Rookie Paul Meilhat, who was sailing aboard SMA, has put in an incredible performance since the start of the Vendée Globe on 6th November. Currently in third place, he was battling it out with Jeremie Beyou, alongside whom he has been sailing for the past month. Unfortunately, he is now heading north to repair his keel actuator damage.
"J' secured the keel in the axis with a system of pods and chocks and I stowed the sails, because I had a lot of canvas. Since then, I've been heading north-west to get out of the strong winds. I haven't yet decided on the trajectory, which will depend on the weather two days from now. With a keel like that, I couldn't get round Cape Horn. I didn't feel safe, so I put myself and the boat in a safe place" explained Paul on Wednesday, December 21.
The skipper of the 60-foot monohull SMA has now been sailing north for two days. He has posted a video (see below) in which he looks back on his situation, avoiding thinking about the abandonment, which will have to happen as the sailor needs assistance for his repairs. "The change of pace is going to be very abrupt, it's very hard to take!" he explains.
His shore team managed to find a replacement at Maître Coq, sponsor of Jeremie Beyou, Paul Meilhat's loyal competitor on this solo round-the-world race, non-stop and without assistance. Paul could thus be back in the race - in off-race mode - in 8 to 10 days time. Since Tuesday, Marcus Hutchinson, the director of the SMA Ocean Racing programme, Marc Liardet, the boat captain and Clément Rivé, the electronics and energy manager, have been looking for a replacement actuator for SMA. It took too long to manufacture - the part would arrive in January - the three men scoured the shipyards and hangars in Port-la-Forêt and Lorient, before finding the part at Maître Coq.
"I'm heading north, the most important thing is the safety of the boat. It's not easy with a keel stuck in the axis and still moving around a bit. After inspection, the jack will have to be replaced... The question of abandonment is going to come up, I'm going to need assistance (...) It (the route) is going to be long: I'm not far from the Nemo point - the furthest point in the oceans from any land (Editor's note). It will give me time to digest the disappointment. Sportily, I was at full throttle and the change of pace is going to be brutal. It's very hard to take it, it's gonna take me a few days to be able to express myself on that..." indicates Paule Meilhat in her onboard video.
The skipper of SMA should decide today if he decides to head for New Zealand, which seems better equipped to welcome a damaged IMOCA 60. But this destination would force him to face headwinds, which is not a good thing with a recalcitrant keel. The other option is French Polynesia, which has less of a big infrastructure, but promises to be more tolerant. The keel jack, which weighs 90 kgs and has to be dispatched as quickly as possible to arrive on the quay before the skipper and his boat, is all that's missing is the choice of where to send it!
