Foto copyright Offshore Challenge Sailing Team
Foto copyright Offshore Challenge Sailing Team
Foto copyright Offshore Challenge Sailing Team
Fuente info BT
BT on her way back home
Upon arriving back in the UK this Sunday, the BT IMOCA 60 yacht will be lifted out of the water in Cowes and go straight in to short but intensive refit to bring her back to full racing condition for the 2010 IMOCA season, albeit no longer as ‘BT’.
BT, skippered by Seb Josse, whose chances of winning the Transat Jacques Vabre were shattered by a giant breaking wave which crushed her coachroof less than three weeks ago, is now on her way back towards England, after having left Praia da Vitoria (Terceira Island, Azores) on Monday, November the 30th. Aboard the "Beautriton" cargo ship, the IMOCA 60 will arrive in Southampton next Sunday, before being towed across the Solent, back to Medina Yard in Cowes on the Isle of Wight - the yard where she was built in 2007.
Considering the beating she took in the Atlantic after having suffered the blow that forced her crew to abandon her, the boat is in very good shape and has not suffered structurally, as the surveyor who assessed the damage in the Azores was able to confirm. Thanks to the very professional tugboat crew, the 130-mile tow back to the safety of Praia da Vitoria was completed without any collateral damage - BT arrived half-submerged but in one piece, with her rig and keel unscathed, which is a feat in itself given the very rough sea state and the huge loads induced by her increased displacement. As Sailing Team Director Charles Darbyshire, who took part in the rescue operation aboard the tug put it: "It was rough, but the captain was incredibly skilful and amazed us with his precision. An ex-tuna fisherman, he spotted BT long before we could even see her on the horizon, and when towing, he knew exactly when to ease the throttle and when he could accelerate without endangering the convoy. Really impressive."
As a result, the repairs and refit should prove to be straightforward, and everything is already in place in Cowes to welcome the BT yacht. "Paul Quinn, who was the lead builder when we started the construction, will be back to supervise the operations", explains Neil Graham, Technical Director of the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team. "Six additional boat builders have been hired, and the whole process will start by a drying-out process, which should take approximately three weeks, but of course during that time we'll be able to carry out a detailed assessment and formulate a precise refit plan, working in conjunction with the Farr Yacht Design office. On the composite repairs front, the task will be rather straightforward as it's only a matter of making the coachroof stronger, we're not looking at extensive composite work."
Neil adds: "The engineering of the coachroof and indeed the rest of BT’s structure is in excess of the rule requirement. It is also very representative of the current generation of IMOCA 60s, as confirmed by the Farr office." In addition to the composite work to the coachroof, the team will replace all the electronics, the electrical and charging system, as well as the boat's engine and the water makers. The 'usual' refit plan, which would have been implemented after the Transat Jacques Vabre in any case, will naturally be included in the global schedule and will include, as standard procedures require, a thorough check-up of every detail.
The Transat Jacques Vabre marked the final IMOCA event for the BT 60 under the BT sponsorship of the Sailing Team, and Offshore Challenges are now in discussions with potential partners for the 2010 IMOCA World Championship season, with principally the Barcelona World Race which starts 31 December in mind.
