Thu, 22 Nov 12 12:43

 Well the madness of the last weekend is calming down and we have had time to reflect a bit on what has happened.

I smile a lot these days.

Ben has been madly editing up the nautical mile run into a video and as I look at each edit and each camera angle it reminds of just what a fantastic run that was.

The 500 meter courses are short and intense. The actual 500 meter run is over in 16.4 seconds. You ride a couple of gusts and then bang, you're trying to bring it all to a halt. In my mind I'm evaluating each second and considering how it effects the average. Does this drag it up or bring it down? That's why I'm saying, "That's fast, that's fast, that's good... this will do it". It's my equivalent of 'one-one thousand,two-one thousand... counting seconds'. The mile... the mile is a whole different thing.

For starters the Walvis Bay speed strip is exactly 1.04 nautical miles long. It is a 'hammer head' beach between two lagoons.

YOU CAN SEE THE MAGIC MILE OF SPEED SPOT MARKED BY THE 500 METER STRIP HERE. FOR THE MILE RUN I START IN THE DISTANT 'SECOND' LAGOON AT THE TOP RIGHT OF THE PICTURE AND COME TOWARDS THE YACHT CLUB. I RUN OUT INTO FIRST 'WALVIS BAY' LAGOON TO FINISH.

 

In order for me to hit the start of the mile flying I need to be dropped out somewhere in the exposed waters of the second lagoon. I need to get started in what is considered pretty rough water for a dedicated speed sailing boat. It's a bit like taking an F1 car off road. You can do it... but it's not ideal. VSR2 is a tough boat built to live in the real world of Walvis Bay. It's a slightly 'jacked up' F1 car. We decided to do the mile as it didn't feel very windy and I didn't think we would have good conditions for a shot at our previous Outright record. The tide was also high which meant that I could use the full mile and not be forced to stop by the shallows at the end. We had never attempted the mile with this boat so now was as good a time as any to try.

The start up procedure from a distant shore around the back of 'speed-spot' went really well. It took a long time but we got into a good position to get a run into the start of the course.

GETTING LOWERED OUT IN SECOND LAGOON PRIOR TO STARTING THE MILE.

 

A proper small swell was running and VSR2 was rolling around as the RIB escorted me into position. My worry was that we would dip the low, horizontal wing extension between swells and do damage. Fortunately we managed to get away before this happened. VSR2 started planing quite quickly and I focused on picking up the transits to line me up with the course. I had to ease the wing out a bit to stop from accelerating too hard. We were well positioned but had to cover a couple of hundred meters of lumpy water before we got in close to the nice flat protected water... the good stuff. I was running at 90 degrees to the swell so steering a lot to ride along the crests and choose a smooth line. I was playing the wing to manage the speed and ... you know, sailing it like a normal boat. Whilst I was a bit worried about the risk... I was also enjoying playing with this wonderful boat in a new environment. I had to pick the point to start winding her up to speed. I know we can't hit the start at full pelt as it is just too rough but I wanted to push the whole mile hard. I started the mile at only 38 knots. The wind had come up to near ideal design conditions so I knew that if we could get onto the course that the record would be in serious trouble. Well now we were on the course in good shape so the hammer went down. VSR2 launched quickly over 50 knots once I sheeted the wing in. I now had a glorious long minute to soak up this wonderful craft flexing her new found skills. I could see the gusts ahead on the water. The view from the cockpit is perfect. No spray. It's panoramic. The drops in speed between the gust induced lunges of acceleration weren't that big. "This is good, that's fast, that's in the bank, this'll count..." By half way down I knew that Hydroptere was in serious trouble. We hit over 60 knots well before we went past the timing hut and camera position. The wind was registering 23-26 knots steady as we went past the TACKTICK weather station.

SAILING PAST THE TIMING HUT WITH THE TACKTICK WIND READOUT FROM THE BASE STATION IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA.

 

We were hanging around the 58-60 knot mark when we got the next solid gust and flew deep into the 60's again. We peaked at 64.78 knots in this gust (74.55 mph, 120kph). The front float was sort of floating off the chop. It didn't feel like its motion was defined purely by gravity. This made me think that the rudder loads might be higher than expected. If this is the case then the beam/wing combination is too far forward and the front of the boat is starting to fly a little.

