RACING WITH THE DEVIL

In January 2007 Francesco did his first attempt to cross the Atlantic on a light and fast Tornado catamaran. After 17 days, 12 of which without food, water and instruments, Francesco had sailed for 2000 miles but he was exhausted and had to give up his attempt and ask for assistance. The vessel Norman Lady picked up Francesco and his catamaran just 800 miles from Guadeloupe and still on the correct route. Here is the story of what happened in those 17 days alone in the middle of the Ocean.

Interview part I

01:00 AM Sunday morning January 27. Barcelona is already a few hours behind us as we are heading back to Antibes (France), back home. Jean Baptiste and Laurent are driving in the front of the van while Francesco and I are lying sleepless in the back. From the rear windows we can see the catamaran on the trailer. We've been on the road to get Francesco and the cat for almost 24 hours, it has been a long day.

Aldo - Francesco, I think I have the right title for the next post on the website.

Francesco - Yes?

Well.. it has to do with the demon that must have been hunting you during the crossing, it's the only explanation I have to understand what you did.

Yes, I've been a little bit crazy, I realize that.

Ok, let's start from the last time we talked on the satellite phone, that is January the 5th. You told me that the conditions were quite hard and that you were afraid to lose or damage the phone while using it because of all the waves breaking on the boat. You sounded a bit overwhelmed by the huge task ahead of you.

Those first few days have been though, the wind was blowing constantly up to 30 knots. The third night has been the toughest. Imagine the full moon shining on braking waves 4 meter high. I had to steer constantly the entire night to go fast and to avoid being hit too hard by the breakers. By that time I was well off the last of the Canary islands, Hierro. That is when I started to have a strong feeling of how ephemeral was my sail boat, a meaningless dot in the middle of an infinite Ocean.

Interview part II

Despite your many years of sailing with small catamarans across the Mediterranean sea, even single handed during the winter, this was your first experience in the Ocean.

Yes, during the first 2 days I was sailing close to the Canary islands, but starting the third day, when I was off the coast, I started to feel the Ocean. That was a truly new and unbelievable experience. I had a feeling, not a light feeling but something like a thick feeling, a feeling that permeated time and space. The feeling of the indefinite surrounding me.

What happened on the 7th? How did you lose all your equipment?

It was about 1 hour before dawn when the cat capsized. That was caused by a combination of autopilot failure, a knot in the main sheet and the weight being all on the hull upwind. On top of that I was not quick enough to react.
Ooops… one second later I was in the sea and the catamaran on the side. Fortunately the water was not that cold and the moon light was there to help. During the first quick check of the boat I saw the main storage bag floating aside the hull in the sea. Then I concentrated on setting up the leverage kit in order to put the cata back up straight. After a few minutes I realized that the storage bag was no longer there and I could see it a last time amid the waves. It was already too far for me to swim and get it. At the time of the capsize the storage bag contained all the water, all the food and pharmacy, the tools, the sat phone and other equipment. The survival part of the crossing started then.

The first question that most people have when they listen to your story is: how could you survive 12 days without drinking!?

Starting the second day of the survival period I was drinking a few ounces of sea water per day. Every time I was feeling really thirsty I drank 2 or 3 sips, basically what can be hold in my hand no more.

Interview part III

Given the situation, why didn't you activate the EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radiobeacon) on the 7th?

When I finally managed to put the boat back up the drinking water was lost but the catamaran had not a single damage. Just one hour after the dawn, the boat and I were ready to sail again. I did not felt like being in a situation of distress, I could have sailed for a few days trying to find a boat for support. Also the Tornado that I built with the support of market leaders like Technocomposit, Marstrom and Ullman Sails was so beautiful that I had no intention to abandon it without a good fight.

What happened in the days following the capsize?

In a few words I was totally concentrated on sailing, day and night, basically without sleeping since also the autopilot had been lost. Sometimes, especially at night, I was falling asleep for a few minutes. The boat eventually changed course and the jib sail started to flap or the waves hit the boat thus waking me up. Those few minutes asleep were enough to give me some rest and to encourage me to continue steering. So I did keep on sailing.

Interview part IV

A lot of people told you that a capsized Tornado cat is impossible to straight up, how were you able to accomplish this?

I actually capsized twice. The second capsize happened the night of the 9th and this time the boat went completely upside down with the mast and the sails straight under water. Overall it took me hours before I could put it back straight again but with some improvements it could be done much faster. The key feature needed to accomplish this is weight. Bella Stella is a racing Tornado build in nomex sandwich by Technicomposit and each hull weights just 40 kilos. Its carbon mast, built by Marstrom, is very light and has a wide aerodynamic profile filled with air which gives the mast a high lifting power when it is underwater. I also had on board a 4 meter carbon tube that Italcanna built specifically for the purpose to put the catamaran straight up again. I used the tube as a lever to make the catamaran rotate on its longitudinal axe for about 30° to 40°. The mast was then able to make it rotate up to 80°/85°. At this point I was able to take the sails down and rotate the cat all the way up straight.

