Day 135: Jean-Luc Van Den Heede facing fresh storm

Mark Slats has closed the gap on the race leader by 500 miles this week
Uku Randmaa and Tapio Lehtinen dive to clear barnacles
Mark Sinclair is running short of water

Dateline 12:00 UTC 13.11.2018 – Les Sables d’Olonne, France

Jean-Luc Van Den Heede may have to earn his passage around Cape Horn. The embattled French leader nursing a damaged mast on his Rustler 36 Matmut after the yacht was pitchpoled in a storm a week ago, has the prospect of having another Southern Ocean buster roll over him this weekend followed by two more when rounding the infamous Cape.

The 73-year old veteran is now within 1,300 miles of the Horn, speeding along at 5.3 knots, having ‘fixed’ the damage to his mast by climbing up and lashing the lower shroud fixing to the spreader bracket above.

In a radio broadcast last Friday, made over the Ham net, Van Den Heede spoke about his knockdown, which now transpires to have been a far more serious end-over-end pitchpole. Explaining his decision to continue in the race rather than head for Valparíso, Chile to make repairs, Jean-Luc said:

“I had plenty of time to think about my situation during these four days of escaping the storm (220 miles lost to the North).” My mast is now extremely precarious due to my capsize. If I stop to make a repair, it will be only temporary. For Matmut to continue sailing, it will need more or less to change to a new mast. So I decided, to save my soul (dixit Moitessier), to continue my route non-stop and head for Les Sables d’Olonne.

As soon as the sea will allow it I will climb the mast to secure it as best as possible with what I can use onboard. If I get dismasted, I have, like all competitors, a jury rig that will allow me to reach a port. . I am no longer in racing mode but in safe mode. This is not the first time I will attempt to bring home a damaged boat. And if by miracle I get to Les Sables d’Olonne, I do not care about the ranking, at least I will have tried. I cross my fingers and thank all those who help me in this adventure”

In a subsequent safety call to Race HQ in Les Sables d’Olonne yesterday, Jean-Luc explained what happened in even greater detail to Don McIntyre. “He was not knocked down as we first perceived, but pitchpoled. He had already prepared for the worst, having screwed down floor boards, stowed loose items securely and closed the companionway hatch. He was in his bunk, and his storm tactic was to allow the boat to run freely downwind with 6 sq metres of headsail set and no warps trailing astern, steered by his Hydrovane wind vane self steering. Suddenly, the boat was as picked up by a huge wave and surfed down the forward face, the bows dug in and the boat went end-for-end before rolling out on her side. Jean-Luc says that he was thrown out of his bunk and finished up on the ceiling surrounded by all manner of gear. Some water got into the cabin and everything got thrown around. It was a complete mess, and a week on, he is still searching for some things.”

“The question of how to run before big storms is being debated by sailors all around the world and GGR sailors are being watched closely on what they are doing” observes Don Mcintyre. “Some believe towing warps is best, others say drogues are better, and a few think lying hove-to is the answer. Many believe running fast before the storm with nothing risks a knockdown or worse a pitchpole. JLVDH’s experience will certainly re-ignite the debate. Robin Knox-Johnston found that his double-ender Suhaili behaved best when warps were towed. Bernard Moitessier on the other hand simply allowed his larger Joshua to run freely before the storms.”

JL VDH has climbed the mast four times since to inspect the damage and effect repairs. The damage is centred around the bolts securing the hounds of the lower shrouds to the mast just below the lower spreader bracket. He climbed up to the second spreaders to check for any damage there and fortunately found none. He has managed to tighten the lower rigging and is now confident that it is safe with the wind abaft of the beam. His concern is when the wind forward of the beam. He says that he cannot allow the boat to slam in the waves and will have to bear off to save the mast from further damage.

The approaching storm is expected to bring north westerly winds which will allow Jean-Luc to run with the wind and waves.

Meanwhile, second placed Mark Slats sailing the Rustler 36 Ohpen Maverick has taken more than 500 miles out of Van Den Heede’s lead over the past week and is now within 1,500 miles of the leader. Slats has to average 1knot more than Matmut over the remaining distance to take the lead at the finish. At 08:00 UTC today, Ophen Maverick was averaging 5.7knots against Matmut’s 5.3knots.

