Stricken Volvo Ocean Race leader limps to dry land
Print Edition
DONGFENG Race Team, the joint leader of the Volvo Ocean Race which broke its mast a day ago, was nursing its stricken boat towards dry land and safety yesterday.
The breakage could hardly have happened at a worse place for the Chinese team, some 250 nautical miles away from Cape Horn in the midst of the treacherous Southern Ocean and in high winds on the fifth leg.
The damage has robbed the 20-meter boat of much of its maneuverability and French bowman Kevin Escoffier was forced to cut off one of the sails, to avoid it doing more damage to the 30-meter high mast. He also cut away the top part of the mast.
Extraordinary legs
“After four extraordinary legs for our team, we’ve taken our first major punch. A very big one,” lamented French skipper Charles Caudrelier.
He must now decide whether to try to carry out repairs in Ushuaia, Argentina, which the boat was scheduled to reach later yesterday, and attempt to re-join the leg.
Alternatively, the team could quit the 6,770-nautical mile stage and then transport the boat to the next stopover, Itajai in Brazil, for a full mast re-fit in time for the next leg to Newport, Rhode Island, on April 19.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, which held the joint lead with Dongfeng prior to the start of the fifth leg from Auckland, New Zealand, on March 18, protected a slim 2.8 nautical mile advantage over Turkish-US Team Alvimedica yesterday.
Spanish boat MAPFRE and Team Brunel of the Netherlands were both within 20 nautical miles while the all-women’s crew Team SCA was some 500 nautical miles behind having suffered serious sail damage in a storm last week. The boats are expected to arrive in Itajai between April 5-6.
In all, they will sail 38,739 nautical miles and visit 11 ports and every continent with the race concluding in Gothenburg, Sweden, on June 27.
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