It was 9 p.m. last night when, during a gybe maneuver to round Terceira Island in the Azores, the head of the mainsail on the IDEC SPORT maxi trimaran tore. It should be noted that this same mainsail had already torn in the middle during a similar maneuver yesterday morning, forcing Alexia and her crew to lower the sail to the second reef. They planned to reach Ushant and the finish line in this configuration, which was perfectly suited to the stormy conditions prevailing over the 1,000-odd miles still to be covered. Alas !
They will now have to do without what remained of this sail and sail exclusively under their wing mast (30m2) and their headsails. So it was under sail that they performed a series of gybes during the night to round the island of Ponta Delgada this morning and leave the Azores in their wake, continuing on their way to the Iberian Peninsula. Conditions in the area, on the southern edge of the depression, are as forecast, with winds of over 35 knots strengthening and a sea already well formed with waves of over 6 meters coming from the northwest, which will continue to grow over the next 24 hours. An unfriendly day lies ahead for the crew, who have already spent 55 days at sea, but whose determination to reach Ouessant and complete the loop remains undiminished.
At a slow trot, propelled by their single mast and headsail, Alexia (Barrier), Dee (Caffari), Annemieke (Bes), Rebecca (Gmür Hornell), Deborah (Blair), Molly (LaPointe), Támara (Echegoyen), and Stacey (Jackson) are hammering away at it; they will see Ushant and complete their round-the-world voyage next Monday evening or Tuesday morning.
Alexia Barrier : “The day is breaking, we haven’t seen the sea yet, and I think that’s better for getting started. We have no sails and are moving at an average speed of over 10 knots with a mast surface area of 30 square meters. We think we’ll be able to unfurl the J3 (staysail) around 11 a.m., once the worst of the sea has passed for the area we’re in. The goal is to stay above 10 knots. Christian (Dumard) has given us a special polar route, without a mainsail. We will keep you informed of the various timings. We are remaining cautious, of course…”
