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Sail-World.com : Sailrocket: Over 51 knots - so near but not quite and with problems
Sailrocket: Over 51 knots - so near but not quite and with problems

'Vestas Sailrocket - World Record attempt.'    Vestas Sailrocket

Latest news from the Vestas Sailrocket Team, who are running out of time on their final attempt at breaking the World Sailing Speed record. The record attempt period ends Thursday. The team are camped at Walvis Bay, in Namibia.

Today was an 'interesting???' day for the team, heart-stopping in fact, as Paul Larsen explains:

Well, I'll try and be brief as it's late and we have shed loads to do.... fortunately it's not too bad as it could have been a hell of a lot worse.

We pushed it today in winds that remained up and down. Twice we hit peaks over 51 knots and managed to better previous best's. On the first run it looked like we beat the windsurfers once and for all... but we are still having trouble with the TRIMBLE... (formerly the 'mighty' TRIMBLE). It is dropping our data for periods up to twelve seconds long and that just screws us royally. we are wasting our time here if that doesn't work.

On the last run... our third for the day... I noted as we slowed down that the forward bridle line had pulled clean from the cleat. I now had no slow down function for the wing and hence powered into the beach. Hiskia struggled with the boat whilst I raced forward to try and manually handle the wing. Things got out of shape and the damned boat tacked on the shore... whilst wrapping itself around the support Rib and its anchor. We were off again. I clambered aboard the nose and scrambled back to the cockpit. It was totally flooded as the drain was open. it was like climbing into a bath. Bloody hell. I struggled to get the controls in order and the boat going where I wanted it to. The wing gybed and I caught it on the mainsheet. Amazingly... it was all intact and nothing had broken.

Now the real fun was about to begin. I still had no 'go-slow' switch on the wing... so it automatically powered up as determined by the flap settings. I took off across the lagoon considering my options. At first I headed into the lagoon but then reconsidered. All that awaited me in there was highish tides and rock walls. seeing as I had limited control and couldn't slow down.... there was a good chance I was going to end the project smashed up on one of those walls if I took that option.

I turned for the tiny beach at the Yacht club. The wind was still gusting to 25 knots so the Lagoon was rough... especially as the tide was flooding against the wind. I turned the boat up and down but even with a flooded rear cockpit, it refused to slow down. She was off... and I couldn't see a damned thing. The spray was just heaving in...but at least the cockpit drain was working. I struggled to see the Yacht club and knew that if I missed the tiny beach behind the back of a jetty that I was in very bad shape.

Kilometers of industrial docks, container ships, jetty's and marina walls in a one tack speed sailing boat with a jammed throttle. I really had to make the beach. The spray was heavy and relentless. I could roughly make out the outline of the jetty as I flew across the rough water just praying that the boat would hold together. It was all happening a bit quickly.

The mainsheet was fully off but the wing was sheeting itself on. I struggled to make out how far away the Yacht club was. I burst around the corner of the lagoon at 20 + odd knots. The spray relented for a second as the jetty whizzed by. I kicked it hard right into the tiny bay... and I mean tiny. It was into the wind but the wing just continued to sheet on adjusting to the new angle and we actually accelerated.

The loggers record me parking my 30' wide speed sailing boat on the front beach of the Walvis Bay Yacht Club at 26 knots!!! I dug a ditch up that beach and came to a stop with the nose high and dry sitting on its foil. My heart was pounding... what a bloody wild ride... but I had somehow threaded a needle.

Stunned people came out of the Yacht club thinking I had meant it and that I had broken the record. I was happy that I had made it... but the boat was still not tamed.

What a s...fight. The support RIB finally caught up with me and we put together a de-rigging team with members of our team and mates from the bar.

Now unbelievably... after all this... the only damage is to the bottom of the main foil. We have pulled all the main components out and put them back together. Tonight we will trowel on some hard epoxy resin and tomorrow we will sand it back into shape.

It was wild... totally wild. As if two runs... where we hit over 50 knots and did new personal best's weren't enough ( I'm pretty sure we have now put the windsurfers record of 49.09 behind us... but will wait to see what the TRIMBLE data comes back with).

I told you this project was going to push us to the end.

Tonight we work late... for tomorrow it is forecast to blow again and I want in.

Some days it just all kicks off.

The boat itself behaved brilliantly today. I don't know what caused the forward wing bridle failure... I'll look in the morning.

Cheers, Paul.

Website: click here




by Sail-World.com and Paul Larsen   8:39 PM Sun 25 Oct 2009 GMT


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