Bermudes 1000 Race - Goose neck damage on board Superbigou

This morning whilst performing one of the regular deck and rig checks, Pip noticed that a critical pin holding the boom onto the mast had worked it’s way loose and was close to failing. This pin failing would have caused major issues for both Pip and the boat. Fortunately, Pip has managed to jury rig a temporary repair meaning that she is able to continue.

“I was doing a walk of the deck this morning and the goose neck pin had almost completely come out of the goose neck. This is a problem because the mast articulates slightly, so the goose neck pin is stopping the mast from rotating and the retaining bolts hold it in place The threads on it have all pretty much completely stripped. So, I’ve spent about 2hrs trying to make a fix for it and I’ve basically managed to pull the rig around to line everything up again and tapped the pin back down again and I’ve got the retaining bolt underneath it. So, the problem is, I don’t think that the retaining bolt is gripping the pin, it’s just kind of locating it. So then what I’ve done is put a lashing over the top of the whole lot to try and stop it from coming back up again and then I’ve put a lash on the boom to the mast so if it does come out, at least the boom will stay vaguely in the right place, and I’ve also put a further line on just to keep the mast up to windward, in case the pin does go.”

As Pip is now having to nurse Superbigou around the course, she has had to take the foot off the gas somewhat, allowing other competitors to sail past her. The temporary repair is being checked every 15mins, and currently seems to be holding. However, tonight’s forecast is for breeze in excess of 30kts. So, it is now important to make sure that the boat sails safely through the night, and then on Monday morning assess the damage and plan how to continue.

For Pip, this race is now just about finishing within the time limit. The safety of both her and the boat is paramount.