30.11.2005
movistar REPORT
Eighteen days after the start of the Volvo Ocean Race in Vigo, and 17
since 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 shore 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.
“Since she arrived in Portimao on November 14, work on 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 shore 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 movistar: “We knew the boat had
suffered severe damage that would take a while to repair, but thanks to
the work of our shore 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 who helped with
repairs, comments on the assistance from the Desafío Español 2007.
“Without their 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.”
Once the repair work is completed, movistar will be put back in the water
and sailed to Cadiz, where she will board a freighter bound for Cape Town.
Bouwe Bekking explains the causes that led the team to decide to put the
boat on the freighter.
“When we arrived in Portugal, after Farr’s design team checked
the condition of the boat, we started to work with the goal of getting her
back in 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.”
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.”
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.”
For media information on the Volvo Ocean Race, please contact:
Lizzie Green Press Officer at race headquarters:
Tel: +44 1489 554 832, Mob: +44 7801 185 320
Email: lizzie.green@volvooceanrace.org
Sophie Luther Press Assistant at race headquarters
Mob: +44 7956 285548 email: sophie.luther@volvooceanrace.org
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