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The medium spinnaker exploded on La Boulangère Bio (Grassi-Le Berre), while the laminate on the ballast bulkhead broke aboard Captain Alternance (Piperol-Jourdren) leading to 300 litres of water filling the inside of the boat. This is not the complete list, but just an example of the type of problem that is being dealt with by the fleet, reminding us that ocean racing is a mechanical sport.
After his arrival in Lorient La Base early yesterday, Christophe Bachmann, co skipper of AMIPI - Tombelaine Coquillages,told us: “We had a problem with a furler which led to us losing the J1 fairly early on, and to a problem with the mainsail bolt rope. Then, at the tip of Brittany, our engine failed and we had no power and no instruments…” Problems never come alone, and as they were approaching the finish, he got caught in a crab pot. In the end, this led him to say, “We had as many headaches in two days as you usually get in a fortnight sailing across the Atlantic.”
Repair jobs
It was a similar story for Alexis Loison, who almost suffered a dismasting in the Alderney Race in winds of over thirty knots and on nasty seas. “I was at the helm and suddenly, I saw the genoa stay drop off and disappear. We were forced to bear away to recover the sail, before setting off again upwind, hoping that the J2 stay would hold the mast in place to carry out repairs, but then the bow-sprit gave up the ghost too.”
Even if Nicolas Jossier’s co-skipper on La Manche #Evidence Nautique was disappointed about this series of events, which punished them in terms of the result of this first leg, he was pleased to acknowledge that he was still in the race and will soon recover the means to compete against the frontrunners over the rest of the course: “We could easily have seen the mast fall on us and now be crying our hearts out in Cherbourg. In spite of our bad luck, there is something positive. Today (Tueday -editor) is the only day with conditions calm enough for us to work outside, as conditions are going to get worse. We are going to have to make sure the boat is securely moored. We’ve got plenty to do inside the boat too with things coming unstuck. It’s going to keep us busy in the coming days.”
For the most unlucky, like the pairs on Crédit Mutuel (Lipinski-Carpentier), which was dismasted, Dékuple (Mathelin Moreaux-Luciani) which suffered from serious structural problems and Seafrigo-Sogestran (Chateau-Pirouelle), who have a large hole in the starboard section of the hull following a collision at the start in Seine Bay, it is now a race against the clock. These pairs who had to divert early in the race to head back to Le Havre or to head for Cherbourg, things are very different with the sea state over the next few days preventing them from setting sail. Unable to deliver their boats around the coast to Lorient, they have no choice but to go by road to be able to carry out the necessary repair work there.
Commando missions
“We are gradually adapting our strategy to get back in the race. On Tuesday afternoon, the boat was taken away. We started work on making a part in the yard which built the boat, (JPS Production) as we needed a replacement fitted. We set up a shore team to step the mast, refit the keel and get the boat back in the water as quickly as possible,” explained Cédric Chateau, who is working flat out with his co-skipper Guillaume Pirouelle to allow them to get back in the race.
The other boat that suffered damage in this collision as they rounded the mark was able to continue racing to Lorient, but they don’t have any time to lose either. “There is some major damage to the boat at the stern. We’re lucky in that it is around the ballast tanks, but there wasn’t any leakage. We hope to be able to carry out the work on the pontoon. We’re doing our utmost to be able to set sail at the start of the second leg, so that our Jacques Vabre doesn’t end like this,” explained Nicolas d’Estais, co-skipper on Café Joyeux.
On the boats, the sailors remain motivated with the support of their partners and are carrying out commando missions to make the most of this unexpected stopover, due to the bad weather. “We are benefitting from a lot of good vibrations, which is helping us come up with solutions, such as those proposed by the Lorient teams, Groupes APICIL and Paprec Arkéa who are making life easier for us,” concluded the Norman skipper, Cédric Chateau. Relieved to see that his damaged boat made it to the port of Lorient La Base early yesterday evening by special convoy, he added, “In spite of a painful opening chapter, we still have plenty more pages of this story ahead of us. We are doing what we can to enable us to continue all the way to Martinique.” It is a matter of all hands at work with a different battle taking place ashore, so that they will soon all be able to set sail again.
The state of play
- So far, only one Class40 has officially retired - #Movember (Guillonneau-De Pavant), which suffered irreparable damage after a collision with Curium Life Forward (Lepesqueux-Dehareng), which was taken out of the water yesterday in Lorient for a full appraisal of the damage.
- P-Rêve à perte de vue (Paris-Ragimbeau) is still carrying a pit stop in Le Havre.
- Alberto Riva, co-skipper on Acrobatica, who fractured his tibia in the first leg, has announced he will not be setting sail again in the race to Fort-de-France.
