Movistar heads for Cape Town and Volvo OR restart

by Event Media on 2 Dec 2005 From: movistar REPORT
Sent: 30 November 2005
To: DUTY OFFICER
Madrid, November 30, 2005.

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.’