Tanguy de Lamotte, FRA, Initiatives Coeur: “ All of a sudden in a wave I felt the boat was bearing away a bit more than usual and inevitably it crash gybed at the bottom of the wave and so I was inside and everything was flying my way and it was quite impressive because the boat was on its side and the mast nearly at 90 degrees, parallel to the water. I put my clothes on, my harness, and started sorting out the sails and getting the boat upright again. I quickly realised the pilot had a problem, but I did not know what the problem was. So I put on the back up pilot and the boat was soon back on its way. But I had to drop the gennaker and gybe again to go back on course. So I managed the gybe and when I came back from dropping the gennaker I realised that four of the cars which connect the mast track to the sailbattens have been broken. So I had to take the sail down and replace the parts. I knew I had the parts in my spares box, but the bad news is that they were the wrong diameter of pins. So I am working on a solution to adapt the pieces to what I need. I managed to swap one of the unbroken pieces yesterday afternoon to one of the top battens so I can hoist the main with four reefs.
© Tanguy de Lamotte / Initiatives-Coeur
Now I have been sailing with my J2, that the Solent Jib, with four reefs in the mainsail. And now I am just working inside the boat on the pieces. So I took off the main and try to work so that I can hoist the main a bit later on today.
I have the spare parts. I have six pieces and have only broken four but the diameter (of the pins) is eight millimetres instead of ten. So what I am doing is going to put some epoxy resin with fibreglass and carbonfibre and I have cut some nuts so I can secure the pins at the back of the bush. I can secure all the pieces with the nuts. Cutting steel on the boat is not very easy. I am going to be able to hoist the main later. Those pieces are going to do the job for later and they will be good for around the world, I am sure.
© Tanguy de Lamotte / Initiatives-Coeur
My brain has been working overtime. Last night I was pretty tired after all the tidying up and manoeuvring and so I had a good sleep and I kept thinking of what I had on board. I kept thinking of the right solution. There has never been any doubt in my mind that I carry on the race. I am pretty happy to have found a solution with the the help of the guys on shore and so I am confident I will go the whole way with these pieces now.”
