Dominique Wavre and Michèle Paret are still in Argentina, getting Mirabaud ready for her shipment back to Europe. They are also planning their next projects, including the construction of a new mast.
“It’s the way we sailors tend to look at things,” explains Domnique. “Sometimes we look back at the wake we’ve left behind us to try and find the answers to the mistakes made. But, to move ahead, we need to focus on what’s in front of us, so we haven’t spent too much time mulling over our bad luck. On the contrary, we’ve spent considerable time on the phone with various spar and rigging manufacturers as well as sail lofts. The timing is extremely tight if we want to get things ready for the next project, so there is really no time to lose.”
Over the past few days, Dominique and Michèle have been doing a considerable amount of metalwork, preparing a new steel cradle for Mirabaud in record time. “We had to order the plans from the architect find a specialist welding yard and also supervise the construction. The cargo ship ‘Dolfijngracht’ arrives in Mar del Plata between the 4th and 6th of April; Mirabaud will be loaded onboard for her return journey to Europe which should last around one month. We’ve been extremely lucky as the ship will be stopping off in La Rochelle, which means we can directly offload Mirabaud there.”
Dominique and Michèle will remain in Mar del Plata to safely see the cargo off before boarding a plane for Europe. “We’re going to stop off briefly in Nice before heading to Geneva for a press conference with Mirabaud. We will then have to make some rapid planning decisions for the next steps including confirming the order for the new mast and sails and discussion with the architect and other suppliers. There will be a lot to organize in a relatively short space of time but once things are finally set we will be able to take a few days holiday. I’m not sure where we will go yet, but we may end up cycling in the southern part of the Alps or in Switzerland.”
