| MADRID, SPAIN-(30-11-2005) Eighteen days after the start of the Volvo Ocean Race in Vigo – and 17
since the “movistar” suffered the accident that forced her to abandon the
leg when she was leading the race – the Spanish boat is already repaired
and ready to resume the race. Two weeks of repairs at the Portuguese port
of Portimao have been necessary to put the yacht back in shape.
“These have been two really hectic weeks - says Pedro Campos, “movistar”’s
general manager–. In just 15 days we started the race in Vigo, managed to
be leaders of the race, suffered a collision, went back to land, reached
Portimao and carried out repairs on the boat”.
This has been a busy time for repair work in port, and for strategic work
at the team’s offices, says Campos. “While our land crew, supported by the
Desafío Español 2007 America’s Cup specialists, strived to repair the boat,
we gauged the pros and cons of every option at headquarters. The repairs
have not been easy; the decision was hard to make too, but in both cases we
have made a great effort”.
After contemplating all options, the team decided to send the Volvo Open 70
“movistar” on a freighter directly to Cape Town, the port for the start of
the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, and the location for the second
in-shore race of this year’s edition, on December 26.
Repaired in record time
Since she arrived in Portimao on November 14, work on the “movistar” has
been constant, says Pepe Ribes, bowman. “The first priority was always to
repair the boat. When we chose Portimao to make repairs, we started out the
work with our land team and the invaluable assistance of the Desafío
Español 2007 America’s Cup team, who offered their assistance immediately.
The collaboration and coordination between both teams was complete, both in
the repair of the rudder and the pivoting keel in Valencia and the onboard
work in Portimao. We also used the Green Marine shipyard in the UK to
repair some of the pieces. The truth is that the whole machinery has worked
to perfection to have the boat up and running again”.
Once he checked the result of the repair work undertaken, Skipper Bouwe
Bekking assessed the situation of the Volvo Open 70 “movistar”: “We knew
the boat had suffered severe damages that would take a while to repair, but
thanks to the work of our land crew and the support of the Desafío Español
2007, we have been able to complete repairs in record time. I feel very
confident about the repair work done; the boat is in perfect condition”.
Xabi Fernández, “movistar”’s trimmer and one of the crew members who helped
with repairs, comments on the assistance from the Desafío Español 2007.
“Without heir help it would have taken us much longer to have everything
ready. They are great professionals; thanks to them, we will reach Cape
Town ready to sail”.
Ready to race again
Once the repair work is completed, the Volvo Open 70 “movistar” will be
returned to water bound for Cadiz, where she will board a freighter bound
for Cape Town. Bouwe Bekking explains the causes that led the team to
decide to board the Volvo Open 70 on a cargo vessel bound for Cape Town.
“When we arrived in Portugal, after Farr’s design team checked the
condition of the boat, we started to work with the goal of putting her back
on shape as soon as possible. One of the options was to get the boat ready
and resume sailing, in case we could score a few points, but we know now
that was too risky. The weather forecast for the next days predicts a very
light breeze, meaning slow progress for the boat. This is a 6,400 mile leg,
and we would be very pressed to meet the deadline. This has been the
hardest decision I ever made in my life, but I am absolutely convinced it
was the right one”.
The “movistar” will resume the race on December 26, in South African
waters. “The inshore regatta in Cape Town will take place on December 26,
and we must be ready by then –Pedro Campos warns -. If we chose to resume
sailing with such a short time margin, we would run the risk of not making
it on time for the inshore race. In that case, we would lose the chance of
winning 3.5 points just to secure 3 points”.
The second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race is one of the toughest ones, and it
is absolutely essential to start in good shape to keep the chances for a
good result. “If we arrived late in Cape Town, the crew would not have time
to recover for the second leg – continues Bekking -. This is a crucial leg
and we must be in perfect shape to face it: from the inshore race to the
arrival in Australia there are 17.5 points at stake, so we must keep a cool
head and assess every risk. Even if we limit ourselves to sailing the boat
from Portimao, a 6,400 mile course represents considerable physical wear
that takes some three weeks to recover”.
The “movistar” will resume her regular training schedule in South Africa.
“We are leaving for Cape Town on December 4 to continue our training. The
boat will take around two weeks to get there, but meanwhile we will keep
training hard. The crew did a wonderful job during the first night of the
race, we were leaders of the race, and I am very satisfied with the
performance of the boat and the sails. There are many points at stake
still, this is a very long race, and the whole team is aware of our
possibilities”.
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