Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, skippered by Ian Walker from the UK at the start of leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean race 2011-12 from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa. - PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race
Posted on 11/06/2011 5:55:06 AM PST by Mountain Bike Vomit Carnage
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Azzam reported that she had suffered a broken mast and had suspended racing on the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, which began today in Alicante.
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, skippered by Ian Walker from the UK at the start of leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean race 2011-12 from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa. - PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race
Navigator Jules Salter told Volvo Ocean Race control that all the crew were unhurt and were attempting to recover what they could.
“There is no panic on board and we’re planning to motor back during the night before effecting repairs,” he said.
The boat was 30 nautical miles south of Cartagena on the Spanish coast. The wind was blowing 30 knots and the waves were around 3.5 metres.
The Cartagena search and rescue organisation have been informed and are on standby to assist if necessary.
Abu Dhabi Media Crew Member Nick Dana explained the situation in an email from the boat:
“We have dropped our rig. Everyone is alright on board, and we are in the process of cutting the excess rigging away. The boat’s mainsail and J4 were retrieved successfully along with various other parts that we will hope to re-use.
“We put a man in the water (Wade Morgan) to cut away the top of the mainsail at the headboard car. Wade was able to make several attempts at cutting, however a very violent sea state made it extremely dangerous for him to remain in the water. The crew retrieved him promptly and were able to get the mainsail off the lock — allowing it to slide down the rig and be pulled from the water.”
Volvo Ocean Race control is in constant contact with the team while establishing the full extent of the damage so that the crew are given full support to enable them to deal with the situation.
Azzam’s shore team are working on a recovery plan to ensure the yacht can rejoin the Volvo Ocean Race as soon as practically possible.
UPDATE - Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing's yacht Azzam, skippered by Britain's Ian Walker, returns to Alicante, Spain after the mast broke in rough weather on the first day of racing on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12. - PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race
“Our situation is now stable. We are motoring towards flatter water at Cabo de Palos where we hope to lift the top section of the mast aboard.
“We have no injuries and have retrieved or secured all equipment. Our mast broke into three pieces when landing off a big wave in 30+ knots of wind. We were sailing under a J4 and two reefs. We do not as yet know the cause.
“Our intention is to return to Alicante under motor to repair any damage and step our spare mast.”
Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad said he felt “desperately sorry” for twice-Olympic silver medallist Walker and his team.
“The team are extremely professional and I know they will do all they can to get Azzam back in the race as quickly and safely as possible,” he said.
Paul Todd/Volvo Ocean Race
Team media crew member Nick Dana told how crew member Wade Morgan had made a courageous attempt in waves of up to 3.5 metres to rescue the rig.
“The boat’s mainsail and J4 were retrieved successfully along with various other parts that we will hope to re-use.
“We put a man in the water (Morgan) to cut away the top of the mainsail at the headboard car. Wade was able to make several attempts at cutting. However, a very violent sea state made it extremely dangerous for him to remain in the water.
“The crew retrieved him promptly and were able to get the mainsail off the lock – allowing it to slide down the rig and be pulled from the water.
“The mast from the first spreader up is now secured to the port side of the boat. About three or four metres protrude from behind the boat. A spider web of lines is keeping the operation intact. The crew are deeply disappointed.”
The Volvo Ocean Race is an exceptional test of sailing prowess and human endeavour which has been built on the spirit of great seafarers - fearless men who sailed the world’s oceans aboard square rigged clipper ships more than a century ago.
Their challenge back then was not a race as such, but recording the fastest time between ports. This meant new levels of pride for themselves and great recognition for their vessel.
The spirit that drove those commercial sailors along the web of trade routes, deep into the bleak latitudes of the Southern Ocean and around the world’s most dangerous capes, emerges today in the form of the Volvo Ocean Race, a contest now seen as the pinnacle of achievement in the sport.
The first edition of this sporting adventure came in the wake of two remarkable sailors of the last century, Sir Francis Chichester and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, men who drew worldwide acclaim for amazing solo voyages around the planet. Inevitably their success led to talk in international sailing circles of a race around the world for fully crewed yachts. It became a reality in 1973 with The Whitbread round the World Race, the longest, most demanding and perilous sporting contest the world had known.