Further back in mid-fleet, both 3rd placed Estonian Uku Randmaa sailing another Rustler 36, One and All, and Finland’s Tapio Lehtinen aboard the Gaia 36 Asteria back in 6th have both used the unusually calm conditions to dive over the side and clean the infestation of barnacles that have been slowing their yachts. For Randmaa, the pressure to dive into the near freezing conditions came because 4th placed Susie Goodall sailing the British entry DHL Starlight has been closing the gap. For Lehtinen, the incentive is to catch 6th placed American/Hungarian Istvan Kopar who, after sailing half way around the world, is still struggling to get his wind vane self steering working effectively.

At the back of the fleet, Australian Mark Sinclair sailing the Lello 34 Coconut, passed where Frenchman Loic Lepage scuttled his yacht Laaland three weeks ago. He has only 45ltrs of water left onboard and thinks he may have to stop in Hobart which would relegate him to Chichester Class. Russian Igor Zaretskiy is fighting to break clear of yet another calm, making only 0.5knot early today. In a message to his team, Igor, whose Endurance 35 Esmeralda is also beset with barnacles, says optimistically:

“I am on my way to Tasmania. I had a plan to drop anchor near St Paul Island to try to clean off the barnacles but have been forbidden to do it. (the area is a protected nature reserve) It will take a week to clean all these encrustations

Right now I have 2m swells with almost no wind at all, drifting north-east waiting fro the high pressure system to pass over me.

There has been no sun, so I haven’t got a sextant fix for a few days. I also have a pile of garbage in the galley corner which I must bring back to Les Sables d’Olonne. I have no idea where to store it. For now, I am just sorting and packing the garbage where it is.

Got the sad news yesterday that Jean-Luc has his mast damaged. It can happen to any of us at any time. I ran north from that storm. Had I stayed south I might well be further ahead on the course than I am now. I’ve not had any wind since then.

Now experimenting with advice to fight the barnacles. I’ve tensioned a rope from stem to stern under the boat and waiting to see the effect. None so far. The rope is simply gliding over these barnacles.. May be I should be using steel cable, I don’t know.

The situation is a bit depressing at the moment. But I will get busy with the domestic chores, sewing and so on. There is lots of rope work to do all the time with the running rigging, scuffs and wear and tear.

I hope the high will pass soon, and I will be able to sail down to 40S.”

Positions at 12:00 UTC 13.11.18

1. Jean- Luc VDH (FRA)Rustler 36 Matmut
2. Mark Slats (NED)Rustler 36 Ohpen Maverick
3. Uku Randmaa (EST) Rustler 36 One and All
4. Susie Goodall (GBR) Rustler 36 DHL Starlight
5. Istvan Kopar (USA) Tradewind 35 Puffin
6. Tapio Lehtinen (FIN) Gaia 36 Asteria
7. Mark Sinclair (Aus) Lello 34 Coconut
8. Igor Zaretskiy (RUS) Endurance 35 Esmeralda

RETIRED

1. Ertan Beskardes (GBR) Rustler 36 Lazy Otter
2. Kevin Farebrother (AUS) Tradewind 35 Sagarmatha
3. Nabil Amra (PAL) Biscay 36 Liberty II
4. Antoine Cousot (FRA) Biscay 36 Métier Intérim
5. Philippe Péché (FRA) Rustler 36 PRB
6. Are Wiig (NOR) OE 32 Olleanna
7. Gregor McGuckin (IRE) Biscay 36 Hanley Energy Endurance
8. Abhilash Tomy (IND) Suhaili replica Thuriya
9. Francesco Cappelletti (ITA) Endurance 35 007
10. Loïc Lepage (FRA) Nicholson 32 Laaland

The post Day 135: Jean-Luc Van Den Heede facing fresh storm appeared first on Golden Globe Race.

Day 131: Jean-Luc Van Den Heede given 18 hour time penalty for improper use of GGR satellite phone

Dateline 09:00 UTC 09.11.2018 – Hobart, Tasmania
BACKGROUND
On Nov.6th at 0200hrs French solo yachtsman Jean-Luc Van Den Heede, the current Golden Globe Race leader, rang GGR organisers to advise that his yacht Matmut had sustained mast damage, that all was OK, and that he intended to sail for Chile when conditions improved. Race Officials advised this would mean moving to the CHICHESTER CLASS on arrival. J-L VDH said he would make a decision on his final intention in the weeks ahead, after making his landing and repair.

Subsequently GGR organisers became aware that J-L VDH may have made a call on the GGR satellite phone. At 1035hrs NOV. 6th GGR made contact with his team manager to clarify that J-L VDH should NOT make any Satphone calls and should only use his radio for advice about his mast. If calls had been made on the Satphone he would be moved to the Chichester class and could apply for a time penalty, but ONLY as long as NO material assistance or advice was given during these phone calls, and ONLY if no further calls were made.

