Brasil 1 to restart Volvo race Tuesday

by Volvo media on 7 Jan 2006 Brasil 1 have issued the following statement concerning their plans for the repaired boat, 'As soon as we arrived, Horácio (Carabelli, the technical director of the project) said that the problem could be fixed and that we should be sailing again shortly. This Friday, he was able to confirm that information. Brasil 1 should be ready on Tuesday and we can return to the leg and gain some points in the race. But the most important thing is to get to Melbourne sailing and keeping the team’s spirit as high as possible' said skipper Torben Grael.

Knut Frostad, watch captain and member of the team’s technical committee, added, 'It has been devastating to suspend racing when we had worked ourselves to the best possible position for meeting the strong westerly wind first. I have never abandoned any leg in the 12 years I have done this race, and I am really proud of being part of a Brazilian team who has no intention of giving up. We are going back out there to finish the job. We want to sail around the world, and complete the race even though we will have very little time to rest in Melbourne. Mentally, this is probably going to be the toughest leg ever, for all of us.'

The shore crew that is working in Port Elizabeth is made up of six people: technical director Horácio Carabelli, logistics manager Herve le Quilliec, boat builders Alvaro Costa Souza and Tym Linch Blosse, engineer Martin Carter and Ricardo Ermel who is responsible for the logistics. The team has been working since Thursday afternoon, when the yacht arrived in Port Elizabeth. This Saturday, the team will be reinforced with Sergio Santos who is flying in from Brazil to assist with the job.

According to Horácio Carabelli, the damage to Brasil 1’s deck should be repaired in five days. 'We are repairing the damaged areas and adding some structural parts to strengthen this region even further. These repairs should be such that when we arrive in Australia we don’t have to work too much on the boat to get it ready for the In Port race in Melbourne and for the leg to Rio de Janeiro.'

The passage to Melbourne should take 15 to 20 days. Brasil 1 should be arriving just in time for the In Port race, which is scheduled for 4 February. “We will have little time in Melbourne.” Said Horácio, 'We’ll have approximately four days before the in Port race and then another five days before the start of the third offshore leg to get the Brasil 1 ready.'

Brasil 1’s shore crew have already cut out the damaged skins on the deck starboard side, taken out the damaged core and scarphed in new, then vacuum bagged on new carbon fibre skins top and bottom to complete the reinstatement.

Posiitions at 10:00 GMT 7 January:
Team Latitude Longitude DTF DTL DTLC CMG SMG VMG
1 ABN AMRO ONE 43 15.01S 43 48.45E 4777 0 0 88 18.9 10.9
2 Pirates of the Caribbean 43 15.20S 42 55.42E 4814 37 -4 100 19 10.6
3 ABN AMRO TWO 43 14.43S 42 51.43E 4817 40 2 95 19.5 10.5
4 movistar 42 29.25S 41 38.35E 4863 86 -11 91 16.7 10.2
5 ING Real Estate Brunel 43 39.30S 39 27.17E 4967 190 20 93 22.3 9.3
6 Brasil 1 33 57.57S 25 38.03E 5736 959 -111 270 0 2.8
7 Ericsson Racing Team 33 57.33S 25 37.55E 5737 960 -112 345 0.1 2.8