After the failure of his autopilot and apparently several patent jibes as a result, the mainsail of the likeable Japanese has suffered damage that is difficult to repair: It is almost completely torn through at the top cross batten.
The incident occurred around midday and close to the centre of the now weakened storm depression Theta. The skipper of the "DMG Mori Global One", like the German-French sailor Isabelle Joschke on "MACSF", had positioned himself far to the east of the main field - probably to deliberately seek out the stronger winds and make up ground. However, there are also observers who suspect that he may have missed the moment to gybe in time and only jibed to the south at the last moment in the increasingly heavy conditions.
In any case, Shiraishi and Isabelle Joschke went to port almost at the same time. Shortly afterwards, between 13.30 and 14.00 Central European Time, the Vendée Globe tracker shows that the Japanese vessel slows down and its foiler - a sister ship to Jérémie Beyou's "Charal" - veers off course several times.
According to his team in Lorient, the main autopilot initially failed, which led to two patent jibes. Kojiro Shiraishi then switched to the backup pilot, a completely redundant system. However, the "DMG Mori Global One" went off course again. As a result, the double-reefed main struck the lee backstay several times with full force and tore through along the top horizontal batten.
As can be seen in the photo, it was then only connected to the rest of the sail at the luff and leech - otherwise the top, where enormous forces act, was completely severed. Several battens broke. And the diagonal batten in the uppermost segment was possibly also damaged. An incredibly heavy blow for the skipper, who - 23,500 nautical miles from the finish line - is now faced with the question: give up - or attempt a repair?
This, that much is certain, will probably cost him days of hard labour, if it seems possible at all. Unlike a tear in the lower part of the mainsail, which Shiraishi could initially "bridge" with a reef, the top is always in the wind. Extremely high forces occur at the luff in particular. But the cloth is also heavily stressed aft due to twisting or flapping.
Tim Kröger, one of Germany's most experienced offshore sailors, told YACHT online about the damage: "The chance of getting something like this to hold again is 20 per cent at most. Even under ideal conditions in a sailing loft, it would take days."
According to Kröger, several problems make repairs considerably more difficult:
- Modern Imocas barely have enough space below deck to work there, protected from spray and rain. On deck, however, the cloth is exposed to the weather
- Shiraishi does not have a special sewing machine on board, which it would actually need for damage of this magnitude
- The tear must first be stitched in order to join the two pieces of cloth in a form-fitting manner. To get the needle through the high-strength fabric, the skipper will have to pre-drill - which in turn weakens the material at the crucial point
- Large areas of foil need to be bonded for reinforcement. However, the main is covered in salt after two storm fronts. In order for the attached pieces to hold securely, the glued areas must be cleaned with acetone and be dust-dry - difficult to impossible at sea.
Shiraishi is currently discussing all options with his team. He is unlikely to give up so easily. His dream of a successful participation in the Vendée Globe is too big and the pain of the 2016 challenge near the Cape of Good Hope too fresh. It is therefore quite possible that he is planning one of those MacGyver missions for which the race is so famous.
Tim Kröger estimates that repairing such damage at sea "takes at least a week, if not longer". And even then, he doesn't think there's much chance of getting round all the major capes. "But you actually have to try." If he doesn't succeed, the Japanese could still sail to the Azores or the Canary Islands, which are not far away.
Boris Herrmann, who steadily fought his way up from 12th place to 7th place over the course of today and found an ideal line between two highs that were forming, commented: "We (the Imoca skippers, the ed.) have square metres of canvas and Sika (on board). You could try to repair it. But travelling south with it and constantly worrying..."
Meanwhile, Jérémie Beyou arrived in Les Sables-d'Olonne at midday with his "Charal", which had also been damaged. His team is currently looking into repairing the damage that Beyou suffered in the first storm. If his shore crew manage to fix everything by Wednesday, he wants to start again - ten days behind schedule, but with a favourable weather window. Another possible heroic deed.
The Vendée Globe 2020 will certainly not be boring!
Jochen Rieker
Herausgeber YACHT
