The phocéa (ex club méditerranée) is burning!

[Panoramix 1,290]

https://voilesetvoiliers.ouest-france.fr/securite-en-mer/incendie/le-phocea-ancien-voilier-de-bernard-tapie-et-d-alain-colas-ravage-par-un-incendie-en-malaysie-fa88ce66-71d9-11eb-bbb9-3b7b1fe10746

['Bacco 91]

Glad everyone got off safe.

[bloodshot 84]

not the bowman's fault!!!

[leuk 130]

Just saw that too. It's beyond repairs, apparently. The insurance company might look into that with zeal. The paranoïd kind. It's really a shame, but truth is the boat has been destroyed some time ago already, with the double deck and shortened masts in an attempt to make a proper luxury yacht out of it.

[fastyacht 1,562]

I saw it around 1990 or so in lower Manhattan.End of an era now.

 

[Sail4beer 2,115]

I smell smoke from a manufactured insurance claim

[Sail4beer 2,115]

[Al Paca 332]

Can’t be too bad as it looks to still be in an environment. 

[fastyacht 1,562]

While on thr topic, where is Friday the 13th?

 

[Borax Johnson 58]

Ironically, from her Wikipedia page: "She can handle 12 guests supported by a crew of 16 sailors", yet she was built to be sailed solo.

[stayoutofthemiddle 18]

Insurance fraud?

[Grande Mastere Dreade 2,183]

that will buff out..

[fastyacht 1,562]

1 hour ago, Borax Johnson said:

Ironically, from her Wikipedia page: "She can handle 12 guests supported by a crew of 16 sailors", yet she was built to be sailed solo.

1 sailor and 15 stews

[kent_island_sailor 3,554]

1 hour ago, Borax Johnson said:

Ironically, from her Wikipedia page: "She can handle 12 guests supported by a crew of 16 sailors", yet she was built to be sailed solo.

1 to sail the boat and 15 for "other duties"

[P_Wop 1,918]

In original days as Club Med.  Alain Colas at the start of the 1976 OSTAR.

[DFL1010 63]

4 hours ago, fastyacht said:

While on thr topic, where is Friday the 13th?

 

In a bit of a sad state in a Bordeaux carpark:

 

[DFL1010 63]

Actually, that might not be correct. Couldn't see it on Google Earth, but came across http://www.courseaularge.com/lavenir-bateau-vendredi-13-compromis.html

Taken to an undisclosed location doesn't sound too hopeful.

[leuk 130]

4 hours ago, fastyacht said:

While on thr topic, where is Friday the 13th?

 

(If you know what happened to it until 2016, don't bother reading as you know as much as me. If you don't, have at it  )

The hull belongs to a marine museum director in Bordeaux. He basically let the hull rot in the sun on a parking, and was reportedly planning on cutting it in half to make a projection room out of it, as the main attraction. An independant company approached him with a refit project. It lasted from 2015 to 2016, and the restoring company apparently fell short of cash. Following a massive disagreement between them and the actual owner, refit was stopped. Each party is yelling profanities at the other, of course. News after that point seem inexistant, appart from pics and unconfirmed things on forums.

If you can read french, here are two articles : one is relating the end of the refit, and the beef the restoring company had with the owner : 

Conflits autour de Vendredi 13 : 2 ans de rénovation tombés à l'eau (bateaux.com)

and the other is the owner response :

L'avenir du Vendredi 13 n'est pas compromis (courseaularge.com)

 

[leuk 130]

As for the main subject of the thread, I feel for Bigoin, the architect. He's a very nice guy. I got to interview him a bit not so long ago, for his book "le grand bateau", and you could feel the love and pride he had for this boat. He worked many years on it, and saved it from the bin with Tapie as well.

[fastyacht 1,562]

54 minutes ago, DFL1010 said:

In a bit of a sad state in a Bordeaux carpark:

 

Holy merde!

[frightened man with bucket 2]

8 hours ago, Al Paca said:

Can’t be too bad as it looks to still be in an environment. 

And the front hasn't fallen off.

[Snaggletooth 3,060]

Durreng OP Saille my Godfathere asksed me what I wantned oute of life.....  I saide to owen Club Medittereanee.................

He asksed "Do I neede to buye it foire you.......?        

I resspondid "No, Ille do it....."

(nevere gotte theire.........)

:)

[Panoramix 1,290]

With the return to "the age of sail" becoming so trendy, I wonder if these big boats could become profitable carrying around rich people.

[Gissie 964]

1 hour ago, Panoramix said:

With the return to "the age of sail" becoming so trendy, I wonder if these big boats could become profitable carrying around rich people.

Nah.

[TwoLegged 1,041]

5 hours ago, Panoramix said:

With the return to "the age of sail" becoming so trendy, I wonder if these big boats could become profitable carrying around rich people.

Looks like they are quite effective at burning rich people.  However, there does not seem to be any consensus on whether crispy squillionaire is desirable, or how it compares with Rousseau's approach.

[Moppie 0]

I had dinner aboard the boat at the dock in Fort Lauderdale back in 1988. A Beautiful boat in her day. 
 

[fastyacht 1,562]

4 hours ago, TwoLegged said:

Looks like they are quite effective at burning rich people.  However, there does not seem to be any consensus on whether crispy squillionaire is desirable, or how it compares with Rousseau's approach.

I told my Kids to fait attention à Rousseau, "learn a trade."

[Hank Bollard 6]

20 hours ago, Borax Johnson said:

Ironically, from her Wikipedia page: "She can handle 12 guests supported by a crew of 16 sailors", yet she was built to be sailed solo.

