In Team Malizia it’s Women’s Day every days
Repairs on IMOCA GUYOT environnement – Team Europe are well underway.
What was damaged?When the team hauled the boat out, tests were carried out to define with precision the part of the hull that was damaged on the port side.The problem lies in the honeycomb structure, the core of the sandwich, in between two layers of carbon skin.The hulls of the IMOCA boats are often made with a sandwich structure:– Inside, a first 1,5 to 2mm thick layer of carbon, the inner skin– Then the core, which can be a honeycomb structure made of kevlar material, making it strong and light.– And another 1,5 to 2mm thick layer of carbon on the outside, the outer skin.The core of the sandwich cannot be repaired when damaged, so it needed to be changed.What steps to carry out the repairs?Monday, the team started with strengthening the hull from the inside, placing some foam stiffeners (like adding ribs to a skeleton) between 2 girders in the cabin. This was done on both sides.Tuesday, they cut the outer skin of the hull to remove the damaged honeycomb structure, which will be replaced with foam. Foam is a bit heavier but also stronger.Today, this work continued and the foam will be covered with the outer carbon skin.Finally, the repaired hull will be sanded and repainted at the end of the week, before hauling the boat back in the water.Once the repairs are completed, the boat will be ready again to sail the oceans and will be back to its full potential.
Nichts neues von der Rennbahn 🙁
23:00 Malizia fällt zurück. Ursache kann eigentlich nur eine weitere Panne sein 🙂
