Gabri OLIVO (ESP), Media Crew Member onboard Telefónica Blue, gave a first-person description of the incident, “Ask your worst enemy what is the worst thing you could wish someone and this is what would happen. We hit a rock doing 15kn while we were leading the fleet towards Stockholm.
“The reaction was very quick; Jono SWAIN got the guys to furl the Code 0 while Pepe RIBES was checking the boat inside. In these circumstances you have to be quick, no time for thinking, just reacting.
“After securing the boat and taking the sails down, I checked the boat down below to see the damage and quickly found out that the daggerboard had broken through the case and water was coming in. Both emergency pumps were running full throttle and the guys were bailing with everyone that they could find. A human chain was quickly formed to maximize the amount of water bailed in the smallest amount of time.
Uncategorized
Telefonica Blue hard aground at start of VOR leg nine
Sailing fast out of Marstrand harbor on the ninth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, Telefonica Blue struck a rock, trapping her keel and fracturing one of her daggerboard trunks. No crewmembers were injured, and all of them worked quickly to douse the sails and assess the damage. Rescue personnel brought the boat back to Marstrand where she will be hauled for repair.
From Sail-World.com:
