The excitement of starting the STT, the devastation of returning to port, the silver lining!

Some footage included from SPOT X MEDIA.
After 8 months preparing Nerissa K for the Solo Trans Tasman Challenge, approx 800nm solo practice in the Tasman Sea, a couple of storms and many new friends, we started! A little way into the race I had a string of issues that ended with me making the decision to return to port.
Two of the issues in a nutshell: when installing my new chart plotter, we decided to link up all the electronics - previously each instrument had been independent of each other. Unfortunately, a glitch in the chart plotter meant it would randomly and frequently turn itself off. Not much of a problem in itself as I have my iPad with Navionics completely independent. However, it meant now my autopilot would turn off also and often I could not get things up and running again for many hours. I know I cannot do with my autopilot but this I was managing for the time being. My next problem occurred. As I was dropping my main from 2nd to 3rd reef, the main halyard banged against the mast in such a imperfect way that the pin of the shackle opened up and it came loose. Flying to the top of the mast, wrapping tightly around my furled Genoa, and spare halyards. Now, again climbing the mast is something I can do to retrieve a lost halyard, but we were in 4 meter seas with 30+ knots and the conditions were due to deteriorate for the next 2-3 days. We started the race at the beginning of a weather system. If I had more sea room, I would have waited out the conditions happily, if the conditions were a little more settled, I would have climbed the mast, retrieved main halyard and fixed my wind vane. Such as it was I made the decision to return to port, with my only usable sail - storm jib. It took me a long while to get back, at which time I’d missed the window to make my repairs and rejoin the race. Such is life and I am just about over the disappointment.