Carrick sailor Geoff Alcorn savours Atlantic race success

County Antrim sailor Geoff Alcorn on his boat, Wind of Lorne II, that he sailed from Plymouth in England to Rhode Island in the US.

He may have travelled 3,000 miles to claim first prize in an international sailing race, but when County Antrim sailor Geoff Alcorn finally docked in the US last month he was not thinking about the glory.

The Carrickfergus man received a triple-cannon salute as he sailed his self-built boat, Wind of Lorne II, into Rhode Island to triumph in the Eira class of the Original Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race (Ostar).

His epic journey had begun at Plymouth in Devon, 58 days previously on 27 May.
But after battling gale force winds and broken sails to become the only competitor in his class to finish, his main focus was on getting a bite to eat on arrival at Newport harbour.

"It took me 58 days this time, whereas it took me 43 days when I did it the first time in 2009," he said.
"It is not very pleasant, it is more something you enjoy after you have finished.
"I didn't have enough food to last that long.
"Towards the end, I had worked out rationing for seven to ten days, I ended up having to make that last three weeks.

Close brush

"It is hard enough eating oily fish three days a week, but I was eventually eating it three times a day.
"I was munching on a tin of sweetcorn on the last day and sent out the message 'bring me some food I'm starving'.
"When I arrived at Newport, Norman Bailey, who is part of the organising committee, chucked me a sandwich."

Geoff, an engineering consultant for Powerteam in Northern Ireland, was delighted to have docked safely at Newport, following a close brush with a large tanker vessel on 20 June. He said his boat's Automatic Identification System (AIS), a tracking device used on ships, played a key role in alerting him to the vessel.

The 65-year-old said he was unable to see it with the naked eye until things were too close for comfort, forcing him to launch a parachute distress flare.

"One day I was in the middle of the Atlantic and a big tanker nearly ran me over," he added.
"I could hardly see over the waves and there was a lot of spray, then I saw a big tanker coming towards me on a direct collision course.
"I fired a parachute distress flare and he spun around and went parallel with me and immediately established I was the boat on his AIS screen.
"He turned when I fired the flare and my heart came back to normal."

Hurricane

Geoff is to collect a glass-blown sculpture in Plymouth in October as reward for his sailing success.

Geoff Alcorn took part in the same race in 2009. However, his cruising boat Wind of Lorne II, that he built between 1985 and 2001, is unlikely to make the journey as it is currently residing near the city of Fall River in Massachusetts. He explained why he had not made the return trip to Northern Ireland in the vessel.

"I will collect it again in May of next year," he added.
"It is the hurricane season at the end of July, and getting the end of a hurricane is not too pleasant.
"I was pretty tired and worn out and still quite hungry.

"I have paid for it to stay at Borden Marina at Fall River, it seemed a sound solution."