Southern Ocean Rescue

[Outwest34au]

Now I wanna sail around the world alone and be like the other racers coz they didn't let me race or whatever so what to do? No worries, I can just pretend I am racing, and will probably win.
The KNOB had no insurance, the insurance company wouldn't take him on.
Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian

[downunder]

Been a few rescues of sailors in approx that area below Australia now.

[homeless]

The boat "Tchouk Tchouk Nougat" is listed as an "A35"

Archambault A35 yacht

Personally if I was going solo down where he was I would want something bigger, heavier, and stronger.

[DeepFrz]

Hurricane Survival – No Place for Absolutes | gCaptain - Maritime & Offshore News

This is a great article written by an expert in rescuing folks from boats. Note that he says he would never second guess a decision to get off the boat.

[DeepFrz]

The boat "Tchouk Tchouk Nougat" is listed as an "A35"

Not a Southern Ocean boat IMHO.

[ElGatoGordo]

Originally Posted by Outwest34au

Now I wanna sail around the world alone and be like the other racers coz they didn't let me race or whatever so what to do? No worries, I can just pretend I am racing, and will probably win.
The KNOB had no insurance, the insurance company wouldn't take him on.
Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian

Did I miss the part where someone wouldn't let him race?

Yeah, so he wasn't insured, his loss. YOU seem very upset by that, are you a part owner?

Maybe I've misunderstood the term KNOB, and you are not calling him derogatory names, if so please forgive me, we use that term for a device that opens a door.

[roverhi]

AFAIK, you can't get insurance if you are sailing solo. For sailing where he was, doubt anyone could afford what insurance would cost IF you could find someone to write it even with a crew.

The boat looks like a smaller version of the boats that are doing the solo and crewed round the world races. Built light with a short deep keel, fat ass for off wind speed. Not my idea of a boat I'd want to be in down there unless I was racing. But then I wouldn't be down there and wouldn't be racing in any case. Maybe strong enough but definitely not a comfortable boat. If it had a bulbed keel, would make me think he might have lost all or part of the keel. That would explain the broken mast and being rolled if he did drop the lead.

Sounds like he had to make a quick decision to take to the raft. Useless to speculate why till more is known.

[BriRich]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

This is a great article written by an expert in rescuing folks from boats. Note that he says he would never second guess a decision to get off the boat.

Wow great article.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Outwest34au

Now I wanna sail around the world alone and be like the other racers coz they didn't let me race or whatever so what to do? No worries, I can just pretend I am racing, and will probably win.
The KNOB had no insurance, the insurance company wouldn't take him on.
Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian

Well, the insurance company would not take me on either, does this make me another knob?

Just think about it: you are on a forum where there may be more knobs.

I think you are rude and your post is offensive.

b.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by homeless

The boat "Tchouk Tchouk Nougat" is listed as an "A35"

Archambault A35 yacht

Personally if I was going solo down where he was I would want something bigger, heavier, and stronger.

Yes, this is what she looks on images too.

They are strong and fast boats, good racers and often elected by single-handers for their ease of driving.

Bigger, heavier is not always better. You may have read Tzu Hang story.

Alas, perhaps going this far South with this design was a bit of an overkill.

Choices.

b.

[Eric50]

If you go on his website at : DANS LA PRESSE | Le Tour du Monde d'Alain Delord

You can see at "18-03 and 04" scans of a french magazine pages that he reinforced the boat and the riggings as follow:

Stiffeners were added (based on Archambault shipyard advice) at the front of the hull.

front bulkhead was also reinforced and forepeak filled with foam to act as a crash-box.

The tie in points of the cables on the mast (pardon my poor english maritime vocabulary...) were also reinforced, and additionnal ones were installed above the spreader bar, in case of mast would felt down in order to reinstate quickly a new rigging.

A second / backup articulated piece between the mast and the boom was riveted as Alain was forecasting a potential rupture of the original one.

Alain explains his choice by preferring a light and fast boat, allowing him to run ahead the weather, rather than a heavier and slower one that has to widstand all the duration of the bad weather.

This a common philisophy in France, may be coming originaly from Moitessier that explains how he decided to run downwind in heavy sea (by cutting the mooring lines he first put at the back to slower the boat during the storm to avoid capsize) instead of waiting the bad weather to stop. Since then the very fast boats designed for racing are lighter and faster every year and are turning around the world...

Figaro solo sailor are frequently keeping their spynnaker up in 35 / 40 knots winds and Alain is familiar with this type of fast / light boat as it was the third boat he owned of this category.

A1s always, decision is a compromise and Alain explains that the A35 was the compromise he made considering his...budget, which is the case for most of us I believe.

In his website Alain shows also that he already planned to participate to the Transquadra race in 2014, before he left to sail around the world, I hope he'll still have the will for it after his adventure.

[Wotname]

Thanks for the update Eric

[Eric50]

For Outwest34au, Alain never claimed he was not allowed to race officially and the fact that he left (actually days before the Vendée Globe race) in the same period than the solo round the world one was both schedule coincidence.

Alain explains that he had 2 target in mind in his project, pass the Cape Horn as a keen sailor dream he said, and to beat Alain Magnan previous time on the same journey, and on a similar in length and serial manufactured boat as well (35' sun rise Jeanneau), to have a motivation to sail fast during the trip.

Nothing to do with the official racing activity, neither on the fact to not be accepted in such event.

I think Alain is a pure amateur, his sailing background speaks for itself, and he probably knew before departure that zero risk does not exist at sea, specialy on this type of journey and area.

I read once that there was much more people climbing the Everest than passing the Cape Horn nowadays, I don't know if it is true or not but it shows that in the modern world, the ocean is still a real adventure.

[Eric50]

You're welcome Wotname and thanks again to all the Australian / New Zealanders rescue services and rescuers that always make a terrific job in these difficult areas.

[Eric50]

I noted in the article given in link by "Deepfrz", that the author is explaining that immersion suit makes the thermal vision / detection ineffective when they are used...this is an important point to bear in mind when having these equipment as the thermal vision used by rescuer is one of the more sensitive mean of detection they have.

This means that it should be mandatory to have an alternative source of heat (flare?) when using this suits ?

Good to know, rescuer are always a very valuable source of information about safety, indeed.