Lone woman yachtsman saves tri from sinking

Ten days into the OSTAR saw the only woman left in the race – Aurelia Ditton – carrying out a major repair to the leaking central hull of her 34ft Shuttleworth trimaran, Shockwave.

The 24-year-old sculpture student from Southampton discovered a 15mm crack around the bottom of the centreboard case. She used an underwater carbon repair kit to successfully repair the hole and stop the ingress of water.

Her shore team gave her instructions via radio on how to carry out the repair. But Aurelia taught herself about the application of epoxy during the refit of the boat at Saxon Wharf prior to the race.