A boat in slow motion...
Since the arrival of the last competitor in the Golden Globe Race, Tapio Lehtinen, we are only talking about the 110 days between him and the winner of the event, Jean-Luc Van Den Heede. Or rather the reason that forced the Finnish to sail almost 4 more months to complete his circumnavigation: hundreds of inch-feet and other crustaceans hung on the hull of his boat.
For those who don't know, the barnacle is a crustacean that takes its name from its resemblance to a raised thumb. If its appearance can be disgusting, it would seem that it is a real délice?!
While he was in the Indian Ocean, elbow to elbow with Istvan Kopar, he was largely overtaken. "I thought something was wrong - maybe a fishing line caught in the propeller - and I dived overboard into an area of calm just before Hobart's door to check. Neither tip nor net, but barnacles growing all over the hull. The first time I saw any under the hull, I knew the competition was over for me." explains Tapio.
While several skippers took advantage of the mandatory stop in Tasmania to clean their hulls, Tapio's phobia prevented him from doing so. Indeed, the refit of the ships must be carried out 200 miles from the territorial waters. However, when the Finnish skipper was about to dive to clean his hull, a shark appeared beside his boat, putting an end to his diving attempt.
"I was tinkering with the climbing ladder at the back and discovered this huge shark swimming along the boat - and it was the worst day of my life" said the last of the Golden Globe Race.
It was therefore in all conscience that he chose to continue his journey, carrying marine life on his sailboat. Nevertheless, the Gaia 36 Asteria de Tapio should not have been so dirty, even after 322 days of sailing.
So, antifouling or pas??
The hull of the boat out of the water did a lot parler?! " You'll give me the name of your antifouling so I don't use it..." was one of the many comments left on social networks. Even VDH - who came to welcome the last competitor in the Golden Globe Race - went from his commentary: "It's quite strange. One wonders what kind of antifouling he used. I've seen this before on boats that have been in the water for several years in a port, but normally a boat on the water shouldn't be so dirty."
We can clearly see in the images a difference in the condition of the hull between the top and bottom and therefore the difference in antifouling used. Because yes, Tapio did have an antifouling on his boat. So why this statement-là??
To entertain the gallery, the Finnish skipper even bit into one of these famous barnacles, whose kilo is worth 80 ? in France?! And when he was told that it couldn't be very good for his stomach with the paint, he replied, "What peinture??" laughing.
So is it an antifouling error or a question from réglementation?? Because in Sweden, boats must have a copper leaching rate of less than 55 µg copper/cm2/day.
The organization explains: "Tapio asked for a classic antifouling to be applied to the hull of his boat, which unfortunately was not the case. No one informed him that his antifouling was interchanged. It's sad for him, but that's life."
However, the 61-year-old skipper was lucky as his boat could have been severely damaged. If the rudder has not been damaged, the propeller must be replaced.
If he laughs about it, Tapio is nevertheless sorry for having sailed so slowly, on a "superb racing boat."