At 1900hrs on NOV. 8th, GGR received a call from J-L VDH advising that he had changed his mind and now intended to continue in the Race and not head to Chile, and confirmed that he had rung his wife in the hours after the mast problem. GGR advised that he would be moved to the Chichester Class. J-L VDH requested that he be considered for a TIME PENALTY instead of being relegated to the CHICHESTER CLASS for his Satphone use, since no support was provided by the phone use and his HAM radio comms were good and providing all advice and assistance.

FINDINGS
It is confirmed that J-L VDH did use his Satphone in the first hours after the mast damage. This action breeched NOR 3.1.4 TELEPHONE CONTACT. It is confirmed that NO MATERIAL assistance was provided by the use of the phone and no further phone use was made during subsequent days.

PENALTY
In the spirit of the GOLDEN GLOBE RACE and noting the fact that J-L VDH received NO MATERIAL ASSISTANCE through the use of his GGR Satphone, GGR Organisers have applied an 18-hour time penalty to J-L VDH to be served in the GGR PENALTY BOX.

Don McIntyre

GGR Race Chairman

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Day 130: Jean-Luc Van Den Heede to continue racing

Race leader will make repairs to his mast at sea
Tapio Lehtinen extends stopover at Hobart film gate to fix rig

Dateline 15:00 UTC 08.11.2018 – Hobart, Tasmania
Jean-Luc Van Den Heede, the embattled race leader struggling with a damaged mast sustained during a storm 1,900 miles west of Cape Horn, has decided to continue in the race back to Les Sables d’Olonne.

In a dramatic satellite phone call to Race Chairman Don McIntyre early today, the 73-year old solo circumnavigator who continues to enjoy a 1,500 mile lead over second placed Dutchman Mark Slats, said that he had decided to make the best repair he can at sea and continue in the race. The Frenchman told McIntyre “The worst that can happen is that I lose my rig, and I have my jury rig at the ready.

McIntyre added “At the moment, his only other option is to divert 2,000 miles off course to a Chilean port and be demoted to the Chichester Class for making one stop to affect repairs. He believes that if he can get round Cape Horn and start heading north up into the Atlantic there are many more ports of refuge that would be closer to hand, should he have further issues with the rig on his Rustler 36 Matmut.”

Don added. “This makes a real race to the finish. Mark Slats (Ohpen Maverick) has around 90 days to catch up and now needs to average 1 knot more than Jean-Luc over the remaining distance back to Les Sables d’Olonne. This means that Mark has a real incentive to beat Matmut on his own terms, while Jean-Luc must push as hard as he dare within the limits of his damaged mast”.

This is a far better proposition for the fiercely competitive Dutchman than by winning by default and have the result tarred, as Sir Robin Knox-Johnston did quite unjustly 50 years before with the words ‘but he only won because….(In RK-J’s case, Frenchman Bernard Moitessier who had been 19 days behind the Englishman at Cape Horn, decided to carry on for a second turn around the world ‘to save my soul’.)

Time penalty

Van Den Heede has applied for a time penalty to be added to his circumnavigation time after he used his satellite phone twice after the mast was damaged to call his wife. The GGR rules only allow sat-phones to be used as a safety measure to call Race HQ. All other communications must be made via HF, VHF or Ham Radio Net, just as they were during the first Sunday Times Golden Globe Race in 1968/9.

Race organisers will announce their decision tomorrow, but McIntyre conceded today that if Van Den Heede gained no material advantage from the two calls, he was mindful to issue an 18-hour penalty, the same as that given to American Istvan Kopar after he stopped in the Cape Verde Islands to repair the windvane self-steering gear on his yacht Puffin

Click here to view Don McIntyre report on telephone conversation with Jean-Luc Van Den Heede

Tapio Lehtinen makes extended stop at Hobart film gate to fix rig

Finnish skipper Tapio Lehtinen finally reached the BoatShed Com Hobart film gate in 6th place on Tuesday after a 54 hour sleepless battle against fickle winds to sail round the bottom of Tasmania and up the Derwent River. His Gaia 36 yacht Asteria suffered a terminal engine failure early in the race, and without oars, the Finn had no other option but to wait for the wind to fill in.

“I have been learning to manoeuvre my 6 Metre yacht without an engine for 36 years, but this boat is a little clumsier, especially with all the goose barnacles on the rudder.” He explained when finally at anchor.

“The barnacles on Asteria are every bit as bad as they are on Uku Randmaa’s 3rd placed Rustler 36 One and All” Don McIntyre observed. Tapio has a huge infestation which must be costing him at least 1knot in boat speed.”

Barnacles apart, Lehtinen spoke generously about his experiences to date. “I love the sea. I love sailing. This race is fantastic and gives me great energy. There is great camaraderie between the sailors and I mostly like the sea, the life, the birds and the waves.”

He said that he had seen very little pollution. “The challenge is to keep the oceans as they are. I haven’t seen any harm done by man in the Southern Ocean.”

Talking about his boat, which was extensively rebuilt for the race but launched very close to the start, he added: “This has been a do-it-yourself kit from the start and during the Atlantic leg, I had my tools, glues and screws out every day trying to fix the problems which cost me a lot of time. But I am pretty happy with the state of her now. It would be nice to have a working engine, but I feel safe with the boat, which is very important. This race is very competitive but the most important competitor is the sea and I think the boat is now fit to fight.”

Asteria and her skipper came through last week’s storm unscathed. “At times the winds are frightening but the boat was rebuilt like a tank and I didn’t feel the storm from inside. “My Windpilot (wind vane self steering system) has been working really reliably so I haven’t had to hand steer at all. I don’t need to be on deck at all other than to adjust the sails and the pilot. I may have been one of the luckiest in the fleet avoiding the worst storms and have only had the mainsail down to the 4th reef and storm jib set once.”

After spending the night at anchor, Lehtinen extended his stay by another 10 hours to check his rig and fix a halyard issue at the top of the mast. He eventually set sail again at 18:30 local time to chase after 5th placed Istvan Kopar, having spent 36 hours at the Hobart Gate.

The next GGR boat to arrive at the BoatShed.com Hobart film gate should be Australian Mark Sinclair sailing his Lello 34 Coconut. He has posted an ETA of December 15.

Click here to view full interview with Tapio Lehtinen at Hobart film gate

Positions at 15:00 UTC 8.11.18

1. Jean- Luc VDH (FRA)Rustler 36 Matmut
2. Mark Slats (NED)Rustler 36 Ohpen Maverick
3. Uku Randmaa (EST) Rustler 36 One and All
4. Susie Goodall (GBR) Rustler 36 DHL Starlight
5. Istvan Kopar (USA) Tradewind 35 Puffin
6. Tapio Lehtinen (FIN) Gaia 36 Asteria
7. Mark Sinclair (Aus) Lello 34 Coconut
8. Igor Zaretskiy (RUS) Endurance 35 Esmeralda

RETIRED

1. Ertan Beskardes (GBR) Rustler 36 Lazy Otter
2. Kevin Farebrother (AUS) Tradewind 35 Sagarmatha
3. Nabil Amra (PAL) Biscay 36 Liberty II
4. Antoine Cousot (FRA) Biscay 36 Métier Intérim
5. Philippe Péché (FRA) Rustler 36 PRB
6. Are Wiig (NOR) OE 32 Olleanna
7. Gregor McGuckin (IRE) Biscay 36 Hanley Energy Endurance
8. Abhilash Tomy (IND) Suhaili replica Thuriya
9. Francesco Cappelletti (ITA) Endurance 35 007
10. Loïc Lepage (FRA) Nicholson 32 Laaland

The post Day 130: Jean-Luc Van Den Heede to continue racing appeared first on Golden Globe Race.

DAY 127: Istvan Kopar passes through Hobart gate safely

STOP PRESS: Jean-Luc Van Den Heede suffers knock-down and damage to rig
Tapio Lehtinen survives storm and expected in Hobart tomorrow
Susie Goodall resumes race after seeking shelter from storm

Dateline 15:00 UTC 05.11.2018 – Hobart, Tasmania

Istvan Kopar, the American/Hungarian GGR skipper sailing the Tradewind 35 Puffin gave a chilling account of the recent southern ocean storm to have swept the through the fleet as the mid-placed runners were attempting to reach or leave the compulsory BoatShed.com Hobart film drop in Storm Bay Tasmania.

“I am not happy in my ship, I can tell you!” Exclaimed an exhausted Kopar who had been forced to seek shelter off South Port beach, before continuing on around Tasmania’s South East Cape. Trying to make landfall during the height of the storm and find a safe anchorage at night was he said, “Brutal – The last four days have taken me to the bottom. I would have been much happier to have been offshore”

He arrived at the Hobart stop without a radio, direction finder nor an accurate idea of time. “You really don’t know where you are and it was blowing a minimum of 50 knots. Right now, I’m more attracted to gardening than offshore sailing.”

STOP PRESS: Race leader Jean-Luc Van Den Heede suffers knock-down and mast damage

At 1500hrs UTC 5th NOV. Jean-Luc Van Den Heede called GGR Founder Don McIntyre to advise that his Rustler 36 Matmut had been knocked down badly to about 150° which had damaged the connecting bolt attachment to the mast that holds all four lower shrouds. The mast was not in danger of falling, but it was not securely tensioned. The bolt has slipped 5cm down in the mast section and slackened the rigging.. He is still in the storm with 11 metre seas and 65knot winds. Conditions are expected to moderate in the next few hours.

The 73-year old race Frenchman from Les Sables d’Olonne is now running downwind with no sails until conditions improve. He will then effect a repair that will allow him to hoist sail again and make for Valparaiso, Chile where he will make a permanent repair.

Jean Luc was not injured during the knock-down, has requested NO ASSISTANCE at this time and is confident he can make Valparaiso safely. This will mean that he will move to the Chichester Class once he makes that port to effect repairs.

This is NOT a CODE ORANGE situation for GGR and Jean-Luc is well in control of the situation. GGR will monitor his progress to port.

Kopar blamed a lack of preparation for his poor start to the race. “I dropped to last place before I could work out how to fix my self-steering, and had never put my spinnaker up before the start – that first time was scary!”

“My main goal is to save the rig, save the boat and to arrive back at the finish. Right now, I feel closer to Joshua Slocum’s achievement (first to sail solo around the world in 1895-1898) than Robin Knox-Johnston’s (first to complete a solo non-stop circumnavigation and win the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race in 1968/69). I can’t even get a time signal – It’s not good. Everything is guesswork.”

Kopar’s ‘bad luck’ started with getting to grips with an unfamiliar wind vane self steering system at the start and extends to a rogue wave that washed out much his electronics and books, and flooded the main cabin with 300 litres of water. The last straw was a bird that attempted to land on his masthead wind vane, bending one of the arms into his VHF radio antennae and interrupt the signal.

He didn’t check his fresh water tank before the start and says now. “In Ghana they have cleaner water than I do.” He also added that the inside of his mould-ridden boat “is not healthy – not good at all.”

Could these situations be affecting his hands? “My nails are separating from the flesh. Cuts don’t bother me, but I’m scared about the state of my nails. They are black. I don’t know if it is caused by a fungal infection, the drinking water or the fungus inside the boat.”

He bemoans chasing cross the Atlantic to get to the start on time, rather than focusing on getting to know his boat. But still smiling, he added more positively. “Now I am on catch-up and would like to catch up with Susie Goodall in 4th place – I gave my word to her mother before the start that I would look after her!” He joked.

There is certainly a race now, not for 4th, but to capture a podium position at the finish back in Les Sables d’Olonne. Kopar, Goodall and even 6th placed Tapio Lehtinen, due to reach Hobart tomorrow (Tuesday) all have eyes on Estonian Uku Randmaa and his struggle to maintain pace with his barnacle encrusted yacht One and All.

4,000 miles ahead of this group, Race leader Jean-Luc Van Den Heede is currently facing what my become one of his biggest tests so far. In a 2-minute conversation with Race HQ in Les Sables d’Olonne today he spoke about 65knot winds and 11 metre seas. But at least he is now within 1,900 miles of Cape Horn, which the Frenchman expects to round on November 21st.

Contrast this with the performance of last placed runners Australian Mark Sinclair and Russian Igor Zaretskiy, now a whole ocean apart from Jean-Luc’s Rustler 36 Matmut. Zaretskiy, who has had his problems fixing a broken forestay and suffering hand sores, has chalked up an average VMG of just 2.1knots over the past two months.

Sinclair is clearly getting much more enjoyment from his solitude, but still, his average VMG over the same period is only 2.3knots. Last week he took time out to track down and photograph Gregor McGuckin’s abandoned yacht Hanley Energy Endurance. “Still afloat and emitting an AIS signal” he reported to Race HQ. Sinclair expects to reach the Boatshed.com Hobart film gate on Saturday December 8. By then both Van Den Heede and second placed Dutchman Mark Slats (Ohpen Maverick) are likely to have rounded Cape Horn and heading north up the Atlantic.

The post Jean-Luc Van Den Heede suffers knock-down and damage to rig appeared first on Golden Globe Race.

