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RHUM: ELLEN FORCED TO CLIMB RIG TO SAVE HALYARD...AND RACE
Absender: "Team Kingfisher"
Datum: 18. Nov 2002 19:23
BIG PROBLEM
ELLEN MacArthur has just been through her most dramatic moment on board KINGFISHER in the Route du Rhum race. The lashing on the gennaker halyard block broke, forcing her to drop the spinnaker and scale the 27 metre mast of her 60ft racing machine. To not resecure the halyard would mean racing KINGFISHER at less than 100% for the reindexing 1400 miles of the 3540 mile race - an unbearable position for Ellen as she fights to hold a slim 30 mile lead over fellow Briton Mike Golding.
ELLEN on a phonecall to Team Kingfisher Mission Control at approximately 1130 this morning..."I've got a shocker - the lashing that holds the gennaker halyard block to the top of the mast has broken. So the gennaker halyard is now 1:1 and coming straight out of the rig sitting direct the block. Big, big problem...I can’t think of anyway of fixing it without climbing the rig [mast]....I can’t believe it....Every time we make a gain, we seem to get knocked back. I’ve got to do it though...."
CLIMBING THE MAST
Going up the mast is a risk - a huge risk for Ellen's safety and that of KINGFISHER - but it was the only way to solve the problem and keep the boat racing at 100%. To make matters worse climbing the rig now than compared to the Vendée Globe has been made more difficult as Ellen explains: "This is going to be really dangerous - I can't get my leg between the indexsail and the mast to get a foothold with the old indexsail that we are using - it was built for crewed sailing in 2001 and not for me alone. I also only have one of the jumars I need [climbing equipment used to haul herself up one of the ropes that up the mast]. Anyway, I don’t have much choice do I....I’ll call when I get back down..."
RELIEF at approximately 1515 GMT:
ELLEN completed the repair job in under two hours and confirmed her safety to the shore team: "I'm safe, I'm back - I've done it... What a mission but got kite back up and racing again. Getting up the mast was not too bad although coming down was a nightmare - boat rolling around and nothing to hold on too. Honestly, I'm fine though - I just talked to myself the whole way up and back down. Lashing looks like it chafed through....need to forget this....need to get on with the race again..."
It is estimated that KINGFISHER only lost between 5-6 miles on ECOVER as the boat was slowed to allow Ellen's ascent up the mast.
At last positions 1500 GMT Ellen was polled as 31.9 miles ahead - the next poll at 1900 GMT will show the extent of the lost miles.
LATEST POSITIONS IMOCA OPEN 60 FLEET MONDAY 18.11.02 1500 GMT:
1. Ellen MacArthur (KINGFISHER) 1408.4 miles to finish
2. Mike Golding (ECOVER) +31.9 miles to leader
3. Joe Seeten (ARCELOR-DUNKERQUE) +428.9
4. Roland Jourdain (SILL) +551.2
Further information at http://www.teamkingfisher.com or contact the Team Kingfisher Mission Control on info@offshorechallenges.com
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