Areva diary

Sebastien Destremau reports of life on board the French America's Cup challenger with photos by Christian Fevrier

Life is getting really interesting for us in Lorient with the French America's Cup Team - Defi Areva.

We started our summer sailing season with a collision during a pre-start last week and we had to spend two days in the yard fixing the boats. Never mind that is part of the job. The planning is hectic and we are all working 15 hours a day with 2 days off every couple of weeks. It is amazing how much work load there is to maintain these boats ... they are big and massive but so fragile ... and we are loving it!!

Yesterday, for the first time we went sailing with more than 18 knots of wind (that was our limit up until now). For safety reasons we've decided to take only one boat out. The beginning of the session started with 18 knots and ended up with 25. It doesn't seem to be a lot of wind when you are used to sail in the Fremantle Doctor in Perth (Western Australia) however with these powerful machines (25 tons) .... it is like going to war!! The power is already huge when the wind is blowing 15 and when it increases to 22 or 25, then the story changes dramatically.

The program of the day was to complete an America's Cup course which is 3 laps on a 3.25miles course. A lot of swell in an increasing wind, not to mention the rain and the cold, made the training conditions very difficult. But we were all looking forward to go out ... to discover what it really is to sail these beasts in heavy weather.... boys! Welcome to real World!

Soon after the start, we began a series of tacks which were a real worry for the material. The boat was making some terrible noises and you could literally feel for her struggling to coop with the power of the enormous sails. At the top mark, hoisting the spinnaker was also something quite special with the sails completely off and the boat still sitting on her side. Six people on the winch were necessary to hoist the spinnaker and as soon as the spinnaker was full the boat literally took off, screaming down the waves with speed in excess of 16 knots whilst the crew were struggling pumping the main, the guy and the spinnaker sheet. The helmsman was a little anxious ... with the look on his face like ... "if I loose control and we broach, this will be very dangerous for the boys, ... not to mention the cost".

The gybe was probably the hardest. You have six people to pull the main in, and then, they immediately have to connect the winches ready to pull the spinnaker pole back. Controlling the boat when you are dead down wind with the main in the middle whilst the boys are quickly changing the runners is something the helmsman is not looking forward to at all as the boat is getting close to be ...out of control.

Something amazing happened when we dropped the spinnaker at the bottom mark. To drop the spinnaker, the pit-man has to ease 10 meters of halyard in one single go to help the spinnaker to collapse. The halyard literally burned around the winch making a lot of smoke. It was a bit like a Formula one driver when he brakes too hard and his tyres take fire. I'm not going to mention the effort we had to deploy to pull the mainsail back in .... absolutely incredible!!

After a couple of hours sailing in this weather, you suddenly realise why our coaches are so adamant about a serious physical preparation! And this morning you could hear that the boys were pushing a little bit more than the usual.

We stopped the session when the wind reached 25 knots. But what will it be like when the wind strength is 30 knots and more? In Auckland, the starts shouldn't be given if the wind is above 25 knots at the start of a race. But then what?

The start can be given at say 24 knots of wind, then it can increase and we will have to carry on with sailing, no? Brrr, scary stuff! Anyhow, the discovery of a America's Cup boat in fresh condition was an awesome experience and we are all glad that we didn't break anything or injure someone. You guessed it, even if today we are all sore and aching, it was a fantastic day and we all enjoyed it a lot. We cannot wait for the next training day in heavy weather.
Take care