As I said also this second capsize happened during the night. The sky was clear and enlightened by the moon but I had to work in the water for a long time and I was feeling cold. I was also nervous and acting fast, too fast… when I climbed on the carbon tube the first time to leverage up the cat, it broke because I did not install it properly. Without the lever it was impossible to turn the catamaran… I needed another lever. The bome was difficult to take apart and anyway too short as a lever. My second and last chance was to take apart the gennaker pole, so I did. During this operation several times I repeated to myself two things: Now it is time to activate the EPIRB and Come on! Gather your energies and make it!

Interview part V

When did you eventually realize that it was time to switch on the EPIRB?

I always knew that the EPIRB was the most precious object on board. Since the departure it was in the main pocket of my jacket. I finally decided to activate the EPIRB 18 days after the departure, 12 of which without water and food. At that time I felt a sudden weakness. This weakness came so suddenly that it surprised me even if I was expecting it. To me the time had come to activate the EPIRB.

Do you have a clear memory of what happened in the following hours?

I stopped the boat and had some sleep, I was exhausted. From time to time I was looking around to check if a boat was coming to rescue me. I continued watching around even when the night came. It was the middle of a calm and clear night when I saw on the horizon the light of a boat or a ship. I gathered my energies to raise the main sail and I stood up to make myself visible as much as possible. On board the catamaran there were no signaling devices left. When I saw the search lights of the ship I started to direct the catamaran toward the ship. A few times the search lights were pointing towards me, but did not stop on me. That happened maybe just for 5 minutes, the longest 5 minutes of my life, while I kept on sailing toward the ship. Finally the light stopped on me for a few seconds and I could see the light powerful enough to enlighten the hulls. I then understood that they saw me. After a few seconds I could hear one long sound of the horn. I was safe.

Racing With The Devil

Above: the cargo light beam hits the catamaran the night of the rescue.

Finally Francesco gathered the energy to write down a short description of the 17 days he spent sailing across the Atlantic. It is written in the form of an interview, it is an extract of the stories he told us Saturday night on the way back from Barcellona. Just follow the link Racing With The Devil.

You can't run from the wind

Above: on the main deck, checking Bella Stella with the Capitan and the second in command.

Francesco is back in Antibes and is spending the day at the hopital for medical check ups. We came back from Barcellona with lots of documents, pictures and stories. Monday is a busy day at work, stay tuned and give us some time to update the website.

This letter just came in from the cargo Norman Lady:

To francesco. We miss you already, you honoured us with your presence and it's been our gain having you onboard. The Burden of Seacaptains The Burden of Fathers The Burden of Men In the end it all comes down to one thing: You can't run from the wind You trim your sails, Face the music and Keep on going (old norvegian poem).

Well, You faced the music, trimmed your sails and kept on going. What you did, Francesco, was fantastic. You survived when everything went wrong, an incredible test of psycological strengh and human endurance. You told me you like to test your limits, well you went far beyond the limits of most men and made it. What is more difficult? To sail over the Atlantic without troubles or survive what you survived? You have won a bigger price than the crossing. Next time you will make it. Bon voyage, Capitain!
The Doctor

Below: Francesco together with the Norman Lady doctor.

Good News

Yesterday the website experienced some connectivity issue that now has been fixed.

The news today is that Francesco is recovering slowly every day and that he is in good spirit. Another good news is that the Tornado has basically no damage.

We are now waiting for some pictures taken yesterday on the Norman Lady that were shown on tv in Norway. I will post them as soon as they arrive. Matteo Miceli also sent me some nice pictures he took with his cell phone in Gran Canaria.

There are even more incredible details that are emerging when we talk at night, like what happened the night when all the equipment and food was lost. Francesco will try to write something himself but it might take some time since he is still very weak.

Phone call with Norman Lady

Last night I finally had a long conversation with Francesco. His story is so incredible that I hardly believed what I heard. After losing all the equipment in a storm the 7th of January he sailed for 12 days trying to find a boat for help, relying on the EPIRB only as a final resource. "I had nothing, immagine myself, the boat, the mast and two sails". Nothing means no water, food, GPS, glasses, auto-pilots, headlamps, medicines, ... "Without glasses and contact lenses I could hardly see the end of the cathamaran and at night there were no stars. I had a small compass with no light and the EPIRB in my pocket, that's it".

Since Francesco had no routing support he sailed right trough areas with 20 to 30 knot wind. "The waves were incredible, not too tall but steep and fast. Like cannon balls that I had to avoid... not for 3 or 4 hours, for days!".


Francesco explained that the crew of the cargo Norman Lady (Oslo) did a truly impressive rescue operation. The EPIRB signal was giving a wrong GPS position (!) so the cargo spent hours searching about 10 to 20 miles away from Francesco. They were about to give up when they decided to check an area where for a second they had spotted a small radar echo, something that might have been a dolfin. They tuned the radar in order to intercept small objects and after about 5 hours, in the middle of the night, not at sunset as we thought, they found Francesco.

Francesco is on a cargo to Barcellona

8 hours after turning on the EPIRB, and just before sunset, Francesco has been intercepted and rescued by the cargo Norman Lady directed to Barcellona. Francesco is ok, he was also able to rescue the catamaran. The cargo will arrive in Barcellona the 27th at 6am.

