10. März 2002
„illbruck“: Relingstütze ab und faustgroßes Loch
Schaden nach Kollision mit der „SEB“ notdürftig repariert / „News Corp“
von acht auf eins
Rio de Janeiro – Ein faustgroßes Loch in der linken hinteren Bordkante und
eine abgebrochene Relingstütze – das sind auf den ersten Blick die
Schäden, die die Leverkusener Hochseeyacht „illbruck“ bei einer Kollision
mit der schwedischen „SEB“ davongetragen hat. „Beides haben wir sofort
notdürftig repariert und die fünfte Etappe des Volvo Ocean Race
fortgesetzt“, berichtete Skipper John Kostecki am Sonntag von Bord. Der
Vorfall hatte sich am Sonnabend Abend wenige Stunden nach dem Start des
4.550 Seemeilen langen Teilstücks von Rio de Janeiro/Brasilien nach
Miami/USA ereignet. Offenbar hatte sich der Steuermann der „SEB“
verschätzt, als er hinter der vorfahrtberechtigten „illbruck“
hindurchsegeln wollte. Dadurch rammten die Schweden das deutsche Boot etwa
ein Meter vor dem Heck.
„Es passierte bei Windstärke drei bis vier und zehn Knoten
Bootsgeschwindigkeit“, so ein etwas bedrückter Kostecki weiter. „Das war
für meine Mannschaft eine große Schrecksekunde, und wir müssen die
Reparaturen auch noch verbessern.“ Kurze Zeit später passierte nämlich ein
weiteres Unglück, als das große Code-Zero-Segeln plötzlich herunter ins
Wasser fiel, nachdem offenbar ein Haltestropp gerissen war. Ein
Zusammenhang mit der Kollision konnte nicht ausgeschlossen werden. Auch
weitere Schäden waren am Sonntag noch nicht bekannt, verletzt wurde jedoch
niemand.
Durch die Zwischenfälle fiel die „illbruck“ im Positionsreport von Sonntag
Mittag auf den letzten Platz zurück, lag aber noch innerhalb von drei
Seemeilen mit sechs andere Booten. Allein die australische „News Corp“
hatte mit einem Husarenstreich die rote Laterne abgegeben, als sie als
Erste Richtung Norden steuerte und mit sieben Seemeilen Vorsprung die
Führung vor der „Tyco“ (Bermudas) übernahm.
Die Schuldfrage an der Kollision scheint eindeutig, da die „SEB“ mit Wind
von Backbord der „illbruck“ mit Wind von Steuerbord hätte ausweichen
müssen. Skipper Gunnar Krantz, der selbst zu dem Zeitpunkt nicht am Ruder
war, sondern auf der hohen Kante saß, konnte den Zusammenstoß nicht
erklären. Sein Steuermann habe wohl die Distanz zur „illbruck“ und deren
Geschwindigkeit falsch eingeschätzt. Sofort nach der Kollision ließ Krantz
einen doppelten Strafkringel (720 Grad Drehung um sich selbst) drehen, mit
dem er die Situation nach den Wettfahrtregeln aus seiner Sicht zunächst
bereinigt hat. Dennoch könnte es in Miami zu einer Protestverhandlung am
grünen Tisch kommen, wenn die „illbruck“ durch die Schäden einen Nachteil
mit Einfluss auf den Ausgang der Etappe erlitten hat.
Southampton, England, March 10, 2002 2200 GMT
Too costly to push east
News Corp has continued to push further north in freeing easterly winds
and has been sailing a lower course than the rest of the fleet.
All the rest of the V.O.60s tacked onto starboard within around half an
hour of each other to head north, with Amer Sports One, Amer Sports Too
and SEB keeping more to the west, ASSA ABLOY and illbruck in the middle of
the track and Tyco and djuice to the east. Apart from News Corp, twelve
miles splits the fleet from west to east.
Gurra Krantz from SEB wrote earlier that the boats to the east might gain
an advantage from the high pressure with the wind likely to lift them
further. He added that he would have preferred to continue on, but it
appeared too costly after the wind had shifted to the right, which
encouraged them to tack sooner.
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day Two, 2157 GMT
PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG TFHR DTL DTL-C ETA PO
1 NEWS 21 40.12S 039 53.00W 04289 017 08.0 169 0 0 27 MAR 02 27
2 AONE 22 09.44S 039 29.76W 04309 033 07.2 176 20 +6 27 MAR 02 29
3 DJCE 22 13.04S 039 21.92W 04311 039 07.7 181 22 +5 27 MAR 02 23
4 TYCO 22 13.76S 039 20.12W 04311 045 07.5 183 22 +8 27 MAR 02 23
5 AART 22 13.24S 039 26.16W 04312 035 07.2 178 23 +6 27 MAR 02 24
6 ILBK 22 15.40S 039 26.36W 04314 040 07.3 177 25 +7 27 MAR 02 32
7 ATOO 22 14.52S 039 30.24W 04314 041 06.9 175 25 +9 27 MAR 02 9
8 TSEB 22 16.32S 039 30.52W 04316 044 06.8 175 27 +11 27 MAR 02 13
Southampton, England, March 10, 2002 1600 GMT
Fighting back
Following last night’s problems after a collision with SEB and then
breaking a halyard strop leaving their Code Zero in the water, illbruck
now have to fight back from their last position. Kostecki anticipated
that the repairs to the boat and the sail would be completed within a
couple of hours and they would then be up to speed again.
Krantz, skipper of SEB, indicated that they would be pushing as far as
they could into the heading easterly, before they would tack to the north
which he anticipated would be with the rest of the fleet once the wind had
changed.
