Slight damage on board of the IMOCA Hublot last night, when the front deck hatch broke off and “the boat filled with water”. But Alan Roura held on and is now heading for the Gallimard waypoint. He explains.
It was in the middle of the night when most skippers were jibing to deal with the front. As was Alan Roura, “well positioned” to ensure his tack. But then the front deck hatch of IMOCA Hublot tore off. “A line of water arrived in the rear cell”, explained the young Swiss man. “By the time I realised, the front deck hatch had torn off and the boat had filled up with water.”
Alan then got into action mode to manage to sort things out. “I altered my course slightly and spent a lot of time emptying all the water of the boat and put a spare hatch back on.”
For the moment, it’s hard to define the reasons for the damage. “There was a lot of water on deck and we dug into a wave, maybe that was when the hatch tore off”, Alan supposes. Mechanically slowed down for a while and her skipper drained of his energy, Hublot is now “back on course for the Gallimard waypoint”. Alan is reassuring, “I’ll build up some strength and get back into gear!”
Currently in 14th position, Alan is only about thirty miles from the Top 10.
With the editorial board of Guyader Bermudes 1 000 Race
Photo © Pierre Bouras / Hublot