What it takes to sail The Ocean Race
May 10, 2023
4 min read
The Ocean Race 2022-23 is the ultimate test for both sailors and their gear, and GUYOT environnement - Team Europe learned this the hard way when they had to suspend racing just three and a half days into Leg 3. Now they are back in the race, sailing north out of Brazil towards Newport, Rhode Island with the rest of the fleet.
Before embarking on Leg 4 from Itajaí, we talked with the crew about the incident and what it takes to compete in the world's toughest team sailing event.
Two cracks and the leg is over
7.30 a.m. local time on March 1st, just as they dipped into the zone below 40 degrees south, around 600 nautical miles from the start of the third leg of The Ocean Race 2022-23, the crew noticed cracking and movement in the hull structure below the laminate.The first analysis showed that the damage was so serious that a safe continuation of the stage from Cape Town to Itajaí, Brazil, was not possible.
"I was just coming off watch and trying to get out of my clothes. But it was quite hard because we were in pretty big waves and going fast. I was just about to get into my bed. I could see on the opposite side of the boat that a case tied to the floor was moving and I was thinking maybe I'm a bit paranoid. But I’d never seen it move like that before. So I went over to check it and then I could hear the noise of delamination. I alerted Ben and woke up Charles to check if they could hear it too. They could hear it. I put my hand on the floor and I could feel it moving up and down," says sailor Annie Lush.
The noise was loud and crisp and when you see a big floor panel moving up and down almost eight centimeters, it's scary. And you don't even know how the outer skin of the hull is looking.
“We put a lot of heavy equipment on this panel to put some pressure on it, to stop it moving up and down. But we worried, what would happen if it all opened up? I don't know if the pumps would have managed to work against it, and if things could have gone really wrong for the boat,” says co-skipper Robert Stanjek.
The crew slowed the boat, ran a full check, closed all the hatches and made sure the lifejackets and survival suits were within easy reach, should the worst ever happen.
In consultation with the technical team, the yacht designers and the team management, it was decided to return to Cape Town and the race management was informed that the leg had to be abandoned.
“I just felt awful for everyone on board, for different reasons. For Ben, it’s his boat. For Robert, it was his first time in the south and his first Ocean Race. For Charles, it was also his first time. For Seb, this was pretty much exactly what happened in his last Vendée Globe,” says Annie.
Getting back in the race
The repair of the IMOCA yacht of GUYOT environnement - Team Europe went faster than expected and the crew could start sailing the yacht from Cape Town to Itajaí on March 16th.
"It was really a tough job because there was an area of several square meters delaminated. It was the right decision to return to Cape Town. With the damage we wouldn't have been able to sail through the Southern Ocean," skipper Benjamin Dutreux says.
"The damage was so extensive that we assumed it would take about a month to repair in a shipyard. But we knew we had to do it in a week. It was really a great technical and human achievement. We had five men under the boat and three men in the boat laminating. It's a good example that you can achieve a lot with great manpower and that you should never give up. It further bonded the team together."
Co-skipper Robert Stanjek points out that the team was lucky after the damage: "We are happy that we came through this crisis. Our workshop and storage containers were still in Cape Town, we were able to use all our tools and access our materials."
Ready for the Doldrums
The second half of The Ocean Race has begun as the fleet races north from Itajaí, Brazil to Newport, Rhode Island. Leg 4 is about 5,500 nautical miles and is expected to take up to 17 days, with an ETA around May 9th or 10th.
And the crew of GUYOT environnement - Team Europe is ready. With more than half of the race points still available, they can still make an impact on the scoreboard.
“Everybody is a little bit disappointed, but I think this race is also about whether you can do some solid, successful single legs on the overall scoreboard. We are all very much looking forward to the coming legs, we’re motivated and focusing on the strong sides of the team. We have analyzed our mistakes and we have worked out ways of improving. We have good sailors on the team, we have less hours of wear on the sails, the boat is fixed and back together. Let’s bring it on!” says co-skipper Robert Stanjek.
The Crew
GUYOT environnement – Team Europe are sticking with the same crew that set out on Leg 3. That wasn’t originally in the plan, but after the retirement of the boat from Leg 3, skipper Benjamin Dutreux and the team decided that it would be best to retain the continuity of crew from the previous leg. Most of the crew took the opportunity to rest and recuperate back at home, so they have had a good few weeks to recharge and get ready for a strong performance up the Atlantic.
The crew of the GUYOT environnement - Team Europe for Leg 4 of The Ocean Race is:
Benjamin Dutreux (FRA) Skipper
Robert Stanjek (GER) Co-Skipper
Sébastien Simon (FRA)
Annie Lush (GBR)
Gauthier Lebec (FRA) OBR
Follow GUYOT environnement - Team Europe
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