When planning an ocean passage, how do you ensure you can keep going no matter what? Rupert Holmes finds out what Vend\u00e9e Globe Skippers can teach us about mid-ocean repairsSome of the damage we saw at the Vend\u00e9e Globe finish was simply staggering, yet this edition was also remarkable for its small number of retirements. Many boats suffered major issues, yet kept racing until the very end thanks to mid-ocean repairs undertaken by many skippers.
\nThe first boat home, Charlie Dalin\u2019s Apivia, gave a foretaste. We knew he\u2019d damaged the port foil system south of Australia, but few were prepared for the sight of his boat when he approached the finish, showing the foil supported by improvised stays Dalin had needed to repeatedly adjust and maintain for 13,000 miles and 44 days.
\nAs Dalin crossed the line, 90 miles to the west Boris Herrmann was dealing with a broken shroud after the bottom splice tore open in his collision with a trawler.
\nDalin\u2019s improvised porthand foil stays. Photo: Olivier Blanchet\/Alea
\nNext home after Dalin was Louis Burton, who told us the hardest thing for him had been the mid-ocean repairs and \u201cconstant DIY on the boat.\u201d Burton was dogged by pilot and electronic problems, rigging and halyard issues, loss of the watermaker, and even damage caused by a fire.
\nThese three boats were not particularly unlucky \u2013 almost every boat that reached the finish had to overcome major technical problems at some point. But what\u2019s remarkable about many of the repairs is they were not short-term get-you-home lash-ups \u2013 they allowed the boat to be pushed in full race mode for tens of thousands of miles. We spoke to the skippers to find out what ocean cruising sailors could learn from the race.
\nSolve problems before you go
\nThe Vend\u00e9e skippers\u2019 extraordinary ability to solve technical problems and complete mid-ocean repairs is the outcome of a process that starts early in each campaign. Everyone I spoke to highlighted the extent to which preparation has improved across the fleet over the past few editions, including among the low-budget teams. At the top level, teams are also continuously finding better ways to approach tasks.
\nSam Davies has sailed IMOCAs for a decade and a half and seen these changes first-hand. Her team now uses thermal imaging to help identify delamination in structures. This recently available technique creates a complete picture of the structure and therefore may identify problems missed by ultrasound, which can only test at discrete points.
\nMerron used fresh water to rinse salt off deck gear, including halyard locks and the runner blocks. Photo: Rupert Holmes
\nEvery new piece of equipment bought for Initiatives Coeur gets a full NDT (non-destructive testing) analysis before being fitted. This establishes a baseline against which any subsequent changes can be measured.
\nFor instance, the boat had a new rig before the Vend\u00e9e Globe, but even the very best mouldings have some flaws. This is not an issue providing they are within the limits set by structural engineers, but the initial NDT testing means that, when the spars are checked at the end of the race, it\u2019s possible to differentiate between those initial flaws and any new damage.
\nDespite this level of prep it\u2019s easy for small, but important, items to slip though the net. Davies broke a forestay pin due to fatigue failure. \u201cI can\u2019t believe we didn\u2019t pick up on that,\u201d she told me. \u201cThat pin is part of a furler which goes back to the manufacturer to be serviced. It\u2019s a piece that\u2019s holding up the rig, but we\u2019re not X-raying it ourselves.\u201d
\nOne example of preparation that\u2019s standard practice in long-distance racing, but often omitted by cruising yachts preparing for lengthy voyages, is to add Dyneema chafe jackets to halyards to protect against damage at sheaves.
\nThe difference this makes is immense, thanks to the slippery nature of Dyneema, and I\u2019ve personally finished transatlantic races with spinnaker halyards that look almost new after adding them.
\nMid-race checks
\nKnowing your boat really, really well is key to both reducing the risk of damage and identifying the best repair solutions. Once at sea, checks and inspections are the most vital element in avoiding breakages and equipment failure.
\nRigging issues are commonplace on ocean crossings: here the crew of X-562 Teamgeist fit a new mainsheet connection to the boom after the original broke mid-Atlantic. Photo: Victor Taburiaux
\nA minimum is a daily check around the boat, inside and out, including examining the rig with binoculars. Any item that\u2019s a cause for concern gets more constant monitoring.
\nCreative thinking can help in this context. After an exploding running backstay block nearly put an end to her race, Alexia Barrier hoisted a GoPro camera up her mast to check for damage, avoiding the need to climb a potentially compromised rig herself.
\nArticle continues below\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to follow the Vend\u00e9e Globe<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHere is everything you need to know to follow the race start<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSail repairs on the fly \u2013 how to make essential fixes while at sea<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDuring last year\u2019s ARC I was to be found at one point on the pulpit restitching the foot tape of\u2026<\/p>\n
Miranda Merron is an ardent fan of maintaining a scrupulously clean boat, with dry bilges and machinery spaces. To make it easier to check for damage to the carbon structure she painted key areas white, so cracks can be seen easily at an early stage.