DAY 120: Barnacles – the scourge of solo circumnavigators

Susie Goodall ETA at Boatshed.com Hobart Gate tomorrow
What is happening to those abandoned yachts?
Letter from Loïc Lepage

Dateline 16:00 UTC 29.10.2018 – Hobart, Tasmania

When Uku Randmaa set off from the BoatShed.com Film gate in Hobart in third place within the Golden Globe Race fleet last Saturday, he was not thinking about closing the gap between 2nd placed Dutchman Mark Slats, but how to keep ahead of 4th placed Susie Goodall, due into Hobart tomorrow night.

His problem? Barnacles. The bottom of his Rustler 36 One and All is covered in them, and not being a keen swimmer, he is left wondering how to get rid of all these speed-sapping encrustations. It is not helped by the fact that he forgot to pack his mask and fins before leaving Les Sables’ d’Olonne at the start of the Race
Don McIntyre, the Race Chairman currently in Hobart to welcome the leading sailors, reports: “I’ve never seen anything this bad in my entire sailing life. I felt so sad waving goodbye knowing that they will continue to grow every day to the finish. He left with a best estimate drag penalty of 0.5 – 1knot for every hour he is sailing. That’s 12-24 miles lost every day for the next 100 days!”

But the Estonian sailor is not alone with his dilemma. Finnish entrant s Tapio Lehtinen, currently languishing in 6th place, reported the same issue yesterday. Wondering why his Gaia 36 Asteria was not keeping pace with Susie Goodall’s DHL Starlight, and losing ground to Istvan Kopar’s Tradewind 35 Puffin – two weeks ago, the two were trading places on an almost daily basis – he dived over the side to check his rudder and was shocked to find the hull infested with goose barnacles. It answered his question, but being down at 41°S, the water temperature is around 11°C, which he decided was it too cold to hang about in. The encrustations proved too hard to remove anyway and Tapio says that he will need to make a scraper between now and Hobart, ready to tackle the problem there.

Mark Slats has also suffered from a barnacle infestation on his Rustler 36 Ohpen Maverick. On October 4, the Dutchman reported: “I was incredibly surprised how many barnacles were attached on the bottom of the boat. I went into the water during a calm period and needed 2 hours to clean the bottom. I used a filling knife followed by sandpaper and then finished with a scourer. I came out of the water like an ice cube. The water was freezing cold and really hurt my forehead, but after fifteen minutes you get used to it.”

Are these experiences a damning indictment to the ineffectiveness of modern antifouling paints? These boats all had their bottoms painted at the end of May and the coatings have not even lasted 6 months – and for the last 6 weeks or so in very cold water.

Lionel Regnier, who assisted both Uku Randmaa and GGR leader Jean-Luc Van Den Heede during their final preparations, says: The antifouling was applied to Uku’s boat just after Jean-Luc’s. Uku’s had only 2 coats applied, but Jean-Luc who used the same process and applicator, had a third coat plus a ‘hot’ top coat mixed with copper powder which erodes as the boat passes through the water. The only barnacles are attached to the gel coat.”

Early today, Jean-Luc, now almost half way across the Pacific, some 2,000 miles ahead of Mark Slats, reported by satphone that he had been running under spinnaker for the past 48 hours and making 7knots. “Spinnaker up night and day! A little too stressful to sleep!”

He has only a couple of barnacles on the hull above the antifouling and says “It feels like a Pacific cruise with easy miles.” The 73-year old added that he still has a good variety of food onboard including onions and garlic, 150 litres of water – and plenty of wine! Apart from his family, he is missing nothing. The Matmut skipper expects to round Cape Horn on November 21.

Barnacles apart, Randmaa was also in good spirits at the Hobart stopover, despite losing weight. “Yes, I have lost some kilograms…and will lose more so I will be looking much younger when I get back to the finish” he joked.

And fun? “That is one of the most important things. You have to be enjoying yourself, but sometimes it is hard!” He also expressed satisfaction with his choice of boat “Rustlers are 1st to 4th, and I have no issues with the rig or sails.” He did however admit that he only had one winch handle, after forgetting to pack spares.

Of storms, he said every one was different. “During one, I took all my sails down.” I don’t have a drogue – I believe it is too dangerous to stop the boat, but in bad conditions I tow warps which keeps the stern facing the seas. During one storm I used my spinnaker sheets – they were dirty and needed a wash, and towed four of them behind the boat.`’

He says that the worst damage to sails can often occur during calms rather than storms. “It is not good for them to flog about, so I take them down. I may lose some miles, but worth it (to avoid damage)”
For the full interview click here

FAQ: What has happened to the yachts abandoned in the Indian Ocean?

