Today, December 21, at 2 am Tomsk time (6 pm on the crew’s clock), the Coastal Expedition Center received a call from the crew. Evgeny Kovalevsky, the head of the expedition, said that the situation on the trimaran was quite dangerous, but not critical.
«During a strong storm, the front leg of the pyramid, to which the mast and front staysail are attached, collapsed. The mast could fall at any moment. The fixtures on the rear beam, which hold the trimaran’s central balloon, burst.
Throughout December 21, the Coastal Center team cleared up the details and thought over possible ways to solve the emerged problem. With the onset of daylight, still during the ongoing storm, Evgeny Kovalevsky, Stanislav Berezkin and Roman Garazhiev determined how critical the breakdowns of the trimaran were, checked up the reserves of food and water. The following decision was agreed upon:
«We have enough water for 2 weeks, also we do not have to worry about food. The supply of petrol is running out, so we will drift».
Сircumnavigators put a prop under the mast in order to prevent its falling. Now the men are constructing a temporary sail that will allow trimaran to drift in the right direction. Wind-wave conditions direct the trimaran to the Brazilian coast at a speed of two knots. All crew members are doing well.
The crew reports all the important information to the Coastal Center.
Elizaveta Shaimbaeva
