ORANGE II. Express assistance!

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On Thursday 19 February at 11.00 Gmt, Orange II announced the damage to its starboard bow – the crash box having disappeared during the night – and its return to Lorient (Atlantic coast). Multiplast Yard and the Gilles Ollier Design Team put together a skilled group whose rapid intervention should enable Orange II to be ready to set off again as soon as possible.
As Orange II began heading back to Lorient on Thursday afternoon, the Multiplast prototype team were preparing the foam blocks used in the replacement of the crash boxes. This operation basically consists of layering the sheets of foam to a 200 millimetre thickness. Meantime another team were organising the logistics so that the catamaran could be dismasted and lifted out of the water on its arrival.

The hoisting operation was finished early Sunday afternoon. With the catamaran barely on the hard, tents, heating and scaffolding were erected, at which point the non-stop work began. There then followed a series of surfacing and gluing of the foam prepared in the yard, along with the "shaping" or streamlining of the foam. This Monday afternoon, lamination should start which will be finished by the end of the day. The finishing touches and the painting will then be completed. This will be done on Monday night.

Veritable fuses...

At the speed that these boats go, the crash-box on the bows is absolutely indispensable. In fact, in the event of a collision with a floating object, it enables the frontal shock to be absorbed so as to avoid extensive structural damage. The one on the Orange II\'s starboard hull fulfilled its role perfectly with the crash box becoming detached cleanly. The structure is completely sound. As a result the boat can continue its course, which she did by returning under her own power.
Gilles Ollier : "In fact, the hulls are equipped with a double security system. There are two successive crash boxes. The first is intended to take low impact, the second is for more intensive collisions. It is a construction process that forms part and parcel of Multiplast's creations to increase passive safety and enable the structure to continue sailing. This device has a similar function to car bumpers. They mustn't be too solid in order to absorb the energy of the impacts, thus avoiding more extensive damage. By way of example, the 85 foot catamaran Jet Service V beat the North Atlantic record with a crash box that was missing from the first day of the crossing..."

Explanation ?

As regards the cause of the damage, no explanation was really given, though the crew affirm that they didn't hit anything. With all the ambient noise on these boats when you hurtle along at 30 knots, not all collisions can be identified. As proof of this, Orange II's crew didn't notice the damage until during the morning's daylight inspection, though the crash box must have disappeared in the preceding hours. There was no indication or reduction in performance to warn them of any damage. A thorough inspection on shore has lead Gilles Ollier to believe that a collision could be the cause for this damage, as is suggested by the slight damage to the leading edge of the starboard daggerboard.
If a favourable weather window presents itself quickly, Orange II could set off again very rapidly, the express intervention of Multiplast potentially saving the day...