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7:08 PM Mon 22 Dec 2008 GMT
Line honours hopeful Mr Kite has been forced out of the 2008 Clive Peeters' Launceston to Hobart Yacht race after critically damaging steering.
Mr Kite, owned by Tasmania's former leading Olympic class and Etchells sailor Andrew Hunn and veteran of 19 Sydney to Hobart yacht races Andrew Buckland, was touted as an exciting contender and hot favourite for line honours.
The carbon fibre "mini Volvo 70", which features a canting keel, set sail on a delivery trip from Sydney on Sunday morning, but about half way to Hobart at 1am on Monday the steering suddenly locked and the yacht veered uncontrollably off course.
A custom made rudder bearing had failed and the delivery crew went into survival mode, downsizing sail area and limping to 40-footer to the safe haven of Eden on Victoria's coast.
With a replacement expected to take more than a month to arrive from France the L2H has now become the third consecutive summer-time offshore yacht race Mr Kite has failed to complete due to equipment failure.
Mr Kite's crew said curse was not a word they liked to use to describe the seemingly ill-fated yacht.
Mainsail trimmer Phil Armstrong said it was bitterly disappointing to be out of contention for the L2H.
"We were pretty excited about taking part in the race," Armstrong said.
"Given the right forecast we would have had a good chance at the line honours."
Armstrong said the race was also going to be a great opportunity for younger crew members, Will Keyes and Michael Waldron, to have a dig at offshore racing.
Keyes and Waldron have forged keel-boat careers from foundations built at the Derwent Sailing Squadron and the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania's dinghy group.
"It's particularly disappointing because it was a great opportunity for the young sailors to gain offshore experience, but it wasn't meant to be,'' Armstrong said.
A malfunction with the yacht's canting keel forced Mr Kite out of the 2006 Sydney to Hobart and a broken rudder stock again forced the yacht out of the 2007 Sydney to Hobart.
When equipment doesn't fail the yacht is more than capable of leading the fleet as demonstrated when Mr Kite took out line honours in 40 feet and under division of the 2007 Sydney to South Port Race.
L2H race director Peter Geeves said it was disappointing to hear that Mr Kite would not contend the race.
"Mr Kite was a really exciting prospect, especially given the predicted downwind ride,'' Geeves said.
"It's also disappointing that the young yachtsmen have lost the opportunity to compete in their first major offshore ocean race, especially because the L2H is the perfect race for that debut.''
Geeves said all other L2H race preparations were heating up, with excitement building for a record breaking race.
Almost 20 L2H competitors from the south have already made a safe passage to Launceston in preparation for the race, with only a handful reporting minor troubles including motor damage and running out of fuel. About six yachts are still in transit.
The Hobart yachts will now keep company with nine northern competitors at the Tamar Yacht Club until the start gun fires at 2pm on December 27.
The 280 nautical mile race will see competitors take on the tide driven Banks Strait, the challenging Maria Island passage and the notorious Storm Bay before sharing the finishing line with Melbourne to Hobart and Sydney to Hobart competitors at Castray Esplanade.
The L2H has become the premier offshore sailing event on Tasmania's sailing calendar.
The race offers competitors the opportunity to compete in a highly demanding and competitive race which is accessible and affordable.
Inaugural winner Geoff Cordell skippered his Mumm 36 Host Plus Executive to victory in 43 hours.
Line honour favourites are tipping a passage of about 30 hours if the favourable long-range forecast for north-easterly wind rings true.
by Danielle McKay
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Hamilton Island, QLD
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