Bad Start
Telefonica Blue ran aground on an unmarked bank, in what should have been 11 meters of water, and had to return to port before the start of Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race. A diver was unable to assess the precise extent of the damage and the boat was taken out of the water. The shore team removed sails and stores to give full access to the structure and an examination of the keel and bulb fixation points was carried out. At first, it was feared that the boat might have to undergo ultra sound examination, which could have delayed departure for several days, but now experts believe that satisfactory repairs are almost complete and the boat should be able to leave in about 6 hours, depending on the tide. Here’s the keel from Santiago Robatto/BYM News. You just get the feeling that bad luck seems to follow these guys…
Meanwhile, Ericsson 3 has started leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race a few hours after the ‘fleet’, almost immediately after finishing leg 4, following a lightening Formula 1 style pit stop. Everything was ready to load as the boat came in and the turn around was completed in about 40 minutes. These pics from our friend Rick Tomlinson and BYM has a bunch more shots right here.
