Francis Joyon Update–Holey Multihull!: Our solo-sailing, non-stop circumnavigating friend is just about 2000 miles from home (maybe 10 days, tops), and guaranteed to set a blistering new world record…if he can just keep his boat upright and in one piece. Unfortunately, that is not proving easy as he cruises north past the western bulge of Africa. The bearings on Joyon’s main traveler (which controls the mainsail) are shot AND he has noticed a small hole in the port float, which has allowed about 300 liters of water into the hull. Joyon is as cool as can be about the problem:

“I’m not worried about it but it would be rather good if I could fix it. The water has got into one of the compartments. I don’t know how it could have happened. It’s odd because the hole is almost round, on the side, as if something sharp hit the float. When the sea gets to it I can clearly see the water penetrating it and seeping out again. If necessary, the only way to repair it, if it’s flat calm, is to swim out to it with some epoxy glue as it’s impossible to get access to the hole any other way. But with a nice little harness… ”

More worrisome is the area of calms and squalls he is passing through, where the sudden gusts of wind can flip his trimaran IDEC in an instant if Joyon is not vigilant in the extreme (no long naps, Francis!). Here’s his description:

“Last night, I went from 5 to 28 knots of wind in 10 seconds. If you don’t ease the sheets immediately that’s all it takes to capsize a multihull! But I did ease the sheets straight away and five minutes later the wind dropped off. This morning it’s not quite so violent. There are little squalls and flat calm. I hope it’ll be ok.”

TWC does too. Stay tuned, it’s crunch time on the Atlantic…..



IDEC In Trouble: “Please, Baby, please. Just keep it together for another week or so….”