Cahuna - Rudderless 300 miles from Fiji, the crew of the Cahuna jury-rig and hold on
A 14.6 m Whangarei yacht lost her rudder in a Pacific gale; four aboard deployed drogues, built a makeshift rudder and kept contact by Starlink as a relief ship diverted to tow them to Suva.
What happened.
While sailing from Whangarei, New Zealand, to Fiji in June 2026, the 14.6-metre yacht Cahuna lost her rudder in a Pacific gale near the Minerva Reef region, leaving four crew without steering some 300 nautical miles from Fiji. In winds to 40 knots and 5-metre swells they deployed drogues and improvised a rudder while a relief vessel, the YWAM Koha, diverted to tow them to Suva. This is a developing situation.
In June 2026 the Cahuna, a 14.6-metre yacht based in Whangarei, set out for Fiji in company with another yacht, Third Wind, leaving on 11 June. Around the fourth day, near the Minerva Reef region, a developing weather system forced both boats to alter course. In winds gusting to 40 knots and swells reaching 5 metres, the Cahuna's rudder failed; the skipper confirmed by camera that it was gone entirely, leaving four people aboard without primary steering some 400 nautical miles from Fiji, later drifting to around 300. The crew deployed a sea anchor, which parted, then improvised a drogue from chain and rope and worked the boat with sails and limited engine. A wave flooded the cabin and ruined the skipper's power tools, but he built a makeshift rudder from a spinnaker pole and plywood, powering tools from a vacuum-cleaner battery. A passing Canadian yacht, Naida, floated diesel across by line, though a line then fouled the propeller and disabled the engine. The crew kept contact by Starlink, rationing power. No mayday was issued and the boat was not in immediate danger, but towing was estimated at around NZ$180,000, so the relief vessel YWAM Koha diverted from a planned Pacific mission and was expected to reach the Cahuna around 24 June to tow her to Suva. This remains a developing, unresolved situation.
What it teaches.
- 1The rudder is a single point of failure — carry a backup plan. The Cahuna lost hers entirely offshore. Think through emergency steering before you sail: a jury rudder, a steering drogue or warps streamed in a bridle, and the materials and tools to build a makeshift rudder, as this crew did from a spinnaker pole and plywood.
- 2A drogue keeps a disabled boat manageable in a seaway. With no rudder in 5-metre swells, the crew used a sea anchor and then an improvised drogue to slow the boat and hold an attitude to the waves. Carry proven drogue gear and strong rode; the Cahuna's first sea-anchor line parted under load.
- 3Offshore, your comms and power budget are the lifeline. The Cahuna stayed in contact by Starlink but had to ration it as a 'power hog,' even charging tools from a vacuum-cleaner battery. Plan redundant communications and a power budget that survives flooding and failures, and keep an EPIRB or PLB as the no-power fallback.
- 4Mid-ocean help is slow, costly and not guaranteed. A commercial tow was quoted near NZ$180,000; nearby yachts could not safely turn back in the conditions, and a relief ship took days to divert. Sail in company where you can, and be ready to keep yourself safe for days before any outside assistance can reach you.
Where this comes from.
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