Few pics for those following the real sailing rock stars.

Standing on between the rocks at the end of Bruny Island and Face Ocean as the tide flooded towards the rocks.

Report from Seb's race media

The stress of negotiating the narrow entrance to the bay at Port Esperance in the south of Tasmania, where Sébastien Destremau is making a short pit stop, nearly proved too much. The French skipper struggled with the pressure and admitted he found himself ‘crying like a baby’ for 15 minutes when he felt he could not pick up the required mooring under sail – as required by the race rules. He made an initial U-turn and headed back to sea despite his desperation to check over his rigging before the passage of the Pacific to Cape Horn.

The maneuvering proved successful and Destremau has climbed his rig, discovering that he has to make a carbon composite repair to a spreader. “The stress level to come all this way and try to get in with no charts, no detailed charts - there are rocks and fish farms – and it is very narrow channel – I did not like it,” Destremau recalled today. “It was a nightmare. I even turned around this morning and said ‘I am not going in’. I thought ‘I can’t do this, I am going to smash this boat on the rocks. And believe it or not, I was so tired, so desperate, so disappointed that I cried. I was on the deck crying like a baby. I thought I am going to sail away and just take my chances. And good luck to me in the Pacific. I cried for a good 15 minutes. That was how tired and stressed I was. But now the boat is tied up I am good. I am fine.”

Safe and sound in Port Esperance

Took the media contingent out this afternoon for the photo shoot.

Looks like a beautiful spot Lydia. Has he gathered much interest from the media?

Shaggy, been sending pics to Vendee and Seb's shore team.
Murdoch press photographer yesterday.
Taking a local guy out this morning to do a video interview for Vendee.
Onshore breeze today so Seb going nowhere.
Here is pic of Port Esperance.
We had snow down the mountain just last week like that.
Seb is moored up near the blue boat to right of centre.

Doing the spreader repairs.
Making a carbon patch to damage to spreader arm.
Two broken ribs made the climb a bit harder.
Real pisser when you drop the masking tape to the deck.

Out of interest for the fair weather cruising types around here, the blue boat is the back ground is the legendary "Rozinante"
So if your retirement cruise is a trip to the Whitsunday's, amongst other things, Jeremy and Penny thought two winters in Patagonia was more their thing followed by a trip up the Amazon then the Shetlands to see family then back to Port Esperance with only a stop in Cape Town.
Jeremy now edits "Flying Fish" the journal of the Ocean Cruising Club.
The boat is a steel Adams 40 (original version) with centreboard (10 feet down). Deck is lighter than normal to increase stability.
Small coachhouse for less windage and wood fired heater in the cabin.

Select to expand quote

lydia said..




Few pics for those following the real sailing rock stars.

Standing on between the rocks at the end of Bruny Island and Face Ocean as the tide flooded towards the rocks.

Report from Seb's race media

The stress of negotiating the narrow entrance to the bay at Port Esperance in the south of Tasmania, where Sébastien Destremau is making a short pit stop, nearly proved too much. The French skipper struggled with the pressure and admitted he found himself ‘crying like a baby’ for 15 minutes when he felt he could not pick up the required mooring under sail – as required by the race rules. He made an initial U-turn and headed back to sea despite his desperation to check over his rigging before the passage of the Pacific to Cape Horn.

The maneuvering proved successful and Destremau has climbed his rig, discovering that he has to make a carbon composite repair to a spreader. “The stress level to come all this way and try to get in with no charts, no detailed charts - there are rocks and fish farms – and it is very narrow channel – I did not like it,” Destremau recalled today. “It was a nightmare. I even turned around this morning and said ‘I am not going in’. I thought ‘I can’t do this, I am going to smash this boat on the rocks. And believe it or not, I was so tired, so desperate, so disappointed that I cried. I was on the deck crying like a baby. I thought I am going to sail away and just take my chances. And good luck to me in the Pacific. I cried for a good 15 minutes. That was how tired and stressed I was. But now the boat is tied up I am good. I am fine.”

Hi Lydia

Did he come in to Dover in the day or at night because as you know there is a fair bit of room on either side of Hope Island and in the day time it should have been fairly easy

Regards Don

Don, he had no charts and draws 4.6 m and no engine.
so not so easy.
And very bad if it goes wrong.
Seb got within 0.5m of the rocks at the end of bruny, flood tide no wind no engine.
very luckily he just got a little puff of breeze To get away.

Select to expand quote

lydia said..
Don, he had no charts and draws 4.6 m and no engine.
so not so easy.
And very bad if it goes wrong.
Seb got within 0.5m of the rocks at the end of bruny, flood tide no wind no engine.
very luckily he just got a little puff of breeze To get away.

Fair enough

regards Don