Frenchman Loïc Lepage cut one of the inlet pipes to scuttle his dismasted Nicholson 32 Laaland before he abandoning her for the safety of the Japanese bulk carrier Shiosai on October 22 and the yacht’s tracking signal stopped within a few hours signalling that she had sunk

But Abhilash Tomy’s Thuriya and Hanley Energy Endurance skippered by Gregor McGuckin, both abandoned some 45 miles south of an International Marine Reserve surrounding the Amsterdam and St Paul chain of Islands on September 23 were left afloat. The battery running Thuriya’s tracker ran out of power on October 3, but that on Hanley Energy is still pinging away on the GGR tracker.

What state is she in? Could she be salvaged? Australian Mark Sinclair trailing in 7th place aboard his Lello 34 Coconut passed close to Amsterdam Island last Friday and is now within 180 miles of the Irish yacht. He has agreed to try and intercept her position during the next two days, photograph her and report back on her condition.

Other interceptions

Is there much shipping in the Southern Ocean? Appears so. Istvan Kopar and his yacht Puffin were spotted and photographed in good order last night (Sunday) by the French warship L’Astrolable, and the Japanese bulk carrier Shiosai which rescued Loïc Lepage last week, sailed past Igor Zaretskiy’s Endurance 35 Esmeralda yesterday. The ship communicated with Igor on VHF and reported “All OK” aboard.

Susie Goodall ETA at Boatshed.com Hobart Film Gate

Susie Goodall is now expected to arrive at the Boatshed.com Hobart Film Gate some time between 08:00 UTC (00:00 local) and 18:00 UTC on 30th October (06:00 local on 31st Oct). Watch live updates and interview on www.facebook.com/pg/goldengloberace/

Letter from Loïc Lepage

In his first communication since being picked up by the Japanese bulk carrier Shiosai on October 22, Loïc Lepage has written a first-hand account of his dismasting and rescue, throwing new light on his experiences. (translated from French)

Hi Don,

“After a few days, I want to explain the circumstances surrounding my dismasting.

Saturday, October 20 (16.00 local – 10.00 UTC) – Wind SW 25-30 knots and more under frequent squalls. Sea quite strong (4 – 5m). Mainsail set with 2 reefs and jib, broad reaching on starboard tack . Speed 6 knots and more in the squalls. I was reading inside boat. During one of these squalls I heard the sound of metal breaking in the wind. Time to put on my boots. The mast is tilted a few degrees and is now out of its step on the keel. The lower rear stay had broken. I took over steering from the windvane and decided to gybe (a faster manoeuvre than tacking in these seas). By the time Laaland reacts, the mast has taken a greater inclination. It is the running backstay that has now broken. The mast breaks 50cm above the deck. It’s finished.

The whole thing lasted just a few minutes. I was booted but only wearing underwear, am soaked through and take the time to change. I come back out with bolt croppers, hacksaw, and pliers to cut away the mast. While releasing the rigging, I notice that the origin of the break is at the vang connection to the mast. The backstay has “scalped” the aerial of the Hydrovane windvane.

By the time it takes to release everything, the mast has hit the hull under the waterline 3 or 4 times whenever the boat dived into the waves.

I leave the forestay attached to the mast as a floating anchor and Laaland is “stabilised” in this strong sea.

It is 18.00 (local), it is night and I report the situation to GGR Race Control. I tell them that I am waiting for daylight before setting up a jury rig. At this point, the boat is still “dry” and I thought that the mast knocking agains the hull had only left a few scratches!

A few hours later, around 23.00, I saw water under my bunk (I sleep in the center between my 2 boxes of supplies). There is a waterway. I am looking for the origin of the leak: It is located at the bottom of the hull, at the level of the water tank, under a moulding housing the toilet. I began to hammer this moulding but decided the hole or crack was inaccessible. It would be necessary to destroy everything: partitions and furniture, to reach this ingress of water. I have what it takes for a sealing (fast setting resin) but I’m happy for the moment to fill the gaps with what I have to hand.

The water leak flows into a sump with a capacity of about 30 liters.

I operate the electric pump which empties it in 3 or 4 minutes. and estimate that it takes between 15 and 20 minutes to fill up again. I start to pump manually using the bilge pump located in the cockpit.

It was around midnight, I believe, that I reported the situation to GGR Race Control. As I had no hope of fixing this leak properly and if it got worse, I decided I would activate the EPIRB.

