After months of anticipation, of kicking tires dockside, of comparing which of the IMOCA 60’s are lighter or carry more beam, the Barcelona World Race’s (a non-stop, double-handed round-the-world race) fleet has entered the Southern Ocean, opening the Pandora’s Box of “what if’s” on both man and machine. So far, the results have been tough. Out of the nine boats that sailed from Barcelona on November 11, 2007, three have had to retire to port to make repairs, or to pull out entirely, due to gear failure, collisions, and a complete dismasting.
After a notoriously slow start through the Mediterranean, the fleet has finally hit “good” sailing conditions, with Alex Thompson and co-skipper Andrew Cape logging a staggering 499.22 nautical miles in a 24-hour period aboard the brand-new Hugo Boss, thus establishing a new 24-hour distance record for the IMOCA 60 class. At least two people were smiling!
Now, sadly, the bad news is also cropping up. Fast. First, it was Vincent Riou and Sebestian “Seb” Josse on PRB who suffered gear failure when the top three meters of their mast failed, causing the duo to head to Cape Town to make repairs. Then, it was Guillermo Altadill and American Jonathan McKee, aboard Estralla Damm who had the “pleasure” of hitting a UFO (unidentified floating object), damaging their starboard rudder. As if this wasn’t enough, the duo hit another UFO the following day, this time causing much more serious damage to their port rudder. They, too, are headed to Cape Town to fix their boat and to hopefully resume racing ASAP.
Finally, Jérémie Beyou and Sidney Gavignet aboard Delta Dore dismasted, losing their entire rig and their lifelines overboard. Luckily, both skippers are uninjured, and the boat is structurally sound. The trouble, however, is that the pair was 175 nautical miles from the nearest spot of land (Edward Islands; uninhabited), and 850 nautical miles from the nearest bit of civilization (Port Elizabeth, South Africa) when the stick let go. At the time of their dismasting, the pair did not request outside assistance, as they hope to jury rig using some extra mainsail battens that they have aboard. Given their location, it could be a long time until they have their next pint.
For more information, check out www.barcelonaworldrace.com
Posted: December 11, 2007
