Wednesday 29th october 2008
Safran ready to sail around the world
What is Marc Guillemot taking aboard Safran for the length of the Vendée Globe? While a lot of the information reindexs confidential, as they wish to keep weight values secret, Thierry Brault, head of the Safran Sailing Team gave us a few details.
Setting sail to go around the world for three months is very different from going on a trip in Quiberon Bay or indeed a transatlantic voyage. Apart from the compulsory safety equipment, Marc Guillemot and the Safran Sailing Team have listed and carefully weighed everything they intend to take on board the monohull.
Sails come first!
It is hardly a scoop, but the first thing to take on board a yacht before considering anything else is the sails. This is a delicate matter, as left to the discretion of each skipper, when we go beyond the simple basic sails (indexsail, genoa, gennaker, storm sail, staysail, jib). «On Safran, we shall be taking between eight and twelve sails on board in all, but I'm sure you understand that this is confidential information, so I cannot be more precise,» explained Thierry Brault. To sum up, the sails on the 60-foot boat go from a storm sail to the large spinnaker, which measures 390 square metres. «Marc has opted for adaptability, without excluding one or two special sails for specific conditions. »
150 kilos of food
Marc Guillemot's food is packed as follows: «26 kilos a fortnight,» sums up Thierry Brault, or in other words 150 kilos need to be stowed on the boat. There are some freeze-dried products, of course, as they are light and practical when it is blowing a gale, but Marc Guillemot does not particularly appreciate this type of food. He prefers to take on board, «special prepared meals,» such as paëllas, beef bourguignon stew, Moroccan tajines, in addition to around twenty kilos of fresh produce for the first few days of sailing (fruits, eggs, etc). There are very few bars of chocolate, as the skipper of Safran is not really a fan. What he enjoys in particular is «a nice tin of sardines.» 70 litres of drinking water have also been taken aboard, in case the desalination unit breaks down.
35 to 40 kilos of clothes
The solo yachtsmen will be moving between heat and glacial conditions, as they move through all the world's climates, on their way around the world. If the boat needs to be fitted out, so does the skipper! «Marc will be taking on board 35-40 kilos of clothes,» summed up Thierry Brault, including «two complete sets of wet weather gear, the watertight survival gear, two pairs of boots, fleeces, gloves. ». Also included in this weight, «4 or 5 duvets,» in order to try to keep one that is always dry. This is something Marc Guillemot has chosen, because for him getting a good rest is also a factor affecting performance.
Tools.
«It is as for everything else. Choices have to be made: we cannot move a workshop on board, but let's just say that Safran's tool kit is quite complete,» Thierry Brault told us. Alongside the basic DIY tools, there are also custom-made bolts developed by SAFRAN, in particular when he needs to work on the rudder system. There is of course also a kit to repair the sails, going from needles and thread to adhesives, as well as a «special laminate chest,» with carbon, cloth, resin and glues.
. lots of spares
One of the most important areas concerning what is taken on board involves the spares. Here too, choices are necessary, which can sometimes be extremely difficult, «having to choose between the risk of damage and the weight taken on board.» A lot of ropes are stowed away, but there is also a spare reversible daggerboard, which is not the case for all the boats. This can be fitted on either side of the boat, if one or the other of the initial daggerboards is damaged. «It is a bit shorter, but nevertheless offers a draught of 1.50 m,» explained Thierry Brault. In this area, there are a lot of spare fittings, just in case... : furlers, blocks, universal joints, carbon tubes. «We also have a spare tiller, which can be fitted to the steering system at the stern,» added the head of the Safran Sailing Team. «We have tried to anticipate every imaginable problem. »
Vacuum-packed bags
On each change of tack, Marc Guillemot will have to stack everything on the windward side, which means moving «around 400 to 500 kilos of equipment.» This is a tiring and time-consuming job, but which is vital for the trim, but it is made easier with slides, bags attached to ropes that can wound using the winch to move them from one side to the other of the boat.
As for the computer system, Marc Guillemot is taking on board a screen and a spare computer, spare cables, a video camera, and an ordinary camera. «The computer and screen are vacuum-packed, like most of the articles that need to be kept dry,» explained Thierry Brault, «In general, we use waterproof bags for packing and there are hardly any chests on board.»
SAFRAN is an international hi-tech group specialising in four areas: aeronautics and space propulsion, aeronautical equipment, defence and security, and communications. The Group employs 63,000 people in more than 30 countries and has a turnover of 11 billion euros. Including many prestigious companies, SAFRAN ranks, alone or in partnerships, as one of the world and European leaders in the field.
29.10.2008 - Safran ready to sail around the world
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