\nShe also recommends a stripe of white paint across nuts, washers and a reference mark on the boat. That way you can see at a glance whether or not the nut has moved. But even then she was caught out by the fastenings for the main pilot ram loosening. Fortunately she spotted the issue before it became a serious problem, but subsequently took an Allen key on daily checks to physically confirm the tightness of bolts holding mission critical equipment.
\n\u201cYou need to know your boat inside out,\u201d Merron told me. \u201cCheck for new leaks around deck fittings, sponge all the water out every day and investigate suspect noises.\u201d
\nMany boats sustained damage to lifelines and guardrails, including Maitre Coq IV, which lost its pulpit. Photo: Rupert Holmes
\nPost-race, many of the boats move ashore and are extensively dismantled for inspection. Yannick Bestaven\u2019s shore crew estimate that the inspection of the winning Ma\u00eetre CoQ IV will last two and a half months. Few long-distance cruisers adopt such an all-round approach, and it\u2019s all too easy to prioritise enjoying the delights of a new destination above properly checking over the boat after a long passage.
\nOn deck damage
\nThis edition of the race demonstrated how vulnerable pulpits and guardrails are to damage from waves, code sails or asymmetrics, or simply from repeated stresses.
\nVery heavy seas at Cape Horn, for instance, resulted in Ma\u00eetre CoQ IV losing her entire pulpit \u2013 at the finish the lifelines were simply tensioned to padeyes near the forestay. \u201cIn my life as a sailor,\u201d Yannick Bestaven said, \u201cthat was the biggest storm I have ever seen. Mad seas, such as I have never seen \u2013 so big and gusts of 60 knots.\u201d
\nMerron\u2019s pulpit legs broke as a result of repeated flexing and had to be lashed in place. For this type of repair she recommends using polyester, rather than Dyneema, as its inherent stretch means it keeps tension for longer, whereas it\u2019s next to impossible to keep Dyneema tight unless it\u2019s tensioned though a purchase system or with a Spanish windlass.
\nDamage to stanchions and lifelines is surprisingly common on cruising yachts, whether as a result of misdemeanours when manoeuvring in tight spaces, or encountering a breaking wave with dodgers or solar panels mounted on the rail.
\nEven the bestprepared IMOCAs suffered issues: Banque Populaire lost sections of mainsheet track. Photo: Yvan Zedda\/Banque Populaire
\nGiven this compromises an important safety feature, it\u2019s worth carrying a couple of spare stanchions and figuring out in advance how to deal with a lost pushpit or pulpit.
\nIt\u2019s also easy to underestimate the damage seawater and dried salt crystals can do to deck hardware. Merron saved the first (slightly brackish) water each time she used watermaker freshwater to rinse salt off deck gear, especially the runner blocks and halyard locks.
\nThe latter were rinsed immediately before hoisting a sail and also lubricated \u2013 she suffered no problems with them and they were running like new when I saw the boat after the finish.
\nOther common problems included chafed lines, especially tack lines, while Pip Hare and Clarisse Cremer had sections of their mainsheet traveller track carry away, requiring re-rigging using snatch blocks on strops.
\nDoubling up
\nIMOCA 60s may be minimalist in many respects, but not when it comes to mission critical systems. Redundancy of systems is essential in creating a boat that\u2019s resilient to problems \u2013 if one element goes down you need to be able to bring a back-up into service immediately.
\nEven then, having two pilots didn\u2019t enable Louis Burton to avoid problems in the south and he ended up hand-steering for a time. He later explained: \u201cMy boat has a back-up autopilot, but it\u2019s on the same network, so if the network stops working the pilots also stop working. That issue created a lot of damage to sails and the mast that I still had to fix even once the pilot was working properly again.\u201d As a result he came close to retiring.
\nBy contrast Merron had two completely independent networks, one from B&G and the other NKE.
\nInitiatives Coeur went one stage further, with two pilots and two independent data networks that can be linked together in any combination.
\nMost IMOCAs had two or even three masthead wind sensors. Photo: Rupert Holmes
\nIn addition, she has a third low-power stand-alone pilot that can be used in compass-only mode, even if the main battery switches need to be turned off to work on the system.
\nIs having multiple layers of redundancy in this way relevant to the rest of us? Richard Palmer, whose well travelled JPK 10.10 Jangada took 2nd overall in the 2018 RORC championship and was 2020 Yacht of the Year, is convinced it is.
\nJangada is set up with two data networks, two masthead wind sensors and, as she is primarily raced short-handed, two autopilots.
\nMany cruising yachts would benefit from a second pilot ram interfaced with a stand-alone control unit independent of the boat\u2019s main data network. But make sure the back-up is regularly maintained and tested.
\nManuel Cousin had to remove one of his rudders to repair a large structural crack. Photo: Manuel Cousin\/Groupe Setin
\nMany skippers reported battery charging issues, including Merron and Ari Huusela who said this was their biggest technical headache and threatened their ability to complete the race. Fortunately it has become increasingly simple to create redundancy in this area: today it\u2019s easy to fit plenty of solar, as well as hydrogenerators or fuel cells, and even wind generators, leaving the main engine as a last-ditch back-up for charging when on passage.
