Paul Cayar
Rob Weiland
Imagine
We could be back sailing international regattas again next May, less than five months away now; though I must admit my optimistic picture remains anything but a certainty! I hear from friends who have travelled to New Zealand to work with the Cup that at first it is really strange to see people behaving ‘normal’, let alone to
behave ‘normal’ yourself. Oh well, I guess we will get used to it. But for now it still is watching others sail on my computer. Plenty
of action, trying to place myself in the cockpit of Charal, in the boots of Jérémie Beyou, gobbling up the miles and finally back in striking distance for overtaking the red lantern fleet of seven boats he last saw at the start of the Vendée Globe, one month ago. Now 3,800 miles behind the race leader, Apivia’s Charlie Dalin is so far showing great navigational skill and also it seems in exceptional control of when to speed up or to slow down, rarely looking to have the hammer fully down. Not sure whether I think it is wise to go back to sea that much
behind and realistically without a chance of getting near the podium? How would I react to two months of solitude after such disappoint- ment and no chance of getting on stage? Was it Jérémie’s decision, something you just do in that scene, a team decision, sponsor pressure? Special breed you must be anyway to race solo, and yes it makes a good story, and keeps publicity going, but is it wise? I hope it is and that the Southern Ocean part of Jérémie’s lonely quest re-energises him without presenting too much drama. One can only take so much. Plenty of unidentified floating objects as well. Never small beer
to hit something quite solid with a boat but certainly not at the speed of the Imocas in semi-flying mode. But I am afraid these UFOs for a percentage, if not mainly, are large marine mammals. Many marine mammals are protected species and as such killing,
injuring or interfering with them is an offence, but certainly in inter- national waters it then gets complicated which laws and/or penalties apply. I feel in this case the discussion foremost should not be about whether or which laws concerning endangered species apply,
36 SEAHORSE
but about the principles behind these laws and how these can be introduced in and respected by the class and event rules. Promoting sailing as an environmentally friendly and green sport
will be much stronger if not just words but firm actions are now seen to be taken at the high level of the Vendée Globe – probably the most followed and popular sailing event in the world. Right now the NoR mentions the usual rules: RRS, ColRegs,
Special Regs (OSR), Imoca class rules, Equipment Rules of Sailing. There is no reference to the environment or sustainability in the NoR. In the Sailing Instructions there is one reference, in SI 19, regulating the evacuation of waste: ‘Respecting the environment is a fundamental value for the Vendée Globe. Competitors must not throw their waste overboard, except for that which is biodegrad- able. In accordance with the OSR, waste must be kept onboard until competitors disembark.’ This in itself is an understandable exception, although some might disagree with me on this, but not dealt with properly as it modifies RRS 47 Trash Disposal and as such should clearly state this. These collisions are potentially dangerous if not deadly for animal
as well as boat and skipper, and so good reason from both per- spectives to think of ways of avoiding these or next best to limit the effect in case of collision. One of the issues here is the ever increasing boat speed, another rule-wise tricky issue is not keeping permanent watch. I have no idea whether a technical solution, like alerting sea life by sound signal at frequencies not bothering the sailor, is possible? Not just for the increased risk of collisions with marine mammals
one wonders whether the wings (now too big to be called foils) really contribute to Imoca sailing? Scary stuff sells, of course, certainly if so visible and producing
such spectacular images. But for things to be scary at times requires real victims. In this case not just the ones taking the risk but also the ones being asked and sent out to help. Maybe ponderings like these just come with age? I read Jean
Le Cam suffers from them as well, when he has a philosophical moment, and he is rather better placed than me on my couch to
INGRID ABERY
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