15.12.2008
Many many thanks to Marian from BYM News for sending me all the French stuff
on Bernard Stamm throughout today. Without her I wouldn’t have had anything
to translate for you.
Bernard Stamm (Cheminees Poujoulat):
Bernard Stamm is beginning a race against the clock to get Cheminées
Poujoulat to an area where he will be able to try to repair her. At the
Kerguelen Islands such a yard is impossible, which is why Bernard is hoping
to be able to embark the Imoca 60 footer on the Marion Dufresne vessel,
which is leaving Kerguelen tomorrow.
Cheminées Poujoulat was refloated this morning by the crew of the Marion
Dufresne and the TAAF after being driven onto the rocks last night. The boat
was extracted from this zone and led to the mooring. She is floating and the
mast and keel are in place, however sadly she has been ripped open on the
port side and is full of water. “She is floating albeit low in the water and
heeled over” explained Bernard at the start of the afternoon. Everyone here
has given me a hand and Dominique Wavre also helped me out a huge amount. If
we manage to load Cheminées Poujoulat in time, I will also embark on the
Marion Dufresne bound for Reunion or elsewhere. I don’t yet know what’s
going to happen but there’s a lot of work ahead. The most pressing matter is
to get the boat out of the water. It’s not possible to leave her in the
water in Kerguelen. This Vendée Globe started off badly and has ended
painfully, because there’s nothing worse than seeing your boat driven onto
the shore.”
Dominique Wavre (Temenos II):
The Kerguelen Islands, a fantastic land of welcome
For the time being, news from Dominique is being drip-fed to us but the
brief phone call from the skipper this morning was reassuring. Tied up to a
buoy in the middle of the Baie du Morbihan, Temenos II weathered last
night’s strong gale without hassle.
Today however, the skipper’s priority was to help free Cheminées Poujoulat,
which was driven onto the shore yesterday in some brisk conditions. In 45
knots of breeze, Bernard wasn’t able to pick up the mooring which had been
laid up for him yesterday. Dominique went to assist in the manœuvre but was
forced to leave the monohull with Bernard as it was pushed onto the coast.
Seemingly the boat was successfully refloated early this morning, but for
now we are unaware as to the extent of the damage suffered aboard the
monohull.
Aboard Temenos II, a procedure to stabilise the keel has seemingly been
found. The island’s mechanics are currently trying to prepare a thick steel
lid which is designed to cover the keel head. The rams should be able to be
fixed to this lid, limiting the magnitude of the keel movements. The means
at their disposal and the good will on site are impressive. Taken care of
from the minute he arrived, Dominique described them as “incredibly
generous, helpful people.”
The reception the skipper has received from the people on site has been as
brilliant as expected. We remember their involvement with Roland Jourdain
and Jean-Luc Nélias on stopover during the Barcelona World Race, whose
ruling permitted outside assistance in contrast to that of the Vendée Globe.
Formerly nicknamed the Desolation Islands by Captain Cook, the Kerguelen are
above all a tremendous land of welcome...
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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