 |
6:49 PM Thu 18 Dec 2008 GMT
The Dutch/Irish entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, Team Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) has suffered damage to the port side carbon structure around the keel ram. The boat was half way across the Bay of Bengal when the damage occurred, at 1930 local time, midday GMT. Skipper Roberto Bermudez de Castro and his crew are safe and the boat is not taking on water.
'We are currently putting up the J4, and we will sail eastwards (upwind) with the keel centred using only the starboard ram,' reported navigator Matt Gregory/USA. 'We should be able to sail at seven knots. According to the boat's designer, Juan Kouyoumdjian, it is safe to continue under sail and we are about 400 nm west of the northern corner of Sumatra. We have a fuel range of 450 nm and enough food for 11 days at sea,' he said. Trimmer, Edwin O'Connor/IRL is leading the process of repairing the structure onboard.
'We heard a big bang. Johnny (Gerd van Poortman/NED) and I thought the mast had come down. Everybody was shocked and we started searching below deck. It did not take long before we found the problem. The port side carbon structure that holds the ram was broken. At the moment, the guys are consulting external expertise to secure the keel,' explained MCM Sander Pluijm from the Netherlands.
It is too early to know the exact cause of the damage, but it is likely to be a failure of the hydraulic system. The crew have not retired from the race but are considering the possibility of going to the nearest harbour or continuing towards Singapore, which is the preferred option.
'This is incredibly bad luck, but the safety of the crew is my first priority,' said skipper Roberto Bermudez. 'It is my job to bring them home safely,' he added.
The shore team is ready to start repairing the damage, which should enable Team Delta Lloyd to start the in-port race in Singapore on 10 January.
DELTA LLOYD LEG THREE DAY 6 QFB: received 18.12.08 1633 GMT
At 7:30 this evening, we were sailing upwind in 20 knots of wind - pounding away in a short steep sea state with our J1 headsail and a reef in the main. All of a sudden, there was a massive breaking sound from inside the boat.
One of the hydraulic rams, that cants the keel from side to side, had ripped off the bulkhead that connects it to the boat. Immediately we put our safety plan into place.
Unsure of extent of the structural damage and integrity of the boat, everyone moved to their areas. We took down our headsail. The water pumps were deployed and put on standby. Survival suits and grab bags were pulled from the safety locker in case we were sinking and needed to abandon the boat. I called the race office to tell them our position and to be on standby in case we needed assistance from another boat. I also worked on finding ports that we could take refuge. The closest ones were 400 miles away. Meanwhile the guys on deck limped the boat along at three knots.
The next phone calls were to the designer, Juan Kouyoumdjian to help us assess the implications of the structural failure. He helped us determine that we could continue to sail, with our keel locked in the centre position by using the starboard hydraulic ram.
Right now, we are sailing with our little J4 headsail and a reef in the main towards the northern tip of Indonesia, which also happens to be the location of the scoring gate. Using the sails to heel the boat helps to reduce the slamming loads on the hull. We are making decent headway at about nine knots of boat speed. Over the next two days, we will work with our shore team to figure out how we are going to get to Singapore.
It was a very scary moment onboard, but it was great to see the entire team handle the emergency in a calm and professional way. We are fortunate to be able to continue east towards Singapore. However, every wave that we crash into is a bit more worrisome than normal. Hopefully, we can get the boat safely to the Malacca Straights in one piece. For now, we are happy to be safe, which is always our first priority.
Matt Gregory - navigator
by Volvo Ocean Race media
|
|
Hamilton Island, QLD
Foiling - Components (Wings,Masts,etc)
Windsurfing - Accessories
Kitesurfing - Kites
Stand Up Paddle - Wave & Cruising Boards