THE FRONT FLOAT CAN BE SEEN HERE LIVING UP TO ITS NAME.

 

This is fast... but not ideal from a stability point of view. At times it felt like the float was 'lofting' and not just bouncing off the chop. I was coming towards the end of the course and planning my exit from the mile. I knew by this stage that I had more than enough in the bank to bag a big average. I was enetering the stage where I would start hitting the chop coming in from the long fetch of the first lagoon. At the point where I could begin turning into the wind by swinging into the first lagoon, I eased the wing and continued a long turn banging and bouncing off the chop.

SPEARING AROUND THE CORNER OFF THE END OF THE MILE AND INTO FIRST LAGOON.

 

Breathe. We had made it. The support RIB would be a long, long way behind. I checked the situation I was now in and made the boat stable.

That was an awesome soaking into our newfound world. The start up, the middle and the end were all just so incredible. I knew we had some big numbers sitting in that TRIMBLE behind me. It took me a while to appreciate how intense that whole experience had been. I realised that 'That was it'. That was what I had been chasing for 10 years. Exactly that. Strapped into a wild prototype boat pushing it as hard as it will go and immersing my senses in the thrill of going at speeds that no-one had ever seen before. Yeah, that was it alright. That was the dream that fired the whole journey... and it was GOOD. That magical mile had paid me back personally in full. Speed sailing and I are square now. Anything that comes after this is a bonus.

"GET OUR CHAMPAGNE DEALER ON SPEED-DIAL"

 

We gingerly brought the boat back in from the middle of First Lagoon and lowered the wing. Once again we came home in the dark. It was Sunday night and the town was quiet. We knew we had broken our own outright record again but had to process the data to get a feel for the mile. We were all pretty tired. We hadn't even expected to go sailing. No big winds were forecast and we were still getting over the celebrations of our first Outright record on Friday night. Saturday was a pretty dusty affair. No-one came down to the container for a long time on Sunday. We saw the data and knew that the TRIMBLE would record somehwere around the mid 55 knot range. It turned into 55.32 knots in the end. Of course we were happy... but we had already been very happy. We knew we had to get excited again regardless of our tired state so we called Sarah... our local dealer of fine French champagne. We were very happy.

ALL WORK DAYS SHOULD END LIKE THIS. DINNER WITH SARAH AND GARY AS THE LAST OF THE DAYS WINDS FADES TO NOTHING. HAPPY DAYS.

 

It consolidated our first run and showcased what a great boat we had on our hands. She is tough and versatile. She can handle some rough play and what's more... she is bloody efficient. The average wind as recorded on the base station was just under 25 knots. The peak gust during the run was 27 knots. 

I had specified to Chris Hornzee Jones at AEROTROPE that the boat and new foils must be able to do 65 knots in 26 knots of wind so that we can get 500 meter averages of 60. The way by which we have developed this boat to hit its targets is very rewarding to behold. Nice work Chris (I did remind him that 64.78 isn't exactly 65 knots. I think his reply to 'pull my head in' might have not come from an aerodynamic perspective)!

That was the perfect finish to an amazing weekend of speed sailing. Just amazing.

Malcolm and George have flown in and the forecast looks weak except for Saturday which looks HUUUUGE! I'm trying to write this now but am also aware that todays wind is blowing a lot harder already than forecast. I reckon we might be saddling up soon.

So here is the video from that epic mile run. I remembered to turn on the Gopro on my helmet and we took Timan's advice from the comments of an earlier blog and strapped a small audio recording device to the front float.

THE MAGIC MILE VIDEO

 

Right now we are tooling up to head out again. This slick team is back in action and it's great to see. We are all getting pushed hard now as the workload the project is generating spirals upwards. I'm really impressed by how they rise to the joblist. We have pulled the boat fully apart and given her a good going over. She's ready to be pushed once more.

 

As a final note, I would like to thank you all on behalf of the team for the joy and encouragement you have shared in your replies to this blog. I want to reply to you all but we are a bit overwhelmed at the moment. We read them all and share the emotion of this wonderful time in our projects life. A big page has turned for Sailrocket but I can assure you that there is more to come.

Cheers, Paul.

