Photos of dismasted boats can be found galore on the Web. Much rarer, however, are the sequences documenting the incident in progress. This series of heart-pounding shots by photographer Philip Plisson show the dismasting of American Hap Fauth’s JV72 Bella Mente during the third day of racing at Les Voiles de Saint Barth in the Caribbean. The boat was sailing upwind in winds between 18 and 25 knots when the forestay gave way and the mast fell ruinously before breaking about two meters from the deck and ending up in the water. Fortunately, none of the crew members were hurt.
QUITE AN ECONOMIC LOSS
The reasons for the dismasting are unknown, but it is certain to be a significant economic loss: Bella Mente’s carbon mast and composite rigging are the flagship of the racing bolide and cost between $200 and $300,000, according to Yachting World magazine.
WATCH THE PHOTOSEQUENCE
