Interview part IV

A lot of people told you that a capsized Tornado cat is impossible to straight up, how were you able to accomplish this?

I actually capsized twice. The second capsize happened the night of the 9th and this time the boat went completely upside down with the mast and the sails straight under water. Overall it took me hours before I could put it back straight again but with some improvements it could be done much faster. The key feature needed to accomplish this is weight. Bella Stella is a racing Tornado build in nomex sandwich by Technicomposit and each hull weights just 40 kilos. Its carbon mast, built by Marstrom, is very light and has a wide aerodynamic profile filled with air which gives the mast a high lifting power when it is underwater. I also had on board a 4 meter carbon tube that Italcanna built specifically for the purpose to put the catamaran straight up again. I used the tube as a lever to make the catamaran rotate on its longitudinal axe for about 30° to 40°. The mast was then able to make it rotate up to 80°/85°. At this point I was able to take the sails down and rotate the cat all the way up straight.

As I said also this second capsize happened during the night. The sky was clear and enlightened by the moon but I had to work in the water for a long time and I was feeling cold. I was also nervous and acting fast, too fast… when I climbed on the carbon tube the first time to leverage up the cat, it broke because I did not install it properly. Without the lever it was impossible to turn the catamaran… I needed another lever. The bome was difficult to take apart and anyway too short as a lever. My second and last chance was to take apart the gennaker pole, so I did. During this operation several times I repeated to myself two things: Now it is time to activate the EPIRB and Come on! Gather your energies and make it!