Leg 5

[Scotty3934 5]

AD are shipping boat to brazil

[Guest]

AD are shipping boat to brazil

 

That doesnt come as much of a surprise. Heres what Camper have to say at the moment.

 

[Guest]

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) have ceased racing and will ship their boat from Puerto Montt in Chile to Itajaí to ensure they are ready for the in-port race on April 21.

 

Ian Walker’s crew was forced to carry out a mid-sea repair to Azzam after discovering structural problems with the boat’s hull on March 30. At the time, they were around 1,700 nautical miles from land. Slowing the boat to stop further damage, Abu Dhabi changed course and headed for land, and at 0400 GMT today were just over 80 nm from Puerto Montt.

 

With gales and 10-metre seas forecast in the vicinity of Cape Horn for the next four days, skipper Ian Walker said their decision was the only logical option.

 

“As skipper, my overriding responsibility is the safety of Azzam and her crew and this is always at the forefront of my mind,” Walker said.

 

“The Southern Ocean is one part of the world you do not want to head out into with a yacht that is not 100 per cent. We have carefully reviewed all our options, spoken with our build teams and weather experts and this was the only logical choice available to us.”

 

Abu Dhabi first discovered the damage to the mid-section of the port side of Azzam’s hull on March 29 while sailing in typical Southern Ocean conditions. The crew carried out a mid-sea repair in 35 knots and four-metre seas, drilling 30 bolts through the hull to reinforce the damaged section.

 

Despite the team’s efforts, it was decided the repair was not strong enough to take on the remaining 3,000 nm of the leg. Walker said the delivery of Azzam to Itajaí would allow them to return to racing at full strength for the in-port racing on April 21.

 

Abu Dhabi were also forced to return to Auckland a few hours into Leg 5 after landing heavily off a huge wave and damaging a bulkhead in the bow of the boat. A monumental round-the-clock effort from their shore team saw them back out on the racetrack around 12 hours later.

 

CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand arrived in Puerto Montt at 2240 UTC on Tuesday after suspending racing earlier in the day. They plan to repair their boat before resuming racing and finishing Leg 5 in Itajaí.

 

Meanwhile, leg leaders, Groupama (Franck Cammas/FRA) and PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (Ken Read/USA) have ended their duel as Team Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) enters the fight for a leg win in Itajaí, just 657 nm ahead. The Spanish team suspended racing for 17 hours on April 1 to carry out repairs to structural damage and have since made a spectacular comeback.

 

At 1000 GMT today, Telefónica had closed to within 55.5 nm of Groupama 4, who took a 3.8 nm lead over PUMA at 0400 GMT, and extended it to 6.9 nm at 1000 GMT. Maintaining a course 183 nm off the Argentine coast, Telefónica were 135 nm to leeward of the frontrunners and sailing close-hauled. The leading trio were all averaging 11 to 12 knots.

[southernman 73]

I got to say that this leg is amazing.

 

Groupama sailing team suspended racing from the fifth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race after the mast broke just above the first spreader.

 

The crew are all safe, with the boat around 60 nautical miles south of Punta del Este.

 

"We just lost the rig now, all the crew is safe. We are working to stabilise the rig on the boat. Not easy," skipper Franck Cammas told Race HQ.

 

"We suspend the race now and have a look at what doing. We are 59 miles to Punta del Este."

 

Groupama 4 was holding a narrow lead over Puma in the leg from Auckland to Itajaí in southern Brazil when the incident was reported to Race control around 1540 UTC.

 

Volvo Ocean Race will release more information as it becomes available.

[Guest]

camper could still get 3rd

 

Leg 5 : Auckland - Itajaļ

Groupama 4 dismasts 650 miles from the finish in Itajai

 

It was at around 1500 UTC today that Franck Cammas announced to his shore crew that Groupama 4 had dismasted 60 miles offshore of the coast of Uruguay, whilst leading the fifth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race.

 

When the incident happened, Groupama 4 was sailing upwind on port tack in a northerly wind of around twenty knots.

 

The mast broke level with the first spreader (around ten metres above the deck).

 

When the spar fell, bowman Brad Marsh suffered a slight injury to his forearm.

 

Franck Cammas indicated that he wasn't requesting assistance and that he'd temporarily suspended racing.

 

Two options are being studied:

 

1/ To continue the race under jury rig towards Itajai, the finish venue, some 650 nautical miles ahead.

 

2/ To make for Punta del Este, wait for the new mast (stored in Rotterdam), rig it and then head back into the race from the point where they suspended racing (at 1500 UTC) to make for Itajai.

 

Further information will be communicated as soon as possible.

 

http://www.cammas-groupama.com/fr/index.jsp

[markm 30]

Think the French are a bit too close to the finish for Camper to catch them.

[Guest]

Groupama’s dismasting while in the lead earlier today leaves PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (Ken Read/USA) with only Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) able to challenge them for the lead in the final stage of what has been a dramatic Leg 5 from Auckland to Itajaí.

 

With 677 nautical miles (nm) to go to the finish line, Groupama (Franck Cammas/FRA) dismasted 60 nm south of Punta del Este, the Uruguayan port that has hosted the Whitbread Race [the forerunner of the Volvo Ocean Race] on three occasions. The team held a narrow lead of about 2.2 nm over PUMA at the time and was sailing close-hauled on port tack when the rig broke, level with the first spreader, about 10 metres above the deck.

 

The team has not requested assistance but temporarily suspended racing at 1542 GMT. They are considering either continuing the 677 nm under jury rig to the finish in Itajaí, Brazil, or making for Punta del Este where they could step a replacement mast. The team’s spare rig is currently warehoused in the Netherlands.

