Munslow update

Following a ramming by a French fishing boat, Mini sailor Ian Munslow describes his plight to get to the start of the transat

Click here to read Ian's account of being run down by a fishing boat .

Firstly I’d like to say a BIG thank you to everyone who has helped me out. I am a bit overwhelmed by the generosity and goodwill of people out there.

I thought I’d keep everyone informed on what’s been happening since I hit the fishing boat, which is nearly three weeks ago now.

The boat is still at Chantier Latitude in Brest, where the guys there should have put together a quote for the insurance. I know the surveyors have been and had a look and made a report. I received the first response from the insurers of the fishing boat on Friday denying any responsibility for the damage caused to my boat. I suppose that is to be expected and I’ll just have to hope things progress more in my favour. If I am to put the claim on my insurance I have an excess of £3800 to cover. I certainly do not have
that kind of money - so that is not an option for me.

My alternative option is to fix the boat myself either in France or back here in the UK. The yard in France have given me the option to sort it over there but it is more hassle with language barriers, no local knowledge, the logistics of moving gear around and MONEY. I can bring the boat home; Brittany Ferries have come up with a free crossing from Roscoff - Plymouth, which is great.

To fix the damage to the hull is the easiest problem to fix, I have most of the materials apart from the epoxy. It is the sort of work I do for a living. The rig I am unsure about until I get an opportunity to have a good look at it. The spreaders on the starboard side are all broken, they broke at the root next to the mast. The rigging may be salvageable. The mast tube was damaged by the tow with the lifeboat, I tied the tow around the mast and it has compressed the tube at deck level. Hopefully it will simply be a case of sleeve the mast and weld the spreaders back together. The autopilot computer is located just next to the hole in the hull. It got completely waterlogged; whether it can be repaired I do not know yet but it certainly is not working now. The jib I would say is a write off, it is in bits.



So, I am waiting for a move from the insurers of the fishing boat, but I do not have time on my side. I have to complete one race from the Mini calendar this year before the Transat for my entry to be valid. That gives me the option of the Demi-Cle (11th July) or Transgascogne (20th July). It is more a matter of days rather than weeks to get this fixed up. The Transat starts on 7 September and I have to be in La Rochelle ready to
go on the 26th August. The time-frame is VERY tight.

I need money to keep this whole project going, finding work which enables me to be flexible enough to sort both the boat and my bank balance out is nigh on impossible. The lifeboat cost 1770 euros and the crane and transport to Brest was 380 euros. It is not something I budgeted for… Especially coupled with what it is going to cost to put the boat back into race order. I still have to find the money for the extra insurance for the Transat and return cargo from Brazil; that will cost £4500!!!!

Anyway, I am not going to quit. I’ll keep going as long as I can until something stops me in my tracks. The boat was going a lot better than it has done in the past. During the winter I moved the daggerboard forward, put more rake in the rig and generally made the boat more pleasant to sail.

In a way I was ready for the transat back at the start of the Mini Pavois, but I can’t say that now...

I am currently in Southampton doing odd jobs, trying to earn money and not spend too much. I have to wait as long as possible in the hope that French fishing boat’s insurers will cough up, but realistically in 10 days time I will have to go and get on with fixing the boat up. I’ll keep everyone informed of what is going on because this is a bit of a challenge. But right now it would be a godsend if I could pull a cash sponsor into the boat – I’ve got a bit of media following, certainly more than I would have had without the accident, even Carlton TV want to do an article!!

Anyone in need of some short notice boat building skills or who wish to help (he does have an entry in the Mini as he raced it two years ago) should contact Ian Munslow on 07887-483742 or click here to email him.