 

 

Sun, 18 Nov 12 20:28

 Just in after the most incredible run. A whole nautical mile dipping well into the 60's on each gust. We peaked near or over 64 knots and beat our previous 500 meter average. I don't think we cracked 60 knots as a 500 meter average though. But anyway... we smashed the nautical mile record. The TRIMBLE file is big but on the small GT31 we averaged over 55.5 knots

 

(Hang on STOP PRESS: Trimble data in now... 55.32 knots for the mile subject to wssrc ratification. That's it).

63.98 knots 1 second peak... so definitely over 64 for a spike in there.

... and just marginally quicker than our previous best 500 meters at 59.38 knots... subject to wssrc stuff!

 

It's not an easy run to do on a course that is only 1.04 nautical miles long. I have to wind the boat up in rough water at the start and launch it out into rough water at full pelt at the end. Bloody interesting sailing in a boat specifically designed for flatter water.

So that was a big tick on our job list. We didn't even think we were going sailing today. Our media job list is huge and we had to drop everything to go sailing. The team is getting slick now and we made the switcharoo to sailing mode pretty effectively.

So it's Sunday and the town is shut. We're alone in the container with one paltry bottle of Pol Roger champagne left. Our local Champagne dealer is enroute.

This boat is wearing us out. We have barely recovered from the first hangover.

Damn that was good ride. I had the time to look around and just enjoy the sensation that that awesome piece of kit delivers. She was on the edge there a few times.

Bloody brilliant. Go Team.

Enjoy all. Cheers, Paul

Sun, 18 Nov 12 13:10

 Ok, the hangover is over and the laptops are smoking in the container. I'll write the full update soon. I've been overwhelmed by all the people writing in and obviously enjoying this as much as we are.

So it's time to take you all on that magic ride down the new 'holy water' of the speed sailing world. Here's the short and sharp of the magic happening...(you can imagine how nice it is to type these words in each time)...

VESTAS SAILROCKET 2 OUTRIGHT RECORD RUN.

There is no music on this so hopefully it will work on mobile devices.

Cheers, Paul

 

Fri, 16 Nov 12 20:43

 The title says it all. It's just soaking in now... with the Champagne.

Calling friends, team members... all are family tonight.

I'm sitting here with great French champagne all around and smiling people. VESTAS Sailrocket 2 sits outside on the lawn shivering lightly in the decreasing breeze. She has the noble composure of a race winning horse that struts around wondering what all the fuss is about.

We are downloading the TRIMBLE data now. The great thing is that the GPS we use out there is set for a 18 second average... but at 59 knots we might not need that long. It said we did a 59.01 knot average... The TRIMBLE should be higher. I will let you know here when I know.

I think I'll drink some more Pol Roger... and wait.

Christ... I'm buzzing and I know it is just going to get better. I will have this for life now. 

There it is 59.23 knot average fresh off the TRIMBLE. 62.53 peak.

Records subject to WSSRC ratification.

I'm signing out.

I have too many people to thank I don't know where to start.

I have to call mum and dad.

The happiest days!

Still more to come.

Paul.

Thu, 15 Nov 12 16:13

 So here we are. VESTAS Sailrocket 2 has finally begun the big reveal of the beast within. From our perspective, the speed wasn't any accident and certainly wasn't unexpected. We have been working in this direction for a long time now. We always said that we were aiming for speeds over 60 knots and that in the current speed sailing context it simply wouldn't be worth building a boat unless you were. I don't think anyone is really sure of what the potential of the kiters really is. Even the windsurfers are now showing that they had what it takes to get well over 50 knots. Everything about VSR2 was focused on 60+. We just hadn't found the right combinations to unlock the boats real potential. Being stuck in the low 50's was frustrating on one hand but very educational on the other. To be fair, the new foil didn't get stuck there for very long. We just needed to get enough runs in to work through a few theories. The change in performance once the fences were added was pretty remarkable. The way that the low wind performance changed was a big indicator that something fundamental had changed and we were itching to see how it would effect us in stronger winds. 

 

The last two runs were brilliant. That last run was truly great. It represented a real and undeniable breakthrough for sailing where the previous limiting factors were overcome. The good thing was that we did it in a pretty civilised manner on an open water course in winds that only averaged 24.5 knots on the shore station. I'm sure that we hit our peak speed in the high part of that average i.e. 28 knots but I'm also sure that that is about all we need to go even faster. The wind was ranging between 21 and 28 knots for those who are interested with a True wind angle of 99 degrees.

