Of the 33 IMOCAs which started the Vendee Globe Race, four have officially abandoned. Two, Hugo Boss and Arkea Paprec, were damaged after striking Unidentified Floating Objects (UFOs). A third boat, Sam Davies’ Initiatives Coeur was also damaged by a UFO collision. Davies is now evaluating whether she will be able to stay in the race. Corum L’Épargne, sailed by Nicolas Troussel, quit the race after dismasting, and PRB sank after an apparent structural failure.
In considering the status of the race, the French phrase, plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, ( the more things change, the more they stay the same) comes to mind. Looking back at the 2016-2017 Vendee Globe Race, little seems to have changed. Four years ago, UFOs were the largest single cause of damage to the fleet.
As we wrote in our post “The Cluttered Ocean — UFOs and the Vendee Globe” of December 20, 2016: “So far, of the original 29 competitors in the Vendee Globe singlehanded around the world race, 5 have been forced to retire after being damaged by collisions with UFOs, unidentified floating objects. Another boat, Hugo Boss, sailed by Alex Thomson, lost a foil daggerboard to a UFO, but has managed to keep sailing, and is now still in second place. Three other Vendee Globe racers have retired for reasons not related to collisions — two due to dis-masting and the other from damage to a foil in heavy weather.”
Jean-Pierre on another thread here: I thought following the race was going to be a relief from all the political stupidity that is in the news but it is causing me even more stress and worry.
Yeah, getting there. 🙂
Would this idea work? All containers shipped by sea to have two small ports in the sides which dissolve after a weeks immersion. The sea would get in, the air would get out, the beasts would sink. The inclusion of these would be compulsory and omissions subject to fines and confiscation of the containers and contents. Carriers might then take less risks in stacking cargo dangerously high and fix everything more securely.
Just thinking.
neat idea, mike! i wonder though, how long it would take to retrofit all those existing containers . . . .
It wouldnt be hard to retrofit containers. Lobster fishing in Maine already are required to install “ghost doors”. The idea being if the trap isnt tended a door dissolves rendering the trap not a trap at all.
Yet as a previious post mentioned. The boat snagged some ghost netting. Ghost netting isnt a container.
It might not be great for aerodynamics, but sounds like these boats need “cow catchers” like the old locomotives had.
If you could avoid damage from a UFO you at least have a better chance to finish the race.
Containers full buoyant material such as balsa wood or plastic bottles etc would still float and what about the containers with hazardous materials inside?
Make sure they stay afloat and fit mob trackers perhaps. But because trackers are expensive there would be another excuse for misdeclaring the contents.
Tags on all fishing nets coded to the vessel would help but so many illegal ships… China I mean yours.
UFO’S – this brings two things to mind.. maybe 3..
1) find the containers if that is what they may be and fine the shipping companies for damages.
2) Prior to next Vendee globe employ the USA Navy to go a hunting with subs and destroy alien objects.
3) Put word out to salvage’s that there is pure gold in the containers..
4) Possibly a fourth solution, can anyone say “SONAR”? We build a multi-million dollar boat and are aware that this is a major hazard and fail to fit it with a protective system.(autosail out of way of hassard?!!) come on it is not that hard, my fish finder will do that.