After the dramatic cancellations and damage of the last few days caused one piece of bad news after another, the skippers of the Vendée proved today how versatile and determined they are to fight with all their might to stay in the race.
First came the redemptive news fromThomas Ruyant, who got the water ingress caused by a burst valve in the ballast tank under control and returned fully to the race. After staying away from the direct course for a few hours to get the valve out of the water, he reported today that the problem has been solved for the time being:
"The water inlet burst open when we crashed heavily into a wave. A piece of the floor was torn out. I already had eight centimetres of water in the boat, so I had to act quickly. I first stuffed it with my oilskin trousers, then quickly jibed and furled the headsail so that I could work in peace. Laminated with foam and a layer of carbon, it is currently holding up. But I can no longer use the port ballast tanks. When the accident happened, I thought it was over for me. But luckily the engine and the electronics didn't get any water on them and the bike ran twice again. I lost about a day to the others." Now his "Le Souffle du Nord" is once again travelling at 15 knots towards Cape Leeuwin.
His compatriot had to work even harderEric Bellionwho experienced a knock-down in a 50-knot gust yesterday with his "Comme un seul homme". The rudder stock had been twisted to such an extent that the blade had become detached from the shaft. He sailed a little to the north, out of the worst of the weather, and then began repairs. He had to tackle the splintered shaft with a saw and hammer as it was jammed. He toiled for around eleven hours straight to fit the replacement rudder he had fortunately brought with him.
"Not a second too soon, I had a time window of twelve hours, then the next storm with more than 40 knots of wind rushes in!" he reported overjoyed from on board. He has since rejoined the field and continues to sail at a good speed in 16th place
That's how far the Frenchman has comeRomain Attanasio Not yet: after shaving off both rudders in a collision with flotsam, he sailed to just off the South African coast to anchor there and attempt a repair. He has a spare rudder on board and wants to repair the other one. Today he sent pictures of the remaining rudder stumps, which he had removed in a feat of strength.
The damage is extensive, but he wants to try and build a temporary second rudder blade so that he can finish the Vendée. Not an easy task given the damage and the loads that the blades have to withstand at the speeds of an Open 60 - after all, they still have to last around 15,000 nautical miles. It will be interesting to see how well he succeeds with the extensive laminating job.
Andreas Fritsch
Editor Travel
