As storms caused havoc for the Transat Jacques Vabre fleet, survival became the name of the game after seven separate incidents including the capsizes of Foncia and Orange Project triggering a major Atlantic air-sea rescue operation on Tuesday.
Foxall (36) recounted yesterday (Thursday) how the capsize occurred while he led the extreme transat challenge
Four of the nine 60ft multihulls have now been knocked out so far in a reminder of the 2002 Route du Rhum race when similarly severe November conditions, in a comparable transatlantic race, left only three finishers from 18 multihull starters.
"I'd often gone through what-if scenarios in my mind but couldn't believe it was happening for real as the boat pitch poled"
The Derrynane sailor said he had just handed over the tiller of the three million euro craft to co-skipper Armel Le Cléac’h (28) and gone below to get ready for a tack but then got hit by a huge gust of up to 50 knots.
"The next thing the tri lifted high out of the water and capsized".
I got caught under the boat between and a winch and the boom and thought I was in real danger but then the boom moved a little, maybe because of the big seas, and I managed to wriggle free, keeping my head above water" he added.
The plan now is to cut the rig and sails of Fonica, flood one of the hulls to fight the boat and tow it back to shore for refit.
A disappointed Foxall is heading home to Kerry this weekend with plans already turning to fitness in time for January's second leg start of the Volvo round the World race where he sails as a helmsman on Brazil 1.
In Olympic news, The Irish Sailing Association Olympic Group decision this month to abandon The International Sailing federation's (ISAF) world rankings system as a selection criteria for Beijing may well be gaining international credibility.
Judging by comment in the international yachting press, ISAF itself is having a job to try and clarify the anomaly that leaves top sailors off their ranking ladder: 'The absence of some world class athletes from the top echelons of the rankings is due to the logistically difficult issue of travel to some of the ISAF Grade 1 events throughout the world, meaning their ranking position itself may not truly reflect their standing on the world scene. What one must look at in all rankings releases is not necessarily the actual position of an athlete...” Quite.
At home, BJ Marine are supporting the Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) conference with key note speaker Eric Engoufe, the Boat Development Director of Beneteau Yachts for it's third annual conference in Kilkenny on Saturday, November 19th.
Engoufe is expected to release details on the company's new IRC optimised 34 footer.
In a packed agenda, ICRA commodore Fintan Cairns also plans to announce further news on Ireland's teams for the Commodore's cup, review the 2005 racing season, announce the Boat of the Year and have a round table discussion on the major fixtures calendar for 2006.
On Dublin bay, this week the Flying fifteen (FF) keelboat, a class celebrating 35 years on Dublin bay this year, moved at it's class agm to withdraw from Thursday night bay racing on safety grounds following a number of accidents and near misses this season.
The problem is due largely to congestion at mark roundings when different fleets of yachts converge on turning marks.
On seamanship grounds, class captain Tom Murphy has requested that Dublin Bay Sailing club move FF mid-week racing to Tuesday nights instead.
The Fifteens are the first of the 18 classes to seek the move but it may not long before others follow suit effectively splitting mid week racing over two nights. The question for DBSC organisers now is whether the Bay is overcrowded on Thursday's or is it simply a matter of improving mid week race course management?