Fascinating transformational journey on the Wikipedia page - the OSTAR version must have had a lot of extra buoyancy to be able to add all of that interior / cabin top levels etc later on.

[Sail4beer 2,115]

7 hours ago, Gissie said:

Nah.

They want to commission their own. Let the poor bastards refit the old boats!

[islanderboy32 9]

Saw her in the Caribbean in late 1978 while working on the Fantome.  Went by us like a rocket.

[Panoramix 1,290]

5 hours ago, TwoLegged said:

Looks like they are quite effective at burning rich people.  However, there does not seem to be any consensus on whether crispy squillionaire is desirable, or how it compares with Rousseau's approach.

Trouble with mere mortals is that they are time starved!

[Panoramix 1,290]

And now it is "in the environment" :

[leuk 130]

4 hours ago, Panoramix said:

And now it is "in the environment" :

Ok now seeing it as it is, it is extremely gutting.

[toad 701]

wait 5 minutes and some you tubers will resurrect it for another amateur couple get a boat.....  

[TwoLegged 1,041]

48 minutes ago, toad said:

wait 5 minutes and some you tubers will resurrect it for another amateur couple get a boat.....  

Actually, it would be quite fun to have a lot of YouTubers work together on a project like this. Phocea is probably  beyond reasonable repair, but it would be interesting to have a few dozen people working collaboratively on restoring a very big boat, say something over 100 feet.

[Panoramix 1,290]

39 minutes ago, TwoLegged said:

Actually, it would be quite fun to have a lot of YouTubers work together on a project like this. Phocea is probably  beyond reasonable repair, but it would be interesting to have a few dozen people working collaboratively on restoring a very big boat, say something over 100 feet.

I am not entirely sure but I think that she might have been built in steel, so might be repairable.

[TwoLegged 1,041]

5 minutes ago, Panoramix said:

I am not entirely sure but I think that she might have been built in steel, so might be repairable.

Pano, as my local power tool agents say whenever I visit with another injured tool, anything is repairable if you put enough money into it; it's just a question of whether enough money is too expensive.

In this case, the fire has destroyed two masts, the cockpits, and the engines.  The sinking will have destroyed all of the accommodation.  So all that's left is half the masts, some deck gear, and a hull which may have been damaged by the heat of the fire.  I think it's doubtful that a repair would be cheaper than a new build.

[moody frog 81]

17 minutes ago, Panoramix said:

I am not entirely sure but I think that she might have been built in steel, so might be repairable.

Steel it is

[Panoramix 1,290]

1 hour ago, TwoLegged said:

Pano, as my local power tool agents say whenever I visit with another injured tool, anything is repairable if you put enough money into it; it's just a question of whether enough money is too expensive.

In this case, the fire has destroyed two masts, the cockpits, and the engines.  The sinking will have destroyed all of the accommodation.  So all that's left is half the masts, some deck gear, and a hull which may have been damaged by the heat of the fire.  I think it's doubtful that a repair would be cheaper than a new build.

Sure, it won't be cheap but this is a legendary boat that has the potential to attract dreamers...

It really depends how soon she sank, they would have been better off scuttling her as soon as the fire was out of control!

[TwoLegged 1,041]

11 minutes ago, Panoramix said:

Sure, it won't be cheap but this is a legendary boat that has the potential to attract dreamers...

"I have a dream" will need to be accompanied by a bank reference for "I have several tens of millions".

11 minutes ago, Panoramix said:

It really depends how soon she sank, they would have been better off scuttling her as soon as the fire was out of control!

Yes, the way things went was the worst of both worlds.  Maximum fire damage, and the rest flooded.

[Grande Mastere Dreade 2,183]

On 2/18/2021 at 3:31 PM, DFL1010 said:

In a bit of a sad state in a Bordeaux carpark:

 

honey,  would you run up there and see if i'm close to the mooring ball?

[Icedtea 149]

On 2/18/2021 at 9:31 PM, DFL1010 said:

In a bit of a sad state in a Bordeaux carpark:

 

Does anyone know if she's still there? 

 

Just took a look on Google Maps and can't see anything. 

[TwoLegged 1,041]

6 hours ago, Grande Mastere Dreade said:

honey,  would you run up there and see if i'm close to the mooring ball?

No thanks, I'll ride to the bow on a motorbike

[DFL1010 63]

19 hours ago, Icedtea said:

Does anyone know if she's still there? 

 

Just took a look on Google Maps and can't see anything. 

Apparently not, and it's not clear where she is. All in all, a bit of drama it would appear.

http://www.courseaularge.com/lavenir-bateau-vendredi-13-compromis.html

And counterpoint from the owner: http://www.courseaularge.com/lavenir-vendredi-13-nest-compromis.html

(both links via Lieuk upthread.

Indepth discussion here: https://www.bateaux.com/article/20216/Vendredi-13-superstition-ou-bateau

[DtM 544]

Always sad to lose a piece of history.  This one will not be re-built.

[TwoLegged 1,041]

22 minutes ago, DtM said:

Always sad to lose a piece of history.  This one will not be re-built.

She got about 50 years.  For a boat, that's probably above average.

[Virgulino Ferreira 378]

 

[Virgulino Ferreira 378]

 

[kotick 11]

I think there is some confusion about two very different boats. The burned one is Phocea, 71 metres, designed by Frenchman Michel Bigoin. And the pictures of the gounded hulk are from Vendredi 13, a Dick Carted design, which was rotting in Bordeaux some time ago. Ironically, Vendredi 13 was the boat that aroused Alain Colas interest on big boats for the OSTAR, which led tom the building of Club Med.