Not the recommended method for celebrating your 50th!!!

Two days ago we completed Run number 48, 49... and most of run 50.
Run 48 was done with the main rudder up but I struggled to turn VESTAS SAILROCKET away from the shore and passed very close to the beach before regaining control. So close in fact that I passed between the RIB and the timing hut... at over 42 knots of boat speed. I had the wing angle set out at around 20 degrees and figured that this contributed to the boats reluctance to bear away. At this stage I also believed that I was using the full range of the skeg steering. When you are fighting to avoid both the RIB and the shore at such high speeds you don't have time to look at the instruments... we will do that later when we consult the PI RESEARCH data logger. Another noticeable factor was the pod as this was flying cleanly throughout the top speed phase. Not skipping or even bouncing... but flying.

It was a glamorous day so we returned to the top of a very sunny 'speed-spot' for run 49. I was figuring on sheeting in the wing to a tighter angle and leaving the big rudder down just as a safety. This run went very smoothly and VESTAS SAILROCKET virtually sailed herself down the course with very little input from me. We peaked a fraction of a knot under 40 but completed a very smooth run with neutral helm.

The wind had picked up a little and we still had some time left. Should I tempt fate and do our 50th run down the Walvis Bay speed course? Absolutely. This game is not about being shy. I was determined to do a big run and see a new high peak speed to celebrate surviving to our 50th run. I sheeted in to around 10 degrees as VESTAS SAILROCKET accelerated like a... like a rocket I guess! The lee helm began very quickly. I eased the wing a little to lessen it but we were already well over 30 knots and I couldn't turn the bow up onto the course... even with the foot steering and the large low speed rudder. We were away from the flat water along the shore and out in the rough. I held it for a little while and then decided to bail out. The ride got bumpy. I heard that horrible noise of crisp composites failing. I figured that it might be the aft planing surface and focused on stopping the ride. Then all the steering went limp. Nothing! Something serious had happened. The boat swung wildly into a round-up and we were about to confront our old nemesis. The wing was now king and I was a spectator. It backwinded and sure enough... collapsed the beam. The beam folded to 90 degrees as VESTAS SAILROCKET effectively tacked to be pointing a full 180 degrees to course. The wind got under the back side of the wing and the whole show blew over. We had capsized. I was out of the cockpit and slid over to the bottom of the cockpit as if I was tipping a small beach dinghy over.

Helena and Hiskia were quickly on the scene and we managed to secure the scene by making sure all the data loggers were safe and that all the components were with us so that we could look into the cause later. I have been in this position enough times to know that we have to be very careful. The damage may not be as bad as it seems and we could easily make it a lot worse by doing the wrong things after the event. We nursed our crumpled boat back to the shore and began sorting it out. As we inspected the pieces the chain of events became obvious. It took us a few hours to get everything safe. The tide was very low so for the first time we had to leave our poor broken, wet and sandy boat over on the course along with the wing. We returned well after dark to an empty operations base on a near to moonless night.

I didn't sleep very well but with the new day comes the new challenge. We waited for the tide to come in and went and retrieved all the pieces. It really isn't that bad. The wing has once again amazed us by it's ability to resist major damage. the beam is simply broken in the same spot it always breaks. I'm good at repairing that part now. there is no point in making that area stronger. Something has to break in that situation. All the damage is very localised. There are broken bits literally from the top of the mast to the very back of the boat... but we have sustained worse.

I don't feel that bad about what happened because we didn't do anything wrong or build anything badly. A whole rudder bracket had simply been torn of the transom of the boat in a manner we hadn't figured on. It must have taken immense force. Much more than was ever accounted for.

It was akin to a Tyre blow-out on a race car that leads to an accident. The tyre is at fault and not the car.

The fixed skeg is locked off against these rudder brackets so once the rudder was gone... the skeg was no longer fixed. We effectively lost the 'tail of the aero plane'. When we rebuild it there will be a complete redundant system. All the data from the skeg, wing and wind was recorded as was the onboard footage which clearly shows the chain of events. Of course we aren't happy to be fixing the boat instead of sailing it but then this aspect of our project is just as much a part of the project as the more successful times. Each time we come back smarter and better prepared to move forward.
We will take around two weeks to get VESTAS SAILROCKET back in fighting shape.
In that time we will go over all aspects of what happened and what needs to be changed.

I'm already looking forward to Run 51 (it's my old motorbike racing number).

Cheers, Paul