Do they (still) make them like this?
Three-time Vendée Globe veteran Patrice Carpentier remembers the incredible salvage of Fleury Michon X…
O
ne month after the departure of the first Vendée Globe Titouan Lamazou is leading the 13-boat fleet in front of Philippe Poupon. During the night of 27 December 1989 the famous Breton navigator finds he has excellent pace onboard his 60-footer Fleury Michon X, designed by Philippe Briand. He is starting to close the gap on the race leader. But over the next 10 hours the winds continue to increase relentlessly and the seas build up once again. Located at 47°S 01°W, that is to say approximately 1,200 nautical miles west-southwest of Cape Town and well into the Southern Ocean low pressures, Poupon’s ketch is hit by the first really big squall. But confident in his pace and highly motivated as usual, ‘Philou’ is still doing quite well reaching in the big seas. Suddenly, however, the brilliant skipper – winner of most of the great solo races – hears a terrific crash and feels his boat heel- ing over too fast. The boat reaches 90° of heel… but she stays there! Flat on her side, both masts in the water and looking like a giant capsized dinghy. Poupon and Fleury Michon will remain at 90° until Loïck Pey- ron comes to their rescue on Lada Poch III. In a very interesting book, printed soon after the first race in 1990 (13 Soloists Non-stop Around the World, written by Robert Laffont), Philippe remembers: ‘There is 5.4 tons of lead at the bottom of a
30 SEAHORSE
4m-deep keel. The boat will come upright rapidly. I had no doubts about that… But then I realised that although my boat was being shaken around with convulsive movements she does not come back.’ The skipper eases all the sheets. Still nothing! He opens the water ballast valves to empty the 2,500-litre compartments. Water is pouring out but the boat stays on its side. Philippe tries to reverse the situa- tion by filling up the ballast tanks on the other side in order to unbalance his boat. Still nothing!
At last he understands that for the first time in his long sailing career he needs help and activates both the Argos beacon and his Sarsat Cospas distress transmitter. At 11.50am on 28 December Vendée Globe headquarters are informed by Etel search and rescue that Fleury Michon is sending a distress signal; they do not know if it comes from the automatic hydrostatic beacon or from a manual beacon. The answer will come soon afterwards when CLS Argos next poll their own beacon and confirm that it has been acti- vated manually. Either Philou is onboard his boat or in his liferaft.
Loïck Peyron, lying third in the race, is about 150 nautical miles north of Poupon’s 60-footer. He is asked to divert towards his friend despite the increasing strong winds coming from the southwest. Not good for the speed…
Meanwhile, a reconnaissance flight is organised. A Lockheed C-130 Hercules belonging to the South African Navy based in Johannesburg should take off about midnight, make a stopover in Cape Town, and at daybreak be able to reach the French navigator who is in difficulty. At 08.23 on 29 December the C-130 flies over the disabled sailing boat.
While approaching at low altitude, the crew are amazed to discover Fleury Michon lying on its side just like a small capsized dinghy. Suddenly a dark spot appears on the deck: Poupon wearing his survival suit. The information is immediately relayed to the Vendée HQ. At the same time Peyron is now around three hours from his comrade. The wind drops and shifts a little. He is in a hurry to reach his friend and can now increase speed, quickly shaking out his reefs. At 11.00 he locates Philou visually. The two sailors make contact by VHF. They agree that they will try to bring Fleury Michon upright. There is no time to lose because the forecasts are warning about another big storm.
By somehow towing the boat upwind the two sailors think they may be able to suc- ceed, but the operation is risky. To approach the capsized sailing boat in this strong swell and to catch the rope thrown by Philou pre- sents great difficulties. ‘Dead running, with the mainsail over-trimmed, I approach; I
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