It’s happened all before, many times. On Tuesday it was Jean-Pierre Dick’s (Virbac Paprec 3) turn to lose his keel, the most integral part of his yacht. In basic terms, the keel acts as a counter weight against the mast structure; loss of the keel should, technically, cause a yacht to capsize without the ability to right itself.
Amazingly Dick has been able to continue sailing, filling his water ballast tanks to the brim to keep the boat stable. The keels of all the yachts are required to meet a number of minimum safety factors, being tested to either permanent deformation or breaking point. The keels can be made of either FRP (fibre reinforced plastic) or metal.
Vibrac Paprec complete with keel
A number of reasons can cause the loss of a keel; running aground or colliding with an object are the most obvious, but they can also fail due to their structure being insufficient, weakening of the hull-keel joint and corrosion of the keel bolts. A yacht survey should identify these structural problems, but interestingly and perhaps mistakenly, the class rules do not impose a particular method of analysis for checking the keel’s structural integrity.
Is then the repeated loss of keels in the Vendée Globe a fault of the IMOCA class?
Back in February 2005, Mike Golding was just 50nm from finishing the Vendée Globe when his fabricated steel keel failed, which had broken below the bearings, continuing, he became the first skipper to finish the race without a keel. Golding stated that there was ‘no warning’ before the boat heeled excessively, as the keel bent massively before breaking. With fabricated keels seemingly having the lifespan of just one Vendée Globe, Golding had, as President of the technical committee, called for a referendum to allow only forged steel keels. However, the change was lost by three votes to four and so the IMOCA 60’s continue to race with fabricated forged steel and carbon variations.
Like Golding, Thomson too has voiced concern over the keel design of the IMOCA 60 yachts, stating that ‘The keels need to be made of solid steel and last the life of the boat, before someone gets hurt.' Dick’s misfortune has kick-started an interesting thread on the Petite Bateau Forum, discussing the current dilemma faced by Thomson. There are basically two arguments; should Thomson sail on into third position, ignoring the limping Vibrac Paprec? Or stand-by and offer support and assistance to his wounded competitor, sailing alongside him to the finish.
Mike Golding
Bound under the racing rules of sailing to help others in distress, Thomson may well choose to stay in close proximity to Dick. The basic requirement of assistance is essential in a race like the Vendée Globe, as it remains extremely difficult to spot an upturned hull (despite the patch of day-glo orange antifoul), with search and rescue teams having a limited time to spend in areas such vast distances away. Waypoints throughout the race have helped to keep competitors closer together, but being rescued remains no mean feat.
A capsized Jean Le Cam awaits rescue
So far Dick hasn’t called for assistance, so as Thomson draws ever nearer to the struggling Vibrac Paprec he must decide whether to help, or battle on to the finish and onto the podium. For Hugo Boss, getting round the world in under 80 days was a big target for them, with Thomson setting off stocked with champagne and cigars ready to celebrate each milestone of the race they had set for him. If he manages this, he will set a new British record for completing the Vendée Globe and beat Michel Desjoyeaux’s overall race record (finishing in 84 days). A great achievement, particularly as he failed to complete the 2008 Vendée Globe due to his boat colliding with a French fishing vessel.
Ultimately, one could argue that the decision actually lies with Dick himself. He has the option of sailing in to safe harbour at the Azores, retiring from the race, but safe. With the race leader expecting to finish in 30-35kts of breeze and 5m high seas, many would think Dick reckless for continuing. There has also been the argument that Dick could be disqualified for racing without adequate stability (i.e. a keel!), but it appears that this may only be a problem if another competitor were to protest. Mike Golding officially finished the 2005 edition of the race without a keel.
It will be a nail-biting next few days, with the race leader, François Gabart expecting to arrive is Les Sables d’Olonne this weekend. Will Dick hang on in there and cross the line? What will Thomson do? Whatever the skippers decide, I’m sure the reaction to their arrival into port will be electric and they will be glad to get back on dry land!
Lizzy Foreman
Lizzy Foreman