Sailing|Ari Känsäkoski got into sea trouble far away in the Indian Ocean when the mast broke in the water. Emergency sails and the help of ships escorted him back to the people.
Ari Känsäkoski thought of going on a great sea adventure to sail alone around the globe.
It turned out to be a real adventure, but not the kind the 54-year-old from Loviisa had thought.
Känsäkoski experienced a serious setback in the Global Solo Challenge when the mast of his Class40 sailboat broke on December 22 in the Indian Ocean.
Until then, the sailing speed competition that started in Spain in October had gone well. Käsänekoski sailed in the top group in his class.
The mast fell into the water in a heavy swell north of Illes Grozet, in the middle of the southern Indian Ocean.
Känsäkoski had to survive with the remaining 240 liters of fuel to the nearest ports, Durban in South Africa or the island of La Réunion. In practice, motoring thousands of nautical miles away was impossible.
“Without diesel or emergency fuel, I would have had to abandon the boat and save myself on a ship,” says Känsäkoski, who has finally happily returned to Finland.
Experienced as a seafarer and sailor, Känsäkoski started to build an emergency rigging system at sea. It would allow him to continue the journey slowly with the help of small storm sails.
However, the mast, which broke in the strong waves, remained under the boat. There were also so many ropes in the water that the machine could not be started. The boat should be turned around.
It took two days to raise the mast from the sea. Sometimes Känsäkoski took naps inside the boat.
Ari Känsäkoski on the deck of his boat. Next to it, on the right sea, a broken mast.
When the weather improved, the boat turned, and Känsäkoski was able to winch the parts of the 19-meter mast to the side of the boat.
Small dents on the side of Känsäkoski’s boat named Fuji are still a memory of winching.
After this, Känsäkoski started to worry about how long the engine would last and how long the fuel would last. After three days of driving, there were only 120 liters of fuel left.
“The subject of the greatest excitement was how to get out of the area of strong westerly winds and the Agulhas current.”
The Agulhas Current is a narrow and powerful ocean current in the southwestern Indian Ocean.
Vice versa like for example Tapio Lehtinen in retro competitions around the globe, Känsäkoski got to use modern aids, such as navigation and communication systems.
Through Facebook, Känsäkoski sent a message in English that “diesel would be needed now”.
Miraculously, La Réunion sea rescue had found the message and forwarded it to the international sea rescue portal.
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“The conditions were terrible. When I was at the bottom of the wave, I couldn’t see the whole ship.”
From there, the message was picked up by the Japanese Maritime Rescue, which sent the deep-sea fishing vessel Tomi Maru No.58, which was 65 nautical miles (120 kilometers) away.
Sachio Hagiyan the ship he commanded and Känsäkoski met in the Southern Ocean in a wind of 30 knots. Fuel in 20-liter canisters was transferred from the fishing vessel to Känsäkoski’s boat using a floating rope.
“The conditions were terrible. When I was at the bottom of the wave, I couldn’t see the whole ship,” says Känsäkoski.
In all 240 liters of diesel, which was the wrong kind, were transferred in the canisters during the operation. Känsäkoski’s background team calculated in Finland that the fuel must be diluted by two percent.
For this, the fishing vessel sent light oil and kerosene to Känsäkoski.
“I diluted the fuel and it worked. However, the canisters started to run out and I had to recycle them back to the ship. A Japanese sailor caught the canisters on board with a throwing hook and I got a refill again.”
When the Japanese ship left the place, the nozzles of Känsäkoski’s engine were blocked by impurities. Cleaning took time again.
Using a motor and sailing on an emergency rudder, he made it to about 300 nautical miles (555 kilometers) from Durban on the east coast of South Africa.
About a week before arriving in Durban, Känsäkoski read news about Finnlines’ new Fincanopus ship on Starlink.
Finncanopus, built at the Finnlines shipping company in China, was on its maiden voyage to Finland. Due to the Red Sea crisis, the ship was circling Africa via Hyväntoivonniemi and almost ran towards Känsäkoski’s Fuji boat.
The Japanese diesel began to be used up and the small sails took the boat in the wrong direction.
Ari Känsäkoski’s boat, which participated in the Global Solo Challenge, is powered by water turbines.
Again Käsänekoski was lucky.
Känsäkoski got in touch with Finnlines and inquired about the possibility of supplying clean diesel. This was quickly agreed to.
Assisted a sailor in Finland Sampsa Valjus routed the right angles and directions for Känsäkoski and Finncanopus.
“I waited at the meeting place for only half an hour when I already saw the ship. It was a big relief when I got clean diesel”, praises Känsäkoski.
To his surprise, Känsäkoski still got bread, fresh pancakes and jam.
“There was still beer in the second shipment, but the package broke. I’m still looking for it in the sea in vain”, laughs Känsäkoski.
Ari Känsäkoski in his boat in his sleeping place, from which he could steer the boat at the same time.
Upon arrival 1,600 nautical miles, almost 3,000 kilometers from the place where the mast broke, only 8.3 miles from the port of Durban, Känsäkoski had to officially ask for help for the first time.
“The final straw was when there was a terrible screeching sound from the engine. It had to be turned off. The nose strap was torn, and it cannot be repaired at sea.”
Käsänekoski was towed to the port, where he almost made it for 26 days with various emergency adjustments.
In Durban, Känsäkoski tried to get a new mast and wondered if he could sail against the wind via Hyväntoivonniemi back to Europe. Due to scheduling reasons, it was not possible.
The boat was shipped from Durban to Hamburg, where it was re-equipped with emergency sulfur. After this, Känsäkoski sailed across the Baltic Sea to Helsinki.
Ari Känsäkoski, who participated in the Global Solo Challenge, in his boat in Kanavaranta, Helsinki.
To the boat Känsäkoski started equipping already in 2014. He considers the competition’s participation fee of 10,000 euros cheap compared to other similar sailings.
“I equipped the boat for this race since 2015, i.e. slowly. I’ve put it all together, and then there are some small sponsors. In terms of equipment, they are of great importance. Finnlines’ cargo is a big deal.”
Trained as an interior architect, Känsäkoski will return to his civilian work in his one-person consulting office in August, until the sea attracts him again.
In 2027, he plans to participate in the next Global Solo Challenge with the same boat.
“I have been sailing since I was twelve years old. You can’t stop playing after this setback.”
Ari Känsäkoski built the emergency sloop shown in the picture at sea and equipped it with small storm sails. “Emergency break should be made mandatory in the rules of solo sailing races.”
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