Sunday, October 22nd. It is noon (around 6 pm after dismasting). I observed that the leak has stabilised to between 30–40 litres every twenty minutes.

I would have liked to set up the jury rig in order to make a faster northbound route towards the the route taken by cargo ships, but I could not do this, and at the same time steer (I no longer had a windvane – broken aerial) and pump every half hour. In addition, if I had used the electric pilot (sealed in my emergency pack) I would have very quickly drained the batteries. Instead I drifted north northeast at between1 to 2 knots, driven by steady winds from the west to southwest. If I was sailing under jury rig, I would have only made 2 more knots maximum.

The solar panels are working because there are nice clearings, but the engine proved impossible to start. A wave had flooded the cockpit dislocating the plexiglass panel and drowning the starter keyboard.

That Sunday afternoon, GGR Race Control announces me that a cargo vessel is 400 miles north and could be with me on Tuesday. In the meantime, Francis Toban competing in The Long Route ” also offered to divert (he was 200 miles to the North). He missed the rescue operation rendezvous but I thank him for his dedication.

Monday, October 22nd. After drying the starter board contacts, the motor is operational and proved very useful during the rescue operation the next morning.

The cargo ship is in sight at night around 23.00. I had installed a flash light at the end of the boom which the crew saw and positioned their ship 1mile away from me. We then waited for sunrise around 5:00. The day before, an Australian Navy plane had offered to drop me a pump which I declined because the two manual pumps and electric pump were sufficient to manage the leak.

At 6:00 am we start of the rescue operation. SHIOSAI is positioned to windward about 400 metres away, but her crew decide to restart the operation, closer to me, but still leaving me outside the ship’s wind shadow.

I proposed to started my engine to position myself much closer to the ship. With engine set at full speed, I got to within 50metres when the crew decided to launch their rescue boat to pick me up.
There is still 20 to 25 knots of wind. Very quickly, I realiise that the ship is not very easy to maneouver and that they have difficulty getting close enough for me to disembark. This lasts a good 20 minutes and I signal to the ship’s crew to throw me a rope to recover my three waterproof bags. That would mean less to take with me when the rescue boat arrives, only, the boat crew are having trouble disengaging from the ship’s crane and are going round and round in the water.

Suddenly, the crew suggest that I moor up against the ship. I catch the second rope and am lying about 10 metred from her stern when they drop a rope ladder. I tried to climb but my harness became tangled in a handrail and I crashed back down on the deck! I did not try a second attempt and instead, waited patiently for the rescue boat to get close enough to Laaland to grab me. Our lift back on to the ship was also difficult.

The operation will have lasted more than an hour I believe, while being overflown by the Royal Australian Navy. I had stopped pumping for about 2hours, and just left the electric pump running, but just before disembarking, I opened two seawater valves and removed the speedo probe to ensure that Laaland would sink quickly

Captain Raphaël VIRTUDAZO and his Filipino crew welcomed me warmly. Now heading to Las Palmas (Argentina) on SHIOSAI, a 280-metre-long Japanese bulk cargo ship carrying 30,000 tons of edible oil for Rutterdam. Expected arrival is on November 23rd.

Loïc

Latest positions at 16:00 UTC today 29.10.18

1. Jean- Luc VDH (FRA)Rustler 36 Matmut
2. Mark Slats (NED)Rustler 36 Ohpen Maverick
3. Uku Randmaa (EST) Rustler 36 One and All
4. Susie Goodall (GBR) Rustler 36 DHL Starlight
5. Istvan Kopar (USA) Tradewind 35 Puffin
6. Tapio Lehtinen (FIN) Gaia 36 Asteria
7. Mark Sinclair (Aus) Lello 34 Coconut
8. Igor Zaretskiy (RUS) Endurance 35 Esmeralda

RETIRED

1. Ertan Beskardes (GBR) Rustler 36 Lazy Otter
2. Kevin Farebrother (AUS) Tradewind 35 Sagarmatha
3. Nabil Amra (PAL) Biscay 36 Liberty II
4. Antoine Cousot (FRA) Biscay 36 Métier Intérim
5. Philippe Péché (FRA) Rustler 36 PRB
6. Are Wiig (NOR) OE 32 Olleanna
7. Gregor McGuckin (IRE) Biscay 36 Hanley Energy Endurance
8. Abhilash Tomy (IND) Suhaili replica Thuriya
9. Francesco Cappelletti (ITA) Endurance 35 007
10. Loïc Lepage (FRA) Nicholson 32 Laaland

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