FW: Virbac Dismasted
Jean-Pierre Dick: "I'm trying to finish the race under jury rig!"
Absender: "Mary Ambler"
Datum: 10. Dec 2003 19:54
At 0200 GMT Virbac dismasted 400 miles in the NE of Cape Verde Islands. "I don't understand what happened. It's the first time I've seen a boat dismast with no sails up!" said Jean-Pierre at 1630 GMT today on the sat phone with his shore team. The boat was under full index and genoa on starboard tack, when Jean-Pierre said that thedeck fitting for the Port D1 shroud broke off (shroud to leeward going diagonally from the port side hull to the first spreader of the mast). It's this fitting which is in principal the cause of the dismasting which happened a few minutes later. The mast fell, breaking "into three or four pieces." The 9 metre boom will serve as a jury rigged mast so that Jean-Pierre can stay in the race to La Rochelle. Virbac is still in the race and is on track to finish the Défi Atlantique, which is a qualification race for the Vendée Globe 2004.
"The most important thing is to keep racing!" After a long discussion with his shore team these were his final words. "I'm going to rally on to La Rochelle under jury rig. Right now the boat is still dismasted with no sails up but I am going to rig up the boom, which is on the deck, as a mast and then rig my small jib to finish the race." There are still 2092 miles - half the race - yet to go.
"I don't understand what happened. It's the first time I've seen a boat dismast with no sail up!" After the breakage, he furled the genoa to reduce the load on the mast. One problem led to more, as when he tried to take hold of the indexsheet, the heart of the rope had slipped in its sheath and he couldn't bring it in. So he decided to bring the index down and just afterwards the mast then began to break. It fell in the water, causing damage to stanchions and the guardrail, and JP thinks it broke in 3 or 4 pieces, which are still attached to the boat at a reasonable distance to preserve the hull. "I was totally stunned by the shock. I said to myself as I saw the mast falling: this is not happening, I must be dreaming!"
One objective: to finish! "The first objective of the Défi Atlantique is to gain my qualification for the Vendée Globe 2004. So I will do everything I can to get the boat to La Rochelle by my own means and without assistance."
According to the Sailing Instructions, Jean-Pierre must arrive less than 10 days after the first Open 60 finishes in La Rochelle to be ranked and therefore qualified for the Vendée Globe.
Jean-Pierre Dick will be live on the satellite phone session at 1000 GMT at the Paris Boat Show on the Grand Pavois stand at P89. Audio will go online on the official website.
For more info go to : www.jpdick.com
Source: Laurent Simon / Windward press@jpdick.com
Delphine Dusserre
01.40.20.12.42 - 06.16.19.23.70
ddusserre@gopublic.fr
David Heuzé
01.40.20.12.33 - 06.83.25.21.86
dheuze@gopublic.fr
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