Oceanyachting - EDS Atlantic Challenge Zurück 13 Aug 2001 18:34 GMT Sill's Mast Arrives - Will She Make It In Time? Work will continue throughout the night Boston - They swarmed around the mast like bees, everyone with a job to do, and everyone knowing exactly what to do to ensure that Sill Plein Fruit's mast is ready for the start of Leg 5. The work will continue throughout the night, with the crew working in difficult, rainy conditions. But determination and morale are high and they expect the Big Red Boat to be there with the rest of the fleet tomorrow. When Sill was dismasted barely 40 minutes into Leg 4, there appeared to be so much damage that it seemed unlikely that they would be able to continue. It was a very despondent crew that returned to Norfolk that night, and the thought then was that the boat would be shipped back to France by cargo ship. Skipper Roland “Bilou” Jourdain explained that the day after the dismasting, and after many phone calls, they found a mast maker who was able to work with the broken rig and the boat designer to make the necessary repairs. So without any hesitation, the decision was made, the boat readied to sail under jury rig to Boston to rejoin the fleet, and the mast pieces shipped to Charlotte, NC. Bilou opted to oversee the repairs and co-skipper Gael Le Cleac’h and crew brought the boat to Boston, arriving early yesterday morning. The repaired mast arrived by truck at about 1 p.m. local time (17:00 GMT) today at Boston Boat Works where a crane was on standby for the arrival. Sill was already tied up at one of the docks and the crew was standing by to unload. The crane had barely lifted the mast off the trailer before stands were in place, the long trailer removed, and work begun on the rigging. Bustling around and completely in charge of the operation, Bilou looked tired, but happy that he was there with the boat, and not on a freighter. With the start of Leg 5 just a few hours away, he was confident that the Big Red Boat would be on the starting line tomorrow. Since the decision was made to repair the mast and continue on the race, Bilou has had very little sleep. “I haven’t had a chance to sleep,” he said as he explained how the mast was repaired by Sparcraft in Charlotte, NC. The damaged parts of the mast were cut away and moulds made of the good sections. Then a sleeve was made and slipped into the good sections, and wrapped in pre-preg carbon fibre then baked in an oven. With two large sections to repair, it had to be done in stages to ensure the strength of the bond. “It’s heavy, not good for racing,” he said, but smiled just happy to be back in the race. “It is good to sail back to France,” he said. “On a cargo ship is not good. It is very important for us to finish the race.” If Sill does not make it to the starting line tomorrow, the line will reindex open for her, allowing her time to complete the mast installation. Susan Colby editor@edsatlanticchallenge.com ©2001 Challenge Business - About - Terms of use - Privacy Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE