Volvo Ocean Race - Abu Dhabi double up on Azzam repair

by Volvo Ocean Race on 17 Apr 2012 Volvo Ocean Race Leg 6 from Itajaí, Brazil to Miami, USA begins on April 22.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing have brought in four extra boatbuilders, as well as several surfboard bags full of vital material, to ensure the team's racing yacht Azzam is turned around as quickly as possible once it arrives in Itajaí.

Azzam is currently being shipped from Puerto Montt in Chile, after the team were forced to suspend racing because of damage to the hull.

As soon as the boat arrives, the shore crew, including an eight-strong team of boatbuilders, will get to work completing the repair job started by Sam Bourne and Tim Collen, who have been doing as much as possible while Azzam is still on the ship.

The shore crew will use foam and pre-shaped carbon tubing that arrived in Itajaí in surfboard bags on Monday.

'Everything is in place now apart from the final piece of the puzzle, Azzam,' said Abu Dhabi Team Director Jamie Boag, who has been working closely with DHL, the race's official logistics partner, on getting everything ready.

'It will be a case of working round the clock to get this done and we've been studying every procedure to make sure we're doing everything as efficiently as possible.

'But what we can't afford to do is rush things. That would be a case of more haste, less speed.'

The deadline for the work to be done is Saturday, April 21, the date of the DHL In-Port Race Itajaí.

Ian Walker's Abu Dhabi team have won two of the five in-port races to date, a feat matched only by overall race leaders Team Telefónica.

Volvo Ocean Race website