📞🌊 Damien wasn’t expecting to hear THAT familiar voice on the phone - special guest Jean-Luc VDH
17 October 2026 · 21 min · 2K views
What this video covers
Damien Guillou, competing in the Golden Globe Race, reports significant wear on his mainsail halyards caused by a recent mast hardware modification.14:07 After replacing his mainsail track and ball-bearing cars before the race, the new headboard geometry caused the halyards to chafe against the masthead cheeks when sailing downwind with the mainsail fully hoisted.14:06 To mitigate the risk of failure before entering the Southern Ocean, Guillou stopped at Trindade Island to perform repairs.10:47 He successfully re-threaded a lost halyard and installed a third, external halyard by lashing a block to the masthead using a heavy-duty webbing strop secured with lashings.12:39
Currently sailing in 18 to 25 knots of wind with heavy, disorganized swell, Guillou struggles with upwind performance in his Rustler 36.3:41 He maintains a water consumption rate of 2.8 liters per day and reports no structural leaks.8:09 He manages the isolation of the race by listening to music and reading, noting that he has not received radio contact from other competitors for over a week.1:37 Proactive rigging modifications and redundant halyards provide the necessary security for the upcoming leg.
Boats in this video
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