Back in England for a second offshore race: The De Guingand Bowl.
It started this morning on a good force 8 well established (i.e. 40 knots of wind, or about 80 km/h, you might as well say that it takes off!). All on a well-formed sea after the gale that night (guess who did not sleep by watching the slightest shocks on the boat). Never mind, in England, whatever the weather conditions, we always give the start! Yet of the 68 registered, only 54 start.
After 5 hours of racing we see our competitors fall like buns around us, already reaching 25 abandonments! But we are determined, even if the wind and its strong gusts do great damage to the boats and the men. There's no way we're going to give up!
However, just as we passed Cowes, our foc amur point broke, and the sail derailed and beat in the air. Imagine 50 square meters of sail to beat in all directions by sweeping the bridge! With two large metal parts (the attachment points)! When she came to her control, she went to seriously injure the coxswain. We slumped immediately to take him to the hospital where he was treated in the evening.
Stitched up everywhere but unscathed, our teammate is doing really well: it could have been much worse!
In the end, it was a very formative experience and, while I am disappointed that I did not finish the race, I am especially grateful that nothing more serious happened. It's a good reminder to order: never underestimate the sea and the wind!
