Latest news from Nick Moloney to Dr Krumnacker
Segel.de
Nick Moloney is a member of Ellen MacArthur's Offshore Challenges Sailing Team http://www.nickmoloney.com
* RECORDS are never easy to break...one small titanium ball is now the controlling factor in Nick's quest to be the fastest around the planet...
* The titanium ball is a critical part of the engineering that allows these giant catamarans to harness the power of the wind - it is on the ball that the 41 metre mast sits and rotates. If it completely fails (it is currently cracked 75% through) then it is almost inevitable that the mast would come down.
* After their biggest day of mileage of the entire tour yesterday, it is a cruel thing to happen that will be testing the spirit and the determination - as well as technical ingenuity - of the team onboard Orange. Their options are to try and repair in some way, or stop the attempt and look for nearest port to head to.
* As Nick and the team approach the Equator it is not just the hemisphere change that has turned their world upside down...tense times.
Official communiqué from skipper Bruno Peyron :
REAL CONCERN ON BOARD MAXI-CAT ORANGE
A message from the maxi-catamaran Orange informs us that they have a major problem on board Bruno Peyron's boat which is currently attempting to beat the sailing record round the world (Jules Verne Trophy)
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Bruno Peyron indicated in his message to Race HQ, that the ball on which the mast is stepped is cracked laterally, and that if it breaks the boat could dismast.
Bruno Peyron: "The titanium ball that supports the mast is cracked around 170°. What does this mean? It means that if it breaks, the mast will come down. Solutions? Not many:
1) Stop and head for the nearest port,
2) Continue and pray,
3) Try to reinforce the ball by laminating carbon round it and continue in the hope that it will hold
Because of the good state of the sea and the fact that we’re sailing downwind, we’ve decided to continue. After consulting with the naval architects from the Multiplast yard, we have decided to bond a carbon reinforcement around the ball, but tomorrow ? - no comment!"
In his conversation with Orange Race HQ, Bruno Peyron indicated that the problem probably occurred several days ago and was discovered during routine indextenance of the mast foot that consists in lubricating the ball permitting the mast to pivot on its axis. The concern on board Orange lies in the fact that after crossing the Equator, which is expected tomorrow (this evening the boat was 442 miles from the imaginary line that separates the Northern and Southern Hemispheres), the boat will be encountering headwinds and rougher seas that will cause more stress to the rig on her climb up the North Atlantic.
"We have a Damocles sword above our heads that won’t be leave us until we reach the finishing line, if we finish" explained the Skipper of Orange. "So we have taken the decision to sail otherwise than planned, choosing the weather options that will allow us to sail as little as possible into headwinds, therefore sparing the boat as much as possible".
*Find all the news about the megacat 'Orange' on the website http://www.orange.fr
Nick's Personal sponsors include : The Entire Group
http://www.entiregroup.com.au
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