THIS IS THE LITTLE GPS WHICH WE TAKE ON THE COURSE TO INDICATE WHAT WE JUST DID. THE ACTUAL RECORD DATA IS ON THE BIGGER, MORE ACCURATE TRIMBLE GPS... BUT THAT DOESN'T HAVE A DISPLAY. IT INDICATED A LITTLE FASTER THAN THIS AS A PEAK ALTHOUGH THE 500 METER AVERAGES WERE ALMOST IDENTICAL. (I BELIEVE THAT SEB CATTELAN HAS HIT A SIMILAR PEAK BEFORE ON A KITEBOARD. I'M NEVER REALLY FOUND OUT WHETHER HYDROPTERE DID OR DIDN'T HIT 61 I.E. WAS IT A "SOMEONE-THOUGHT-THEY-SAW" SPEED OR WAS IT ACTUALLY LOGGED. I ONLY SAY THIS BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT YOU SAY IN THIS GAME AS EVERYONE WANTS TO RUN WITH THE BIGGEST NUMBER AND THAT CAN LEAVE THE REST CHASING A MYTH... JUST LOOK AT THE ICEBOATING RECORD!

 

The target performance for VSR2 with these foils is 65 knots in 26 knots of wind. We figured that this should give us sufficient margin to get a 60 knot average and that we could make up for any unplanned inefficiencies by sailing in more wind if need by. You have to appreciate that you never get a solid 26 knot wind. Even on only a 500 meter run you might see 23 and 30 knots. At the true wind angles we are sailing we are bi-secting the gusts at a pretty rapid rate... not running along with them as you would on a deeper downwind course.

Now that we have looked at all the data we have seen that very little needs to be changed. The little 'yaw-string' wind indicator in front of the cockpit showed me that the fuselage was lining up with the apparent wind nicely. That's a good sign of the boats efficiency. The rudder loads and foil base pressures were all pretty good and the leeward pod was looking after itself nicely even at 60+ knots. 

TWO TEAM SHOTS. THIS ONE WITH BEN ON THE END AS HE JUST WARNED ME THAT I DON'T WANT TO MESS WITH HIS MUM BY EXCLUDING HIM FROM TEAM SHOTS... AND THE NEXT ONE...

WITH WALLY... THE NEW TEAM GOOD LUCK MASCOT. LAST TIME WALLY CAME OUT WE DID THE 54.4 KNOT PEAK WITH ADAM FROM 'WIRED' IN THE BACK. HE ONLY TURNS UP WHEN THERE'S A WHIFF OF FINE FRENCH CHAMPAGNE IN THE AIR. ANYTIME WALLY!

 

THE 500 Meter AVERAGE.

This was pretty interesting and gives a great indication for what is to come. The speed graph is more of a spike than a solid average. We were accelerating all the way from 47 knots to nearly 62 throughout the average. VSR2 was still accelerating hard when I finally pulled the pin and eased the wing. In fact she kept accelerating even as the wing was going out. I have no doubt she was on her way to a much bigger number if more runway was available... and quickly. When I saw the gust I knew I wanted it. I had to see what it would do. We were already going quick and accelerating. That last bit was like a turbo kicking in. I hung on for a couple of long seconds whilst my mind raced through the rapidly developing issues. I was happy we had broken into new territory but was also determined not to do anything gung-ho-stupid and destroy the foil. It was nearing low tide and flamingoes were standing in the shallows at the far end of speed spot. If I ran up there I could easily destroy the foil and end this record session. Fortunately the whole show was brought to a stop in the usual manner albeit with a little more distance involved. I knew it was 60. It had to be. It's what I imagined 60 would be like. Hard and fast. The ride firms right up and the chop turns into a rapid chatter. VSR2 just locks into a course and begins to feel lighter as the loads she is torn between get bigger and bigger.

So the peak was 61.92 knots (71.3 mph or 114.75 kph). The average was 54.08 knots over 500 meters and the best 5 second average was 59.08 knots. As mentioned, the low speed on the 500 meter average was 47 knots. Even if we don't go faster, it shouldn't be hard to bring that 47 up into the mid 50's. That should do the trick.

