After yesterday's race decided to have another sail out in the Gulf waters with Idefix III (Prowler MK II). Got sailing out passed the bridge under construction and the channel out in the gulf. Sailed out on port then tacked to return on starboard. Accelerated foiling at good speed trying to make it downwind back threw the channel (Mina Port). Sundely, once again the main foiled which I had fixed snapped in two parts, so no more foiling. Sailed downwind down the channel back to the Club. However when passing the bridgre under construction sailed into a wind hole behind the bridge. The 2-3 knots current then pushed me towards a massive construction barge. I jumped into the water to swim and pull Idefix III away from the barge but could do nothing. Idefix capsized and got completely pushed against the barge by the current. I jumped on a hanging strap, climbed on a tire and got on the barge two meters above water while Idefix III was getting skuashed under the barge, AED 60,000 worth of carbon being crunched against a 100 Ton steel barge, the worth nightmare. Anyway finded myself standing on the barge waiving to boats, finaly a taxi boat with a Pakistani driver stopped by and I jumped on the rescue boat. We drove arround the barge and miraculously Idefix III was still there being pushed against the barge in the strong current. I passed a rope, was very difficult, and we pulled Idefix III out away from the barge. The damage is quite extensive, the back of the boat were the rudder is fixed got snapped away with the rudder, the center board broke, the boom broke, the mast seems still OK, a bar is broken, tranpoline torn, looks like a month work. It is a miracle that Idefix III got saved from this monstruous barge. In this whole story I am also lucky to not have passed myself under the barge.
ADSC, Friday 28th August Race
Perfect sailing conditions, north-north- west at more then 15 knots, Monthly Mug race, missed the start by one minute, but then got foiling and completed the race in 32 minutes way ahead of everybody.
