Global Ocean Race - Field's Class40 arrives

by Oliver Dewar on 12 May 2011 Global Ocean Race's father son duo, Ross and Campbell Field, have been anxiously been awaiting the arrival of their Verdier Design Tyker Class40 ex-Desafio Cabo de Hornos. The New Zealand Team’s Class40 was strategically maneuvered via 60ft truck through the narrow lanes of Lymington in Hampshire on Britain’s South Coast.

Other than the faded red livery – the striking trademark of the yacht’s Chilean team in the 2008-09 GOR – and battle scars to the leading edge of the keel fin, the three year-old Class40 shows little evidence of an immensely tough first circumnavigation. Furthermore, the team has a new carbon mast – built as a spare when the boat was launched in 2008, but never used – and a wardrobe of unused sails in addition to the brand new suit recently delivered by North Sails.

However, with a busy training schedule planned, the duo require a tight turnaround with a thorough refit and respray at the Berthon Boatyard before the yacht’s re-launch and mandatory 180 degree inversion test. As soon as the Field’s Class40 was lowered on to blocks and plastic sheeting in an open-ended shed at the yard’s northern extremity, Ross and Campbell Field, with Ross’s nephew, Cameron, and an apprentice from the yard began emptying assorted sails, lines, cushions and equipment from the yacht’s interior.

'We fully expect to be sailing in three weeks,' confirmed Ross, loading the valise life raft into a boatyard trolley. There is a definite sense of urgency and immense purpose behind the project: 'We’re going to strip out the interior; take the winches and rope bags off and then get busy sanding,' he continues. The team expect to have the boat resprayed in the space of one week.

For Ross Field, the task of refitting is made easier by the yacht’s location: 'I know this place well and really like it here,' confirms the serial circumnavigator and veteran of three consecutive Whitbread Round the World Races. 'Berthon provide a good service, have great facilities and are a very sympathetic yard,' he continues.

'I’m certain we’ll have the boat launched on time.' During the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race, Campbell was Shore Manager for the Telefónica team - an enormously complex and responsible position that included overseeing the build of the campaign’s two Volvo Ocean 70 race yachts – and he sees no logistic setbacks in the rapid refit of the Class40: 'We’ve got a team of five people working on the boat and I’m confident we’ll keep on schedule,' he predicts.

Find out more about Ross and Campbell Field here.

The course for The Global Ocean Race 2011-12 takes in some of the roughest waters on the planet. Starting in Mallorca, Spain the race stops in Cape Town, South Africa; Wellington, New Zealand; Punta del Este, Uruguay and Charleston, USA before finishing back in Mallorca, a total of approximately 30,000 nautical miles.

Leg 1: Mallorca to Cape Town - start 25th September 2011
Leg 2: Cape Town to Wellington - start 27th November 2011
Leg 3 - Wellington to Punta del Este - start 29th January 2012
Leg 4: Punta del Este to Charleston - start 1st April 2012
Leg 5: Charleston to Mallorca - start 20th May 2012

Global Ocean Race: Website