\nEven so, it\u2019s a worthwhile exercise to work out the minimum daily charge required to run the essential systems \u2013 basic lighting, navigation and communications \u2013 needed to remain safe on passage. You may be surprised at how little is needed \u2013 ideally each different type of charging source will be able to supply this amount. If that\u2019s the case, failure of one or more other systems won\u2019t compromise safety, even if life on board is not as comfortable as you\u2019d choose.
\nYou may be able to create simple redundancy in other ways: one night early in the race Ari Huusela woke to find the boat in a complete black-out with no power to lights, navigation equipment or any other systems.
\nIf sailing alone you reach for a head torch and start troubleshooting, but with a larger crew the situation can quickly become fraught. Cheap stick-on battery powered LED lights positioned at strategic points within the boat can rapidly restore an air of normality, and make it easier to find the source of the problem in an emergency.
\nStructural repairs
\nA lot of skippers had to undertake structural repairs, including Alex Thomson. Charlie Dalin also had to carry out a repair on his damaged port foil and Pip Hare laminated a hydrogenerator leg together as well as a repair to stop a leak around the rudder stock after she had to replace the port rudder.
\nJean Le Cam stopped to repair hull delamination twice, including using carbon cut from a water ballast tank for additional reinforcement, but didn\u2019t have enough resin to complete the repair as he would have liked.
\nFortunately instances of delamination at sea on cruising boats appear to be vanishingly rare, but hull
\ndamage following collisions in harbours, marinas and crowded anchorages is a risk.
\nBasic lamination skills are quick and easy to learn and could save a long wait for a boatbuilder. Your repair doesn\u2019t have to look pretty \u2013 it just has to be strong and watertight. A full repair, including cosmetic refinishing, can then be scheduled for a convenient later date.
\nSails flog most at the leech and this is the most highly-loaded area, so needed a strong structural repair, hence the hand-sewn webbing as extra reinforcement by Boris Herrmann on Seaexplorer Yacht Club de Monaco. Photo: Boris Herrmann on Seaexplorer Yacht Club de Monaco
\nHowever, if you are preparing a spares kit for a long time it\u2019s important to remember these products all have shelf lives of typically 2-3 years.
\nManuel Cousin had to do two lots of laminating work. The first was on December 11, when he found serious structural cracks in one of Groupe Setin\u2019s rudders. His boat has kick-up rudders that are relatively easier to remove and replace than some IMOCA 60s (such as Pip Hare\u2019s Medallia), but even so he first sailed north into an anticyclone to reach a more stable sea state before attempting it.
\nIt\u2019s an important lesson to remember when cruising \u2013 it\u2019s easy to be so preoccupied with reaching a destination that we forget it is possible to find relative shelter on the ocean.
\nSail glue
\nOne of the most impressive repairs of the entire race was Kojiro Shiraishi\u2019s rebuilt mainsail. When a gybe following pilot failure on day six left large sections of the sail near the head in tatters it seemed as if this would put an end to his race, yet a seven-day repair effort paid off, and his fixed mainsail held until the end of the race.
\nThe days when a sewing machine was needed for on-board repairs are long gone, although in some
\nKojiro Shiraishi\u2019s mainsail repair lasted more than 24,000 miles. Photo: Kojiro Shiraishi\/DMG MORI Global One
\ncases a few stitches can help anchor the corners of a patch. Today\u2019s best adhesives, such as Dr Sails, are superb and gain 80% of full strength after only 20 minutes drying time, but are also expensive and not universally available.
\nIn Shiraishi\u2019s case he didn\u2019t have enough hi-tech adhesive for the extensive repairs he faced. To make matters worse, he also didn\u2019t have anywhere near enough spare sailcloth. Yet he proved it\u2019s possible to glue serious damage to sails using only PU adhesives such as Sikaflex, and although it must have been a painful decision to slice the bottom off his nearly new mainsail below the first reef, this gave him ample material to work with.
\nThe fix involved gluing patches on both sides, extending 40cm or more each side of the tear, then reinforcing key areas using carbon plate glued and bolted through the sail.
\nOne downside of using a PU adhesive, rather than an epoxy-based one like Dr Sails, is it takes longer to cure, especially at lower temperatures. Damp and salt also proved problematic for other skippers\u2019 sail repairs, even when the area had been cleaned as carefully as possible.
\nShore assist
\nAlthough the skippers are alone at sea, a Vend\u00e9e Globe campaign is not a single-handed effort. The sole area in which shore teams are allowed to assist skippers during the race is providing technical advice for repairs.
\nClearly it would be useful to have a similar kind of back-up when cruising. The good news for many owners is that\u2019s not as far away as they may imagine. Many builders of quality yachts, for instance, retain comprehensive records for every boat they build and can offer a remote technical service, even for older craft.
\nEqually, if you\u2019re having a boat refitted, the yard carrying out the work would be an obvious choice for continued support, especially if this can be planned at the outset.<\/p>\n
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When planning an ocean passage, how do you ensure you can keep going no matter what? Rupert Holmes finds out what Vend\u00e9e Globe Skippers can teach us about mid-ocean repairsSome of the damage we saw at the Vend\u00e9e Globe finish … <\/p>\n