Barcelona World Race - Key repairs in New Zealand

by Barcelona World Race on 17 Feb 2011 Barcelona World Race update.

Virbac-Paprec 3, long-term leaders in the Barcelona World Race, are currently in dock in Wellington after yesterday evening’s surprise announcement that they would be stopping during the Cook Strait passage of the race to make key repairs.

Jean-Pierre Dick and Loick Peyron (FRA) reported their plans for the stopover to Race Director Denis Horeau yesterday evening after breaking two mainsail battens during their approach to New Zealand. Shortly after arriving alongside the pontoons of Chaffers marina this morning, Jean-Pierre Dick explained how they arrived at the decision:
'We would have had to finish the whole half of the world tour without any spares on board. With such a weak piece that was too dangerous, because it’s dangerous to sail without these cars. So I decided to stop and get some new ones, this is the reason as it’s not acceptable to sail without any spares.

'We also went through a few other little minor damages that we will repair – such as to the bubble on the roof. We were not planning at all to stop, which is why I don’t have any of my shore crew.'

Each stopover past 140 degrees East must be for a minimum penalty period of 48 hours, hence as Virbac-Paprec 3 arrived on the dockside in Wellington at 2311hrs (NZL local time, or 1011hrs GMT) they may not leave until 2311hrs (NZL) on Friday 18th February.

Before the team arrived in Wellington, they were met by a helicopter team who took some spectacular images and video footage of the boat sailing past New Zealand’s dramatic coastline – see the Multimedia section of the Barcelona World Race website.

When he won the inaugural edition of the Barcelona World Race in 2008 on Paprec-Virbac 2, Jean-Pierre Dick was one of only two entries not to stop in Wellington for repairs. So far just two teams have signaled their intentions to stopover in New Zealand this time – Virbac-Paprec 3 and Groupe Bel – however the potential benefits of 48-hours of repairs on land are making the decision hard for some skippers, as Alex Pella (ESP) of Estrella Damm explained during this morning’s live link-up:

'All the boats have wear and tear, and you have to be able to assess whether it’s worthwhile stopping and lose 48 hours, or carry on and know you're a little more disadvantaged or could have more technical problems.

'The truth is that it is very interesting, and many people just cannot decide whether to stop or not. It’s going to be a bit like a pit-stop in Formula 1: who’ll get more fuel and who changes their tyres...'

Meanwhile other boats have been looking to make the most of opportunities on the water. Mapfre have been chasing Virbac-Paprec 3 hard since the French duo took the lead on January 23, an advantage which they extended as far as 781 miles on February 7, 2011. Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez (ESP) have extricated themselves from a tricky high pressure zone around New Zealand’s South Island, and are currently making steady progress up the coast, 480 miles from Wellington.

Groupe Bel has gained 30 miles on third-placed Estrella Damm, who have tacked further offshore in search of for better pressure, and are now closer to Groupe Bel’s line, with the ‘laughing cow’ just 72 miles behind.

Meanwhile, Group Bel’s own planned stopover could present chances for Renault Z.E., currently 400 miles behind. Antonio Piris explained their dilemma: 'I think we have to make the decision in the next couple of days. If we don’t stop of course of course there will be gains for us at the beginning.'

Mirabaud and Neutrogena retain their close connection: just 17 miles between the pair at this afternoon’s 1500hrs update. The most rapid boat on the course is Hugo Boss, averaging 15.9 knots since this morning’s report. Both Hugo Boss and GAES Centros Auditivos gybed this morning as they crossed a frontal system, with Andy Meiklejohn (NZL) and Wouter Verbraak (NED) currently about to enter the East Australian gate. The second fastest team was Central Lechera Asturiana, with Juan Merediz (ESP) commenting today on how hard he found it to believe their speedo, now showing two digits after many days at sub-10 knots.

Rankings at 1400hrs UTC Wednesday 16th February:

1 VIRBAC-PAPREC at 11533 miles to finish
2 MAPFRE at 480 miles to leader
3 ESTRELLA DAMM Sailing Team at 702 miles
4 GROUPE BEL at 774 miles
5 RENAULT Z.E at 1167 miles
6 MIRABAUD at 1510 miles
7 NEUTROGENA at 1527 miles
8 HUGO BOSS at 1755 miles
9 GAES CENTROS AUDITIVOS at 1942 miles
10 FORUM MARITIM CATALA at 3720 miles
11 CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA at 4029 miles
12 WE ARE WATER at 4469 miles
RTD FONCIA
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