The thing is that I don't trust the kiters. They make me feel uneasy. They're hungry for this game and they are not going to give this speed mantle away without a fight. I'm not sure what their real limits are yet. For all this time we have been trying to bag this outright world record but even now... before we have even achieved that... I am wondering if that will make me happy. I guess this challenge has turned into something bigger than the actual record. With this boat we want to push the limits of the sport itself. The performance of the kiters has forced us to build this wonderful machine and to aim high. With that last run we entered a whole new world of performance. It's a fascinating world full of possibilities. In one way it is akin to when sailing boats realised they could follow their powered brothers from displacement mode to planing mode. Our new foils have many similarities to that analogy. They no longer have long thin transoms but are actually at their thickest there with the aim of getting the water to seperate cleanly. It's no longer just water down there but now it is air and vapour mixing in weird and wonderful ways. These can be played with using all sorts of 'bolt-on' devices. It really is fascinating. I've been lost in this world for the last year and am still only just realising how little I know about it.

So I expect the kiters to oneday reach an average of 60 knots. I don't know how or when... but that's what I expect. I'm not entirely sure of what their physical limits are but I know they are hungry. We want to get to a 60 knot average now. I don't know if mother nature is going to help us out here but we will be on standby for any and every opportunity.

As we sprayed the Pol Roger champagne over the main foil the other night I joked that I hoped that this was the only type of cavitation that this foil would ever see.

Only yesterday when we hosed it all off did I really see/feel a certain 'chalkiness' to the normally super-smooth surface near the tip of the foil and along the suction surface near the TE. I'm pretty sure that this is pitting caused by cavitation. The interesting thing is why we haven't seen this before i.e. when hitting the 'glass-ceiling' at 52 knots? It makes me wonder yet again about what we are looking at.

I'm now sure that we can smash the existing record. VSR2 has showed her hand and it's holding some aces. I will also be the first to acknowledge that we haven't done it yet. there's a heap of ways not to get the record out there. I still have that slightly edgy feeling that comes when you have it all to lose.

WARM FRENCH CHAMPAGNE IN RESIN MIXING CUPS. WE TRY NOT TO TEMPT FATE ANYMORE BY CHILLING THE CHAMPAGNE BEFORE WE GO OUT. I'M NOT SUPERSTITIOUS... BUT I CAN'T AFFORD TO BE WRONG!

 

Despite our expectations, this is all new to us. Lying awake in the middle of the night and not having to wonder if the boat will ever really do it is a wonderful new sensation. I live and breathe this boat. It's great to be where we are at right now... with the expectation AND the knowledge. Yeah, we are aiming high... and yes I will be real happy when we grab that title for the first time.

 

One of these days this ride home is going to be that little bit more special.

Cheers, Paul

p.s. thanks for all the messages of support and encouragement. I read them all and reply to as many as I can. Many of you have been backing us for a long time. You're all part of this snowballs momentum.

Tue, 13 Nov 12 20:31

 Hi all, busy day today sorting out everything from yesterdays madness. Great to wake up in the middle of the night realising it's not a dream. The next potential forecast is for Friday/saturday. After looking at all of yesterdays data I know we can smash this.

Peak speed 61.92 knots.

500 meter average 54.08 knots

5 second average 59.08 knots.

It's funny now to see that speeds of 52 and 53 knots are dragging down your average.

It's a new ball game now. Let's hope that mother nature comes to it.

Full report tomorrow... meanwhile here's the vid. Nice work Ben.

Boom, the 60 knot + run

Enjoy. 

 

Mon, 12 Nov 12 19:14

 Just in... 61 + knot peak speed and a 54. something average. Had to stop as the end was coming up fast.  Everything went into fast forward. I was saying " this is fast, this is fast" and then she took off again... "this is real f*****g fast"!!!

I thought we might have bagged the outright as well... as you would after hitting over 60 knots... but the average wasn't there... I think. We haven't downloaded the big TRIMBLE yet. Everyone is getting the data down now. We broke our own PB twice today... so that's 2 x triple rum and cokes in pint glasses... and of course the 60 knot bottle of champagne also falls. Happy days.

What a great relief.

I know the current world record is toast... hell, they can even raise it a bit if they want.

Life for VESTAS Sailrocket 2 starts at 60 knots. Today she walked on stage. She was beautiful to drive. Totally in control.