 

The Telefónica crew, who were about 46 nm astern of Groupama at the time of the dismasting, reported a very complicated swell as the wind increased this afternoon. At the time, PUMA and Groupama were two thirds of the way across the 120-nm Rio de la Plata estuary, which separates Argentina from Uruguay. After the intensity and enjoyment of close-contact racing, PUMA will now go it alone as Telefónica has chosen a course just shy of 200 nm offshore and has developed 137 nm of lateral separation to leeward. At 1900 GMT tonight, they had closed to within 36.7 nm of PUMA and were sailing two knots faster.

 

Meanwhile, work has begun on CAMPER in Puerto Montt, Chile and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing has entered the quiet waters of the Golfo Corcovado and are making their way to join CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand. Both boats have suffered structural damage, which has caused them to seek a safe haven in Puerto Montt. CAMPER suspended racing at 0130 GMT on Tuesday, but fully intends to complete Leg 5, while Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, who retired from Leg 5 at 1000 GMT today, will ship their boat to Itajaí.

[Guest]

camper could still get 3rd

 

Two options are being studied:

 

1/ To continue the race under jury rig towards Itajai, the finish venue, some 650 nautical miles ahead.

 

2/ To make for Punta del Este, wait for the new mast (stored in Rotterdam), rig it and then head back into the race from the point where they suspended racing (at 1500 UTC) to make for Itajai.

 

 

 

Think the French are a bit too close to the finish for Camper to catch them.

 

Not so fast ...maybe POAL have an operation in Rotterdam??????

[Bimini Babe 0]

I got to say that this leg is amazing.

I think this leg is a shambles and an embarassment.

[Guest]

Why do they always pu tthis

 

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG

 

Who's berg? thought Puma made shoes?

[Farrari 4]

From the Berg propulsion web site. Another sponsor by the look of it.

 

Berg Propulsion is one of the world’s leading designers and producers of Controllable Pitch Propellers. We power PUMA Ocean Racing in Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12.

 

http://www.bergpropulsion.com/

[Bimini Babe 0]

From the Berg propulsion web site. Another sponsor by the look of it.

 

Berg Propulsion is one of the world’s leading designers and producers of Controllable Pitch Propellers. We power PUMA Ocean Racing in Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12.

 

http://www.bergpropulsion.com/

Perhaps "We power PUMA Ocean Racing to the start line of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12" would be more appropriate.

[B00B00 310]

Why do they always pu tthis

 

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG

 

Who's berg? thought Puma made shoes?

 

They are actually Powered North Sails along with every other boat in the race other than last placed Sanya.

Also worth noting that Puma are still on their first main after over 30,000nm of racing and think they will use this one to the end.

[Bimini Babe 0]

Why do they always pu tthis

 

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG

 

Who's berg? thought Puma made shoes?

 

They are actually Powered North Sails along with every other boat in the race other than last placed Sanya.

Also worth noting that Puma are still on their first main after over 30,000nm of racing and think they will use this one to the end.

Shameless.

[Megwyn 2]

Why do they always pu tthis

 

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG

 

Who's berg? thought Puma made shoes?

 

They are actually Powered North Sails along with every other boat in the race other than last placed Sanya.

Also worth noting that Puma are still on their first main after over 30,000nm of racing and think they will use this one to the end.

Shameless.

 

I concur - really Booboo!

[Guest]

They are actually Powered North Sails along with every other boat in the race other than last placed Sanya.

Also worth noting that Puma are still on their first main after over 30,000nm of racing and think they will use this one to the end.

 

French not currently powered by Norths Sails now tho!

[Fogg 427]

OK, this is nuts.

 

Like I said much earlier, I was initially on the fence about the boats. Then later I decided that maybe the boats were OK but needed very careful driving by their crews and that only Groupama had it truly sussed - notably due to the multihull experience of Cammas and Coville.

 

But I also said that Groupama were my benchmark and if they suffered a major failure then I would change my mind and agree that the boats were, after all, flawed.

 

So they have. And I have.

[Megwyn 2]

That's not fence sitting AC - that is side swapping!

 

Like one of the crew on one of the boats said the other day - it is 2 months later than they have even been racing in the Southern Ocean. Maybe the true extent of the racing conditions this late in the season where not fully understood by those standing at their drawing boards.

 

Interesting - I had always understood that designers tended to over design, and overbuild yachts in order to prevent dangerous occurrences at sea.

 

Obviously I was wrong.

M

[Guest]

OK, this is nuts.

 

Like I said much earlier, I was initially on the fence about the boats. Then later I decided that maybe the boats were OK but needed very careful driving by their crews and that only Groupama had it truly sussed - notably due to the multihull experience of Cammas and Coville.

 

But I also said that Groupama were my benchmark and if they suffered a major failure then I would change my mind and agree that the boats were, after all, flawed.

 

So they have. And I have.

 

Ahhhhhhh. I was waiting for a comment from you AC as to if this was a result of them driving to hard or just the boat taking to much of a pounding that it cant take. At least you can say that your not the only one who might be leaning the other way now as Knut has been forced to publicly question how these major faults have occurred.

[Tubthumper 0]

Would like to point out that the rig break could have been caused by a few other things than smashing through waves, wayward birdlife, sail handling error, dolphin/whale strike...

 

Either way, I was going to join Booboo in a shameless plug for the spar builder that has the two remaining un broken rigs in the fleet BUT... there's a long way still to go!