BT Global Challenge - Logica Knocked Two Places

by Betsy Crowfoot, Senior Writer, Quokka Sports on 11 Oct 2000 Penalty for engine use during medevac drops Logica to ninth place.




Logica's provisional seventh place finish in the first leg of the BT Global Challenge 2000/01 has been bumped to ninth, following a judgement by the International Race Jury.

During the medevac of Logica crew member Jasmine Georgiou, the team violated racing rules when they engaged the engine of the 72-foot yacht, in an effort to rendezvous with the Canadian Coast Guard.
Skipper Jeremy Troughton explained that shortly after Georgiou was stricken with severe abdominal pain, "we put out a medical emergency call on the VHF radio and Single Side Band radio and got a response from Halifax Coast Guard in Nova Scotia." Doctors ashore quickly concurred with onboard medic, Dr. Bill Cleland, that Georgiou had to be evacuated immediately.

"We said, 'look, we've got to get her to assistance as quickly as possible. We've got to do this, and take the medicine later if there's anything to take," Troughton said.

"There was a Coast Guard cutter up north, so we had to motor that way," he added. "Jasmine was not happy about us having to alter course, away from Boston, to close the distance."

Troughton said the team noted in the ship's log the position and time when Logica's engine was fired up -- and again when it was switched off. "We submitted that all to the race committee -- telling them we had to use the engine, which is effectively breaking the rules."

Upon arriving in Boston on 29 September -- barely one-half-hour ahead of Spirit of Hong Kong, Logica appealed to the Race Committee for redress in the hopes of avoiding a penalty. At the time Troughton admitted, "Generally you can't reclaim redress unless you've helped somebody else. Racing is all about being self-sufficient.

"It's up to the race committee to decide if we'd gained anything out of it -- which we don't believe we did. We were actually motoring away from Boston," he added. "Unfortunately, if you're helping yourselves, you can't claim redress. However we put in the request anyway and thought, we'll see what comes of it."

But on Tuesday the International Jury announced a final decision, stating Logica was not entitled to redress for giving assistance to her own crew during the 27 - 28 September incident.

According to a statement issued by the chairman of the International Email Jury, Martin Smethers, "In starting her motor as reported, Logica commenced temporary discontinuance of racing under General Sailing Instruction [GSI] G14 and, as such, should have returned to the spot where she began to use her motor, and continued racing from that spot. This she failed to do."

Smethers' report continued, "Based on track data supplied by Race HQ and acting under GSI 14 the jury finds it reasonable to assume that, had Logica returned to the spot at which she began to use her motor then continued racing, she would have finished eighth and not seventh as was the case."

In addition to the revised rank for the 3,200-mile leg, Logica was assessed a one-place penalty for breaking GSI 14, in accordance with GSI 13. Logica subsequently has moved from seventh to ninth place and is tied with Save the Children, each with seven points. The jury also indicated though that positions for the balance of the yachts will remain unchanged.

"When you look back now and think that it could have been so much worse, I'm happy that we made the right decision, as quickly as we possibly could," Troughton conceded. "There was no beating around the bush -- we had to get her off the boat as quickly as we could."