PREPARING TO WIN
Van Den Heede’s Rustler 36 Matmut was prepared thoroughly over three years. One key change the Frenchman opted to make was to reduce the height of the mast by 1.5m after test sails revealed he was only carrying full sail 10% of the time. He kept a two spreader rig and retained the same mainsail area by increasing the roach on the main.
Van Den Heede is confident that reducing the weight and height of his rig saved him from dismasting when he was knocked down.
The other key success in Matmut’s preparation was the antifouling – the boat was, bar a slight grubbiness on the transom, clean on arrival. Van Den Heede was the only skipper not to suffer issues with barnacles during the race and didn’t dive at any point.
“We know that in hot water areas these barnacles are a typical problem,” explained shore manager Lionel Régnier.
“So we researched antifouling for hot water. There are four coats, the final top coat is semi-eroding in hot water, while the other three erode in cold water.”
The first three coats were Seajet 033 Shogun, the fourth Seajet Platinum. The hull was also protected under a chlorine wrap for the 50 days they spent in the water in Falmouth and Les Sables d’olonne, so Matmut began the race with zero growth.
Interior structural work included adding a watertight bulkhead that sealed off the forepeak from the saloon, and converting the forward space into a deck-accessed sail locker.
Wooden bars were added over the coachroof windows as the team ran out of time to reduce the size of these, and all ended the race leaking.
The stove safety bar was ripped off when Van Den Heede was thrown across the galley on the last night.
On deck there was remarkably little sign of wear and tear. The winches and clutches were still working, both spinnaker poles still intact, the Hydrovane wind vane faultless. Both headboard cars on the mainsail broke – one after the first month, the second on the final night – otherwise Matmut looked as though she could quite happily go around again.