Virbac dismasts

Jean-Pierre Dick loses second rig

Around 18:30 UTC yesterday French Open 60 skipper Jean-Pierre Dick announced to his shore team that in violent seas his boat Virbac had been rolled and dismasted. At the time his boat was 750 miles west of Ireland - at 54° 48.6N and 31° 22.6 W - about as far from land as is possible in the North Atlantic.

Dick had been race leader in the Open 60 class until the mid-afternoon sched yesterday when he had been overtaken. Following the role the mast was broken into three pieces, the boom was broken and the cuddy at the back of his cabintop was broken. Fortunately the main cabintop remained intact.

The French skipper reported that he had been down below at the time and was okay. Following the incident Dick cut away the rig, saving the broken boom and mainsail. He then made the boat safe and went to bed.

At the time of the incident Virbac was around 100 miles to the south of the centre of the depression and sailing in a solid 50 knots and a sea that according to Jean-Pierre Dick was 6-7 metres in height and presumably very sharp having been whipped up by the depression for sometime now.

This morning Jean-Pierre Dick and his team are planning the best course of action. Presumably Dick will have to strap the broken boom back together to form the jury rig.

This is the second time that Dick's boat has dismasted in as many races, having lost the rig in the middle of Le Defi Atlantique singlehanded race between Salvador and La Rochelle last year.

The Transat was also supposed to have been Dick's qualifier for the Vendee Globe and so he will now be subject to the same conditions that will apply to Jean le Cam and Bonduelle. The new Notice of Race for the Vendee Globe was published yesterday and should have details of exactly what le Cam and Dick will have to do to qualify.

The fact that Virbac was rolled is also quite disturbing. Presumably this was the effect of a rogue wave as the boat was being steered under autopilot. But it is likely that the IMOCA class will be taking a fresh look at the stability of their boats. Volvo Ocean 60s for example have been knocked down but never rolled and they are more stable boats. However significantly they are boats that are always steered by humans, who can anticipate and compensate for the roll of waves.

Other points to consider about this incident is that at the time Virbac is likely to have been fully ballasted - therefore having the maximum loads on the mast. Also, following her dismasting in Le Defi Atlantique, her latest mast was built using the remains of the old spar. Possibly a completely new mast wouldn't have broken?

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