News Corp, heading north on starboard tack is reaping further benefit from
her earlier split from the fleet, sailing with slightly less of the
Brazilian Current against her. The rest of the fleet are all continuing
east into the heading breeze.
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day Two, 1557 GMT
PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG TFHR DTL DTL-C ETA PO
1 NEWS 22 25.88S 040 07.88W 04337 073 07.6 No Data 0 0 27 MAR 02 27
2 TYCO 22 45.48S 039 54.64W 04351 082 07.3 No Data 14 +7 27 MAR 02 25
3 AONE 22 45.44S 039 55.52W 04351 082 07.3 No Data 14 +7 27 MAR 02 28
4 ATOO 22 45.72S 039 59.28W 04353 080 07.0 No Data 16 +7 27 MAR 02 12
5 TSEB 22 45.60S 040 01.20W 04353 080 06.9 No Data 16 +7 27 MAR 02 16
6 AART 22 48.68S 039 52.80W 04354 085 07.6 No Data 17 +9 27 MAR 02 23
7 DJCE 22 49.36S 039 53.32W 04354 084 07.5 No Data 17 +8 27 MAR 02 19
8 ILBK 22 49.04S 039 56.64W 04355 082 07.2 No Data 18 +8 27 MAR 02 30
Southampton, England, March 10, 2002 Day 2
Kostecki’s Yacht illbruck Hit In Collision
The incident occurred during a straightforward collision avoidance
manoeuvre. "We had a port and starboard, us on port them on starboard,"
explained SEB skipper Gunnar Krantz. "We tried to duck them and missed the
duck and touched them on the port aft corner with our bow. And made our
720 and continued racing."
Krantz continued: "The problem was probably miscommunication maybe.”
One of the fundamental rules of road in sailing or yacht racing is that
when two boats are on a collision course the boat on port tack (with the
wind coming over the left side of the boat) must give way to another
sailing yacht on starboard tack. While the boat on starboard must hold her
course, the helmsman on the port tack boat has two options - to try cross
in front of the other boat without forcing the other boat to alter course,
otherwise they must bear away and 'duck the transom' of the other boat.
The Racing Rules of Sailing and the sailing instructions for the Volvo
Ocean Race provide a way to exonerate after such an incident by completing
a 720-degree turn with the yacht. The rules also say, that a yacht that
causes serious damage through her breach of the rules shall retire.
SEB was travelling at around eight to nine knots when her bow hit
illbruck. Illbruck’s skipper John Kostecki said that the collision was
roughly one metre forward from the transom and fortunately because it was
on their leeward side, all the crew were on the opposite side of the boat,
so no one was hurt.
The impact resulted in a hole, the "size of your fist" in illbruck's hull.
The Swedish boat's stem then scraped down the hull ripping out the aft
stanchion that holds illbruck's guardrails. "It was pretty surprising,"
Kostecki went on. "It was 13 knots of wind and we had jibs up so it wasn't
like the big overlapping Code Zero where you couldn't see to leeward. The
visibility was good. I don't know - they just mistimed it I guess and hit
us."
John Kostecki said that they were able to repair the hole before dark last
night and will make further repairs this morning. The repairs cost them
little in distance, other than the weight penalty of having 2-3 people
down to leeward for the time it took to make the repairs.
Since the start of the leg in Rio the racing has developed as close as
ever. After beating into light headwinds along the Brazilian coast on a
very narrow track towards Cape Frio, News Corp was the only yacht to tack
right at the Cape and subsequently moved from last to first. The other
yachts expect to get a right hand wind shift further to the east and
regain what was lost to News Corp.
Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 2, 0946 GMT
PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG DTL DTL-C ETA PO
1 NEWS 22 39.40S 040 56.12W 04366 075 08.2 0 -3 27 MAR 02 27
2 TYCO 22 51.88S 040 42.80W 04373 082 08.1 7 +7 27 MAR 02 25
3 AONE 22 51.84S 040 43.28W 04373 082 08.0 7 +7 27 MAR 02 28
4 AART 22 53.12S 040 42.88W 04374 083 08.2 8 +7 27 MAR 02 25
5 ATOO 22 53.00S 040 45.40W 04375 082 08.1 9 +7 27 MAR 02 11
6 TSEB 22 52.68S 040 46.64W 04375 082 07.9 9 +7 27 MAR 02 15
7 DJCE 22 54.28S 040 42.80W 04375 084 08.1 9 +8 27 MAR 02 19
8 ILBK 22 55.36S 040 44.28W 04376 085 08.0 10 +8 27 MAR 02 30
Southampton, England, March 10, 2002 1000 GMT
First Details About Collision
In a radio interview, the skippers of SEB, Gurra Krantz and illbruck, John
Kostecki revealed details about the collision that happened yesterday
afternoon. Short tacking along the coast of Brazil, SEB’s and illbruck’s
tracks crossed. SEB tried to tuck illbruck but seems to have misjudged
their distance and speed and ended up with their bow in illbruck’s
portside, ripping off a stanchion and breaking a hole of the size of a
fist in illbruck’s hull.
SEB exonerated themselves by doing a 720 turn and continued racing.
Illbruck effected immediate repairs and continued as well. Some more
repair work has to be done to the hole in the hull.
Shortly later illbruck was stricken by bad luck when a strop, holding the
big Code 0 sail broke and the sail was dropped into the water. To resolve
the situation, illbruck had to bear away and ended up in the southernmost
position of the fleet.
News Corp is earning the dividends of their early tack to the north and
moved over the last six hour period from last to first. SEB’s skipper
Gurra Krantz believes that the whole fleet is heading east to get into
another wind shift first and regain more than what was lost to News Corp.
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