiful summer conditions is beyond my comprehension.
But the rock solid professionalism of Don McIntyre in coordinating the rescue operation together with MRCCs in Cape Town and Singapore, Kirsten Neuschafer, Abhilash Tomy and m/v Darya Gayatri captain Naveen Kumar Mehrotra came as no surprise to me. On the contrary, already before the start of the race, at a safety briefing in Les Sables d’Olonne, I told my competitors that if we’d get into trouble, we would be in the best of hands. I only never imagined that I would be the one.
Thank you Don – getting into the raft in a rush without my grab bags of food, medicine and water, I knew that it wouldn’t be a long stay. And it wasn’t. I felt safe through the 24+ hrs on the raft. Thank you also Kirsten for your excellent seamanship in manouvering Minnehaha next to the raft, getting me onboard and for the rum. And then in cooperation with captain Naveen Kumar Mehrotra, getting Minnehaha safely in the lee of m/v Darya Gayatri and getting me safely onboard the ship where I am now very happily enjoying the Indian hospitality of the captain and crew.
Thank you also everybody for the regards, sympathy and support through your messages and excuse me for the anxiety I have caused.
As said, the disappointment is massive. I re-entered the race as I thought that Asteria deserved another chance – she was capable for a podium finish in the race. We were doing well and I was very much looking forward to the roughly hundred days of solitude in the Southern Ocean and a good race with Simon, Kirsten, Abhilash, Michael and the rest.
But life goes on. My focus from now on will be on the Ocean Globe Race with Galiana starting on Sept 10, 2023. I am very proud of our team and also proud, happy and thankful for the support of our partners, led by my GGR main sponsor 3StepIT together with Cinia, all of which are Finnish companies who in their fields are showing the way by being part of the solution on our way towards a carbon neutral circular economy.
Our vehicle in the universe, the Earth (out of which 70% is ocean), is a small one. With a tiny boat, during two and half months, at roughly walking pace I already made it almost to the opposite side of it.
It is a small vehicle for the mighty humankind. During the last century or two, we have developed a capacity to destroy the prerequisites for good life of the coming generations through the climate crisis and other natural catastrophes.
We need to realize, as a humankind, that united we stand and divided we fall. We also have the capacity to solve the problems, save the albatross, the oceans, the planet and the living conditions for our grand children and future generations.
The news from the UN-summit in Africa (read without glasses from the ship’s computer) are promising. Things need to happen on UN/global level. We, the humankind, need to keep focused and avoid being distracted by the putins and trumps et al. And concentrate on the solutions available, everybody, every company, as our partners in their respective fields, in their own, new, innovative ways.
Excuse me for the long message. At sea, away from the fuss and detail, the big picture at times seems clear – I just wanted to share it with you.
And once again, thank you all!
Tapio
