Rolex Sydney Hobart- Perpetual Loyal forced to retire with hull damage
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com on 27 Dec 2014
Perpetual Loyal (AUS) leads Ragamuffin 100 (AUS) as the 100ft Maxi battle begins - 2014 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi
http://www.carloborlenghi.net
The Australian supermaxi Perpetual Loyal has been forced to retire from the 2014 Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, with hull damage.
Race organisers told Sail-World that initially they were told that the 100ft yacht had suffered hull damage, and later this was changed to delamination.
But Perpetual Loyal's media manager advised Rolex Sydney Hobart Race Control that they may have hit an object about 9.00pm on the previous night, the opening night of the 2014 race.
She pulled out 27 miles east of Merimbula, and is under mainsail and motoring in sloppy seas. A 2 metre swell is running in the area. At the time of her withdrawal, Perpetual Loyal was contesting third place with another Team Ragamuffin, another Australian supermaxi.
The withdrawal was briefly discussed in a regular radio sked this morning with race organisers, little detail was available, other than to confirm that all aboard were safe and well.
If the damage is hull delamination, then it has probably arisen from pounding though big seas and 25-30kt winds for the first day and night of the race.
Perpetual Loyal is motoring back to Sydney and is expected to arrive in the Rose Bay marina in 24 hours.
She will then be hauled from the water and full inspection done, which will confirm the likely cause.
The decision to withdraw was not advised until 8.00am on Saturday morning, and she had continued to race through the night in her damaged condition.
No further detail was available from the boat other than to say that crew and particularly skipper, Anthony Bell were devastated by having to make the decision to withdraw from the race soon after first light.
Perpetual Loyal's crew includes several sports personalities.
She is the highest profile retirement from the race, which has five supermaxis contesting line honours.
Winds have eased in the race area to about 10kts from the SW, and Perpetual Loyal is in no danger of further damage.
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