Veolia Environnement loses the mast

The hardness of Barcelona World RACE has been shown again in the Indian Ocean, the most difficult and dangerous part of the route. Last night, the boat that suffered the inclemencies of the time and the chance of the destiny was Veolia Environnement, third classified. The French boat informed to the direction into regata into the loss of the mast of 18:00 GMT. Both patrons, Roland Jourdain and Jean-Light Nélias, have not suffered personal damages and the boat is in good state. They did not request attendance. They sailed to 22 knots with all the major and gennaker when a gust of wind of 30 knots entered, the boat nailed the prow in a wave of three meters and the wood was broken to a height of about 4 meters on the cover.

After cutting the mast to prevent damages on board collaterals, the employers were able to save the spanker boom and one of outriggers (pieces that maintain the mast). First thing of today they have begun to construct a fortune equipment that will allow them to sail to candle, without outer aid, in the direction of Australia. At this moment already they advance at a speed of about 7 knots with the motor side. They are 1,600 miles of the Southwestern end of Australia and from the accident they had fuel to 60 hours. The Center of Marine Rescue of Australia already has been informed. The option that has been recommended to him to Veolia Environnement is to go towards the North, turning towards the East throughout 43ºS to avoid the center of a depression that is being created towards the West.

“Everything happened very fast - Jourdain- has explained. We lost the wood while we sailed to leeward, in circumstances very similar to which PRB had [when they lost the mast]. We sailed with the autopilot. It had waked up to me did very little, after a brief rest. Jean Light was on duty. Both we were within the boat. We did not go to the limit, but there was a wind gust of wind to 30 knots, the boat took speed and one slid downhill on a wave, soon it nailed the prow and the wood was broken. We manage to clear it everything relatively fast, in one hour. The problem is that the greater candle covered the boat and we had to cut it, but we were able to save the spanker boom and to outrigger. The wood was broken to about 3.5 or 4 meters over cover. We threw everything by the hut, and the candlesticks were lost, but the helmet is intact”.

Bilou, as it is known Jourdain in the world of the oceanic candle, did not want to make comparisons with the other broken masts: “It is the third problem with a mast in one week, but it is in a moment for drawing conclusions. PRB and we have the same, but he is not had broken in the same site. And Delta Gilds had a different hanger. There are very many reasons that could explain these breakage”.

This water of the East Indian continues being malditas for the famous French navigator, who in two last editions of Vendée Globe was itself forced to leave in these same waters: in 2000 to break the track of the wood and in 2004 by the breakage of the keel.

“It is with sadness that we have received this news. Most important at this moment it is knowledge that Roland and Jean Light are well. All we are conscious that all type of oceanic navigation bucket risks, but we imagined the immense frustration that Roland and Jean Light must be suffering. From the organization of regata we shared this deception and all we wished to both landlords a return to port without incidences”, has declared Andor Serra, chief of a main directorate of the Fundació Oceanic Navegació Barcelona, organizer of Barcelona World RACE.

Mark Turner, chief of a main directorate of OC Events, co-organizer of regata, is addition: “You never can hope that all the equipment finalizes one regata like this one, but of course is a pain that three boats are lost the wood before half of the route. What yes we knew before beginning is that the format of regata does that, for the first time, these boats have been taken to the limit of their capacity to the being directed by two crew. The continuous evolution and optimization of this last generation of Open 60, taken every time to higher levels of competition, have made them lighter and simultaneously more powerful. This process to find the balance between the reliability and the optimization of the potential always goes accompanied of risk in a mechanical sport as the oceanic candle”.

Turner is addition that the victory in this regata has been put very expensive and is going to be very valuable. As much Serra as Turner has gone to the saying that says before to gain one regata is necessary to finish it: “It will never be certain that now. The Hugo Boss and the Paprec-Virbac 2, that fight by the triumph, in a while have probably this very present of progression without truce towards the fifth door, located in the Straits of Cook”.

Regata follows ahead. Five boats compete by a triumph that has still been revalued and will dictate the hierarchy of the best ones more. The hardness of the sea, especially the one of the seas of that zone of the planet, has said the last word. The crew who have retired of regata have lived thorough every moment on the test, and its return to house has been forced, but all have been expressed of extremely positive way on the format of regata. “Barcelona World RACE, in his first edition, has located the ribbon very high”, has added Mark Turner.