I got Helena to come down to the end of the course before I checked the speeds. I wanted her to be there. Unfortunately she had her phone in her drysuit pocket so that was the end of the Tweets.

Righto... lots to do.

The outright record remains to be beaten.

I'll let you all know the actual numbers when I know myself.

Happy days alright.

Nice work team... real nice.

Cheers from one beaming Australian in Namibia.

P

Mon, 12 Nov 12 13:33

 This is the best looking day we have had so far in this record attempt. The forecast has been good for a while and finally it has arrived. The day started in a promising way but then it just hung around for a bit. Everyone was in cruisy 'stand-by' mode. I went and did what I usually do when I want time to think, watch the wind build and generally chill out... I weeded the lawn. I wonder why I do it myself. I just find it calming and perfect for 'thinking'. I've never done any gardening in my life so odd time to start.

So it's blowing outside and we are all booted and suited. Let's see if we have the right pieces to assemble this puzzle... or are about to face-plant the glass ceiling again!

Helena will be sending tweets from the course.

I'm not getting on the emotional roller-coaster today. I'm just going to flat-line. What happens happens.

Cheers, Paul

Thu, 8 Nov 12 17:08

 We did manage to get out again a couple of days ago. The winds were still light but we made an effort for the practice as much as anything. You always learn something. On one hand we don't want to expose the boat to risk... on the other, not practicing as a team exposes the boat to risk.

The wind was moderate and we went on standby at the yacht club for a period before deciding just to go for it. The wind at speed-spot was once again around 17-22 knots... generally around 19-20.

A brand new GoPro 2 let us down by simply freezing up just before we started. Swearing at electronics has become part of my 'pre-flight' ritual. I don't know how many cameras this project has eaten through. The GoPro's are great bits of kit... essential really... but they earn their swear-time too.

The start up went very smoothly again. The back skeg had been chopped down by Ben after the previous run. The back of VSR2 still kicked around as it lifted out of the water but I will put this down to sailing in lighter winds. I was seeing wind gusts as low as 15 knots just before I released from the RIB.

Once I was on the course she felt fast and slippery once again. The speed was more constant than the previous run. The peak speed was 46.22 knots and the average was 43.85. Nothing flash in outright terms but very impressive for us considering the wind strength.

I had the little TACKTICK wind vane mounted just in front of the cockpit where I could see it... and I still didn't look at it! One of the cameras did catch it however and it was obvious that we are now sailing at a level of efficiency where the apparent wind is lining up perfectly with the fuselage. We are fitting all the little aero aids now as they will begin to have an effect.

 

Once the run was over we had an issue with the wing. A retaining collar had failed on the mast. It normally wouldn't be an issue when sailing but when at rest the wing can sometimes put the support strut under compression. This puts an up-force on the mast. The mast proceeded to rise up off the lower curved section. The rigging went slack. We all froze as our minds raced to what had failed and what was now being loaded abnormally. So often you can do the wrong thing at this point. The situation sort of stabilised in a wobbly way. Fortunately it was only light winds and we managed to understand the issues and get the whole thing down without causing any secondary damage. The wing has been under heaps more load than this before so it was quite surprising to see this. I'm glad we did as it would have no doubt ruined not only our next windy day (if it happened then) but also caused a lot more carnage and therefore ruined a week or so. The new part has already been made by Jose at BRUMAR ENGINEERING in Walvis and the wing will be re-assembled tomorrow. We haven't missed anything.

Here's the video of the run...

youtu.be/hCx7J9yBf2o

 

We remain plagued by light winds. Tomorrow is a maybe and Monday is playing with us. It looks like we are right on the edge of some strong stuff but it comes and goes with each forecast. I can't wait to let this boat go in a 25 knot plus day. Meanwhile we go over the boat... and sit and wait... and watch the news coming up from Luderitz where they are getting plenty of wind. Great to see the windsurfers beating their own records and edging ever closer to 50 knots. I look forward to sending some big numbers back down their way soon. Come on Walvis... jokes over.

Cheers, Paul

 

Tue, 6 Nov 12 14:27

 Hi all, here is a video which brings you bang up to date with this morning. Go Team. It goes hand in hand with the last blog.

Heading out again right now. It's another marginal day but good for training.

youtu.be/9t67XU0lhqc

Cheers, Paul

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