A Boatload of Chocolate

Worlds largest cargo sailboat Christened in France

Will wind shipped products be a 2024 trend to watch out for? Last week we covered coffee from South America being shipped on cargo sailboats; this week we bring you an equally tasty announcement from a French outfit.

Grain de Sail ships coffee, chocolate, and wine across the Atlantic on their cargo sailboat Grain de Sail, and this week officially launched Grain de Sail II. The new ship is almost twice the length as the first, measuring 52 meters in length, with a total cargo capacity of 350 Tons. Now that’s a lot of chocolate. Sadly, they’re currently sold out of chocolate, but you can learn more about Grain de Sail and their mission, and keep on eye out for when their items are available, here.

A bump in the night; ho-hum in the harbor.

ARKEA Ultim Challenge - A bump in the night. It has been an accepted, and expected, risk in this race that one of the foils might hit something. At 0430 UTC yesterday, Tom Laperche (SVR-Lazartigue) had a high speed impact with an unknown object, causing serious damage to the daggerboard and immediate water ingress. The leak is under control, and the youngest skipper in the race is headed to Cape Town. Tom was around 80 miles behind current leader Charles Caudrelier (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild), who has been happily cooking along at an average speed of 35 knots, giving the current speed record a run for its money.

Global Solo Challenge Finnish sailor Ari Känsäkoski (ZEROChallenge) has had one heck of a holiday season. On december 21st in the Roaring Forties of the Indian Ocean, he was rolled and de-masted. Running out of fuel, and under a jury-rigged storm sail, he and his ground team plotted a course north towards safety, and sent out a distress message to any vessels in the area. The day after Christmas, a passing Japanese fishing vessel was able to transfer him 300 liters of fuel, enough to continue north. About to run out of fuel again, he had a lucky encounter with a Finnish cruise ship on its maiden voyage. The ship was able to refuel him with diesel, plus some fresh pancakes. On January 15th, 10 miles from Durban, South Africa, his engine V-belt gave out, where he was safely towed the rest of the way into port.

SailGP New Zealand took first in Abu Dhabi. Winds were too light for the boats to get up on foil, leaving some grumbles about why a race was being held in a commercial port with no winds. Anyways, the kiwis won out with superior tactics, while the Australians didn’t make the final due to errors in their start watch, causing them a penalty they weren’t able to overcome.

Ocean Globe Race The 13 yachts set off of leg 3 from sunny Waitematā Harbour this past Monday, and are headed for Uruguay, via the infamous Cape Horn. The fleet is riding the edge of a brewing pressure system, more updates next week!

Sailing Snippets

Bay Pirates: A new boat owner who had anchored north of the Golden Gate bridge, had his solar panels stolen by, well, pirates. The next day, his boat was mysteriously set free from it’s anchorage, and washed ashore. The beached boat, with its iconic backdrop, has become a draw for local photographers.

Ice Sailing: The International Ice Yacht Circuit made its debut this week in China, with competitors racing on a frozen port in the Bohai Sea. 10 countries participated in the event, and top speeds were clocked at 93 mph. Yes, that speed is real. Here’s a short clip from the race.

Cape Conundrum: Cruises are canceling routes through the Red Sea because of the Houthi attacks, opting to re-route around Cape Hope. What remains to ponder, is how the added traffic will effect sailboats rounding the cape.