News Around the World
Spanish VO65 Mapfre ghosts into Itajaí after a long Volvo leg 7 around Cape Horn from Auckland. Mapfre crossed the line fifth, which was a major disappointment to the team who had led overall since the race start in Alicante. Spanish VOR entries have often begun this race among the favourites, only to fade away – including Mapfre’s previous entry in 2014/15. When they were forced to slow on this leg to repair a damaged mast track all those demons undoubtedly reappeared. However, Xabi Fernández’s crew went into leg 8 to Newport only 1pt behind Charles Caudrelier’s Franco/Chinese entry Dongfeng and well in the fight. The pair have been match-racing each other since early in the race and that continued into leg 8. Dongfeng was one of the fastest boats in the last race – particularly downwind. They will prove very hard to dislodge once they get their nose in front
FRANCE Yes – an Ultim can capsize Armel Le Cléac’h left Lorient on Tuesday 10 April with two other guys, boat captain Emmanuel Hérissé plus a cameraman, onboard his brand new 33m Ultim trimaran Banque Populaire IX. Ultimately heading for Nice and the new Nice UltiMed event, on the way Armel planned some more training in solo mode. Unfortunately the big boat capsized three days later off the
Moroccan coast. Armel explains: ‘Friday night we were on port tack towards Cadiz. From Lorient we had headed down the Portuguese coast before I set a waypoint northwest of the Canary Islands to “race” to in solo mode. To start with the conditions were OK, 18-20kt of wind, the sea a little choppy because the wind had been blowing hard off the Portuguese coast. But sailing south we were greeted by stronger winds of up to 40-45kt. ‘At the time of the capsize we were close-reaching with one reef
in the main and the small jib. The routeing was showing decreasing wind in the coming hours. The conditions were stable without squalls. Pierre-Emmanuel and our media man were inside. I was standing by in the cockpit under my “hut”. ‘I just stepped down below for a five-minute nap when the boat
began to lift up very rapidly in a puff. I did not have time to go on deck. I was able to ease the main but it was not enough. Everything went very fast as the boat tipped over to starboard. I found myself upside down in the water which had flooded into the hut. Pierre- Emmanuel called out to check I was OK, and in between lifting over two big waves I managed to climb up inside the central hull to safety. ‘We checked to make sure nobody was hurt then I activated the
distress beacon and we gathered up the security equipment and put on our survival suits. I contacted Ronan Lucas [team director] with the Iridium phone in the grab bag, to tell him luckily no one had been injured. Two hours later a cargo ship arrived… ‘We talked to the crew by VHF but it was very dark and I did not
want to leave my boat until it was less dangerous. Once it was daylight a maritime patrol boat also joined us but eventually a Navy helicopter out of Casablanca took us off about midday. Back in
18 SEAHORSE
Casablanca we landed on a frigate moored alongside the quay. Then the French Consulate of Casablanca took over and looked after us very nicely!’ Armel continues: ‘It is a little hard to be sure what happened;
the sea conditions were fine. We have sailed before in much stronger conditions. Everything fell over in a few seconds. In my opinion it probably all started with a sudden squall. ‘When we left the boat the three hulls and arms were all intact,
though of course the mast was in several pieces.’ It is the first time a 100ft foiling Ultim has capsized. Yves Le
Blévec lost his trimaran Actual (the old Sodebo, that was built many years ago) approaching Cape Horn last December but it was because a beam broke. Now Armel has a real race against the clock to get his boat ready for the Route du Rhum in November. But Banque Populaire is a strong team.
Obvious solution? The annual meeting of the Imoca class was held in early April with around 60 people attending including skippers and team managers. Two important changes were both voted through comfortably. The first encourages the use of renewable energy to further
reduce reliance on fossil fuels – several current skippers have confirmed they are already modifying their boats from a combustion engine to electric power. The second big change is safety driven, to improve the efficiency of radar systems to cut the risk of collision; the new rule will be applied for the Route du Rhum. Of wider significance the Imoca skippers also voted in favour of
possibly adding the Volvo Race to the Imoca calendar. Those involved in the class have agreed in principle to the next crewed round-the-world race being raced aboard 60ft Imocas. It is now up to the Imoca board to conclude talks with the Volvo Ocean Race. Antoine Mermod, Imoca president, says: ‘The skippers voted
strongly in favour of bringing these competitions together. Discus- sions will now continue between us and the VOR so a basic format can be drawn up for a partnership. The skippers really want to move in that direction and we are ready. The ball is now in the court of
BRIAN CARLIN
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