I just talked briefly to Francesco but the communication was very bad. It seems that the 7th he lost the main container with all the supplies, water, navigation systems, pilots and so on. If I understood correctly he sailed for about 12 days without food, water, pilot and GPS before switching on the EPIRB. It is quite unbeliaveble the he was almost on track and just 700 miles from Guadalupe.

Right now together with Technocomposit we are organizing to go to Barcellona for the weekend to get Francesco and to store the catamaran.

Thanks to the Norman Lady for the support and for the contact information.

EPIRB

A few hour ago Francesco has switched on his EPIRB, the satellite rescue system. His real position is 18°24'N 45°53'W at about 700 miles from Guadalupe. Francesco is a little bit south of the direct route so our guess is that he capsized in strong wind and tried for one or two days to bring the boat straight up while drifting. A boat should try to pick him up at 22h00 GMT, which is just before sunset over there.

Day 14: waiting for Bella Stella

Today's estimated position is 19°52'N - 49°57'W which means about 700 miles or 5 days to go. Let's hope that Alberto Spina has been too conservative in his estimates!

"Bella Stella" or "Belle Etoile" means Beautiful Star. In both italian and french to sleep "at the beautiful star" means to sleep under the stars. It is an expression used by mountaineers when they have to sleep in the open during a long climb without a hut or a tent. The name seemed appropriate for this very special style of sailing.

Day 13: about 800 miles to go (estimated)

Today's estimated position is 21°00N - 47° 41W which means about 800 miles to go.

Congratulations to Matteo Miceli and his wonderful performance! In the home page you can find the link to his website OceanCat. Matteo called me up last night to have news about Francesco. He wasn't surprised that we had lost communications after a few days. He told me that his VHF radio, which was inside three water-proof containers, arrived completely soaked in water.

Day 9: contact tentatives across the Atlantic

Above: detail of a painting found in the canary island La Gomera

According to the estimated routing Francesco should be more than half way across the Atlantic.

A couple of days ago a SAR airplane in the canary area carried out a planed training search flight with no result but according to our estimates Francesco should not have been still in that area. MRCC Tenerife also called Francesco's father who is in La Gomera and they both came to the conclusion that nothing serious should have happened since the EPIRB has not beeing used.

Last night I called Vittoriano, a friend of Matteo that Francesco also met in Gran Canaria, who is sailing across the Atlantic not too far from where Francesco should be. I gave Vittoriano Francesco's last estimated position and he told me that he tried to call him several times on the VHF without success.

Day 7: still no news from Francesco

We still have no contact from Francesco. Alberto Spina is simulating his position according to wind and wave conditions. Today he should be around the area 24° 30' N - 34° 20' W with 20 knot wind.

Telespazio, who is sponsoring the project with an Iridium free account, is telling us that the SIM is valid and should work. So this roles out credit problems on the prepaid account.

I 've also been in contact with Francesco's father, who is sailing between the Canary and Cape Vert islands. We both think that since there is no EPIRB signal and since there has been no storm in the area probably the phone, the battery or the phone key pad have failed.

We are sending emails to Francesco's Iridium phone hopeing that he might be able to read them. Also, Jean Baptiste Brugere, from Technicomposit, yesterday contacted CROSS Atlantic to ask the vessels in the area if they have any contact with Francesco.

Day 4: pictures from Matteo's departure

No news from Francesco today, we hope he will not go too much south. He should make contact tomorrow morning.

Before sailing from Las Palmas Francesco sent me these pictures that I've just been able to download. You can see Matteo Miceli on his custom-made catamaran during the take-off for the single handed Atlantic crossing on December 29th. Matteo, together with Andrea Gancia, holds the record for the Atlantic crossing with a sport catamaran.

Day 3

Position at 16h00: 25*57N 23*35W. Francesco is sailing at 6 to 7 knots in hard conditions giving him little time to rest. He is also afraid that the iridium phone might fail.

Day 2

Position at 06h00 GMT: 27*28 N - 19*31 W. The score for the day is 140 miles at 6 knots. Everything is OK onboard but Francesco has problems in keeping dry.

January 3rd: day 1

Position at 06h30: 27*55 North - 16*56 West. Sailed approx 80 miles at 5 knots with strong winds, waves and a lot of manouvering.

Departure!

Today at 13 utc Francesco has sailed for Guadalupa. Alberto is
routing him trough some rough weather thanks also to the information coming from Matteo Miceli.

Departure set for tomorrow

Today final strategy planning with Alberto. Take-off is set for tomorrow.

New take-off date

The departure has been scheduled for Genuary 2nd at noon. Before the
WSSRC judges are on vacation! Well, it is a good opportunity for some
more testing on the code zero setup.

Departure postponed

It seems that bad wether will postpone the departure. Francesco is in
contact with Alberto Spina, the support for routing, to replan the
take-off date. This is a good chance for Francesco to rest after many
sleepless days and nights of hard work.

Final tuning

Final tests and tuning in Las Palmas, everything seems to work fine but there is no margin for mistakes. Matteo Miceli is driving the zodiac while I take some pictures.