The VENDEE GLOBE non-stop singlehanded race around the world is only a few days old and 4 boats are out. the latest is Sam Davies, dismasted last night. All the competitors are safe, but we are all certainly asking where have we gone in yacht design. It may be an extreme case, but Olin Stephens stated many times that he considered the direction yacht design was taking was unseaworthy. A keel sheared off, a collision with a fishing boat, and a dismasting.
VENDEE GLOBE
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Don’t know all the details on Sam yet, but she was apparently in 40 knots and a nasty sea state and had been having issues with halyard jammers that had required her to jerry up something in the base of mast. You have to wonder if she fell victim to a confluence of dominoes.
Sad to see her out, her perseverence and great up beat attitude was one of the best parts of the last edition and her fourth as all sorts of the favorites fell by the wayside was certainly an example of the old “to finish first, first you have to finish” adage. Would’ve been great to see a repeat performance.