Dominique Wavre returns to port after Vendee start

7:37 PM Sun 9 Nov 2008 GMT
The shore crew of Temenos are working hard to fix the electrical problems which forced Dominique Wavre to sail back to Port Olonna. If the problem can be solved before midnight tonight then Temenos may be able to leave Les Sables d'Olonne and rejoin the race.

Dominique Wavre: 'Already this morning, when I was leaving the pontoon, the electric system was a bit doubtful. Once out at sea, I realised that it wasn't charging. The batteries were losing their power all the time. They're down now to half of their capacity. None of the chargers are working, neither the solar panels, nor the wind turbine nor the alternator. It was a fairly easy decision to decide to turn back, as by the end of the night I wouldn't have had any battery left, no energy at all. I would have been in 30-40 knots of wind, with the front that is forecast, with no automatic pilot, nothing at all. It was therefore only natural to head back to port and try to find out what is wrong with the damned electrical system!

'We realised there was something wrong a bit too late. We thought we had sorted it out by phone with the electrician. At sea upwind, I went inside and stripped down the wires to see if it wasn't a connection problem. I looked over the whole circuit, but couldn't find anything. So, it's beyond my electrical skills. It's down to the experts to find out what's wrong now.

Do you think you'll be stuck here for long? 'All depends if we find out what is wrong. I just hope that it is not the battery units themselves, which are the problem, as it will take a while to get some more from Paris. An electrical problem can be very complicated or very simple. I hope it is simple this time, so that I can get away on the next tide. If we repair it very quickly, we should be able to set sail again before midnight.'

by Veronique Teurlay

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Dominique Wavre returns to port after Vendee start

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