When Olivier de Kersauson stated two days ago that it was a “hard slog” as his giant trimaran pounded upwind, he was not choosing his words carefully. The boat had been leaping from wave crest to trough, crashing down into the deep voids between cresting waves. No one is quite sure which crash did the damage, but unfortunately Geronimo has sustained damage to the forward starboard beam and is heading for Perth in Western Australia for repairs.
“The damage is centred on the curve of the forward starboard beam,” de Kersauson said. “The split measures about 30 centimetres where the two skins have separated and the surrounding damage shows quite clearly that this was an impact and not a stress-related problem.”
The problem does not spell the end of the race for the French team. There is a provision in the notice of race that allows a yacht to stop for repairs and suffer no penalty other than a forced stop of at least 24 hours. There are four requirements that the team must meet in order to continue as a legitimate competitor. To paraphrase the Notice of Race:
1./ A yacht may suspend racing only in an emergency for repairs, alterations or to receive stores, or be taken in tow or use her own mechanical propulsion.
2./ A yacht which has suspended racing may resume racing provided she allows at least 24 hours to elapse before resuming racing.
3./ She resumes racing from a place no more advanced towards the next mark of the course than the place at which she began to receive the outside assistance or used her own mechanical propulsion.
4./ The skipper reports the full circumstances to the International Jury as soon as possible, both before the suspension of racing, and afterwards.
The damage to Geronimo is not something the crew deemed able to be repaired at sea. Of course that would be the first choice for de Kersauson, but they need flat water and a dry environment, two things rarely found in the turbulent waters west of Australia. De Kersauson explains. “To be precise, this repair is a very tricky operation which demands resources we just don’t have on board. It’s very likely that part of the beam will have to be cut out, and to laminate it we need a vacuum pump, which we don’t carry on board. Anyway, it’s impossible to do this correctly unless the part concerned is completely dry. These beams are vital parts of the boat, so we have to treat this repair properly and seriously”.
The good news is that the wind is from astern and the boat is continuing at a good rate of knots. They have dropped 200 miles behind Doha 2006 but are currently still ahead of Cheyenne and Daedalus. This news will not be met with any enthusiasm out on the water. There is a competitive spirit between the boats, but also a bond; each crewmember knows that this kind of thing could happen to them. The line between speed and damage is fine, often blurred, and unfortunately unpredictable. Geronimo has already raced around the world twice. An unlucky wave in the wrong place has temporarily set them back, but we know that once repaired the Capgemini/Schneider Electric trimaran will come storming up from behind to give the catamarans a decent run for their money. No one is counting de Kersauson and his crew out.
