Fogerty’s BAM Out of Round Britain & Ireland Race with Gear Breakages

16th August 2018

The Howth crew of BAM really had no choice in the matter of retiring, as the other masthead halyard had broken during the night

The Irish Sunfast 3600 Bam! (Conor Fogerty and Simon Knowles) has retired from the Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland race as of 1040 this morning, after breaking her second and only remaining masthead spinnaker halyard. Bam! was 55 miles west of Tory island, on course for St Kilda, making between 8 and 9 knots and holding her placing on sister-ships Game On and Tigris when the final breakage occurred reports W M Nixon.

With 1100 miles still to race, and at least half a day in a sheltered port with full facilities needed to effect a repair, the Howth crew really had no choice in the matter, as the other masthead halyard had broken during the night. They regretfully signalled their decision at 1100 hrs, and are now heading for a port on the north coast of Ireland.

“Put as simply as possible” said Conor Fogerty, “we’re gutted”.

Meanwhile, on-the-water leader Phil Sharp’s Class 40 Imerys Clean Energy is now well on her way along the St Kilda to Shetland islands stage, and is making 14 knots, while the two-Handed Division leader, the Figaro 2 El Velosolex (Benjamin Schwartz & Chen Jin Hao) is making 8.7 knots with 110 miles to go to St Kilda. The IRC handicap leader, Giles Redpath’s Lombard 46 Pata Negra, has just passed St Kilda, and is on a steady 11.6 knots towards the Shetlands.

Race Tracker here: http://yb.tl/rbni2018

Published in Rd Britain & Ireland

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THE RACE:

The 2022 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race is organised by The Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with The Royal Yacht Squadron. It is run every four years

There have been nine editions of the Round Britain and Ireland Race which started in 1976
Sevenstar has sponsored the race four times - 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and has committed to a longterm partnership with the RORC

The 2022 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race is a fully crewed non-stop race covering 1,805 nautical miles and is open to IRC, IRC Two Handed, IMOCA 60s, Class40s, Volvo 65s and Multihulls that will race around Britain and Ireland, starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes on the Isle of Wight starting after Cowes Week on Sunday 7 August 2022

The last edition of the race in 2018 attracted 28 teams with crews from 18 nations. Giles Redpath's British Lombard 46 saw over victory and Phil Sharp's Class40 Imerys Clean Energy established a new world record for 40ft and under, completing the course in 8 days 4 hrs 14 mins 49 secs.

The 1,805nm course will take competitors around some of the busiest and most tactically challenging sailing waters in the world. It attracts a diverse range of yachts and crew, most of which are enticed by the challenge it offers as well as the diversity and beauty of the route around Britain and Ireland with spectacular scenery and wildlife. Most sailors agree that this race is one of the toughest tests as it is nearly as long as an Atlantic crossing, but the changes of direction at headlands will mean constant breaks in the watch system for sail changes and sail trim

Published in Rd Britain & Ireland

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BAM!

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