Ensuring the show in Saint-Malo
The 2018 Route du Rhum had 2 venues, 2 atmospheres! With the Ultim trimarans on the pontoon or anchored outside the port, these giants were not really included in the party. In 2022, the organizer has decided to remedy this. Francis Le Goff, race director, explains: "In 2020, we received a request from the sailors and OC Sport, the organizer, to be in the basins of Saint-Malo. So we started working on a solution."
Find technical solutions
The lock is 25 meters wide, for multihulls 23 meters wide, without their fenders. But the problem is actually upstream, in the area known as the cradle, which is used to align the boat. The metal device, too aggressive, risked damaging these carbon sailboats, which are not very resistant to scratching.
3 meetings were held on site. In consultation with the supplier Locaponton, a pontoon of variable width, allowing to catch up the curve of the metallic structure was imagined. The trimarans can thus line up by leaning on the pontoon and pass hawsers on land. The race director specifies: "That's 60 meters of pontoon, ranging from 1.50 meters wide to that of a slip. It had to be dismantled quickly afterwards, to let the commercial port operate with cargo ships during the week. Once on the pontoon, the boats are hauled in from the land. A minimum of 8 meters of water is needed in the lock to pull it forward and not too far up. A tarp was also added to the lock gate to fill in the gaps in the structure and prevent the fenders from jamming. Some teams added Teflon sheets on top to make it slide, and others added pieces of pipe, to each his own! We have to thank Actual who was willing to do the testing first for everyone else."
A weather-dependent maneuver
If the entry to Saint-Malo went without a hitch, we must hope that the weather will be as accommodating on Friday, November 4. If not, the race management has planned alternative solutions. "We have everyone's agreement to get out earlier if needed. We're watching for the best window between Monday and Friday. If there are more than 12-15 knots of southwest wind, which generates chop in front of the lock, or more than 20 knots across, we can't get through. We have five five-ton moorings in front of the Rance at the turnaround."
Let's hope that the weather will allow the Ultims to stay in front of the public as long as possible...
