A British sailor in a solo round-the-world-trip is stranded in the Pacific with no chance of rescue for two days after her boat was destroyed in a storm.
Susie Goodall, 29, was knocked unconscious when the yacht was flipped over by 75mph winds and nine metre-high waves, causing her to lose the mast and rigging on her boat on Wednesday.
She activated her distress beacon at 11am after the damage took place, alerting Chilean authorities to divert a ship to rescue her. They will not reach her for two days.
The sailing instructor is the only woman and the youngest competitor in the 30,000 Golden Globe Race, which sees sailors use yachts designed before 1988 and without modern technology or satellite navigation.
Goodall told race organisers through her communications system: “Dismantled. Hull OK. No form of jury rig, total loss. Interior total wreck, liferaft OK. Nasty head bang as boat pitchpoled. Unbelievably roly now. Totally and utterly gutted.”
She went below deck as powerful winds made it challenging for her to steer.
It comes as 10 of the 18 competitors pulled out of the race, which started in Les Sables-d’Olonne in western France, either for personal reasons or because of storm damage to their boats, The Times reported.