Italians Andrea Gancia and Matteo Miceli were attempting to set a new transatlantic beach-cat record with their custom-built, 20-foot catamaran. The following was just sent to me by Maurizio Guiggioli, who was kind enough to translate a report to English for us.
The official web site of Team Tris (www.oceancat.net/
announced that the attempt of the two Italians to beat the Transatlantic record failed practically after 11 hours from start, even if at the end the two catsailors were forced to stay at sea for 3 days.
This is a brief translation of the Italian text of Andrea and Matteo.
QUOTE
We leave Dakar at 12.20 GMT on December 26 with 5 knots of wind and a fairly flat sea. After 3 hours at a slow pace (20 nm covered) the expected north-easterlies start to puff and our 20' open cat sails easily at 15-17 knots under full main and the furling Code 0, notwithstanding the heavy burden of food and stuff. When the sun sets we replace the Code 0 with a jib, but still manage to travel at 17-19 knots although a little wet and hungry. Suddenly, at around 23.00 GMT with Matteo steering, we hear a big bang from stern: the rudder is gone. Confident to be able to replace it (they started with 4 spare rudders/Note of the translator) we prepare for the repair, in the dark in a mounting sea. Unfortunately we find that the rudder pintles are bent or come apart: we try fruitlessly to straighten them also swimming in the water only to realize that our attempt to beat the Transatlantic record of Bouscholte and Navarin is failed after only 110 nm from Dakar and 12 months
of hard work vanished. Since it is evidently very difficult (to say the least) to make progress upwind without a rudder against high waves and an adverse stream, we decide to head for the Cape Verde Islands some 300 nm far. After 2 days of a difficult navigation with the permanent fear to break
the other rudder, in the late afternoon of December 28, we catch sight of the Sao Vicente Isle. For safety reason we opt to reach the isle with the sunlight and stop at 10 nm from the seaside. At dawn the wind has risen to
30 knots producing big breakers. In a big puff also the second rudder breakes. We are at only 100 meter from the cliff, when by chance we see a small fisher boat, which draw us to the harbour....
UNQUOTE
Maurizio Giuggioli
an Italian subscriber to Catsailor Magazine