Dangerous it was. In that very first race three competing sailors were lost after being washed overboard during storms. This led to the inevitable call for that inaugural contest to be the last, but the desire for unbridled adventure and great competition led to the race being staged every four years.
The re-badged Volvo Ocean Race was run for the first time in 2001-02. Today it is, quite simply, the ‘Everest of Sailing’.
During the nine months of the Volvo Ocean Race, which starts in Alicante, Spain in October 2011 and concludes in Galway, Ireland, during early July 2012, the teams will sail over 39,000 nautical miles of the world’s most treacherous seas via Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya, Auckland, around Cape Horn to Itajaí, Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient.
Each of the entries has a sailing team of 11 professional crew and the race requires their utmost skills, physical endurance and competitive spirit as they race day and night for more than 20 days at a time on some of the legs. They will each take on different jobs onboard the boat and on top of these sailing roles, there will be two sailors that have had medical training, as well as a sailmaker, an engineer and a dedicated media crew member.
During the race the crews will experience life at the extreme: no fresh food is taken onboard so they live off freeze dried fare, they will experience temperature variations from -5 to +40 degrees Celsius and will only take one change of clothes. They will trust their lives to the boat and the skipper and experience hunger and sleep deprivation.
The race is the ultimate mix of world class sporting competition and on the edge adventure, a unique blend of onshore glamour with offshore drama and endurance.
It is undeniably the world’s premier global race and one of the most demanding team sporting events in the world.
Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 Schedule Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 Schedule
The Volvo Ocean Race is a grueling and challenging race, and a sailor’s dream ( or nightmare). This is not only the year of the Volvo but America’s Cup.
I am an offshore racer, meaning I do ocean races, but I also sail inland.
I would love to have an ongoing conversation here with fellow sailors or sailing enthusiasts. I don’t know how to do a ping list, but I will learn and start one if anyone is interested.
Skipper Mike Sanderson has confirmed to Volvo Ocean Race control:
“The situation is very much under control, everyone is obviously disappointed but in good spirits as all are safe on board.”
PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race
The boat was approximately 30 nautical miles SE of Motril, on the coast of Spain.
The wind was blowing 43 plus knots and the waves were around 10.5 metres.
The watertight doors had already been closed as a precaution due to the prevailing conditions and the boat is making its way to Puerto de Motril. After entering flat water, Team Sanya have suspended racing.
Volvo Ocean Race control is in constant contact with the team while establishing the full extent of the damage so that the crew are given full support to enable them to deal with the situation.
Team Sanya’s shore team are working on a recovery plan to ensure the yacht can rejoin the Volvo Ocean Race as soon as practically possible.
C’mon boys, don’ let a little near death experience faze ye .... we’ll patch ‘er up n’ give it another go, eh what ?
Sign me up. Right now I’m a retired Army Aviator and armchair sailor, but will take out to sea on my own when my numbers add up. In the meantime, I’m learning all I can.
shAzzam!!!!
Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) is hard on her heels just over six nautical miles behind, while PUMA’s Mar Mostro (Ken Read/USA) and Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas/FRA) are only 10 miles adrift in third and fourth position.
At 1300 GMT today, the fleet had clearly split with Telefónica and PUMA’s Mar Mostro taking the inshore track where the sea state is worse, but the winds are lighter, and CAMPER and Groupama 4 are 28 nm further offshore in a lot more wind. The short choppy sea state has caused the fleet to throttle back to an average speed of approximately 12 knots.
It has been a testing 24 hours for the six-strong fleet which left Alicante yesterday in a blaze of glory. The strong conditions have caused Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Azzam (Ian Walker/GBR) and Team Sanya (Mike Sanderson/NZL) to suspend racing , leaving the remaining four to press on towards Gibraltar and the exit out into the Atlantic.
Hope they bought the extended warranty offered.../S
Click to play Brutal wave smashes Abu…
PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race 
Nick Dana/Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing "When you are faced with a situation like this, you really see what you are made of. We handled it very well and I think that says a lot about the crew that has been put together"
Khalid, who at 23 years old is one of the Volvo Ocean Race’s youngest sailors, said his “heart was beating really fast” as the 31-metre mast broke into three pieces just six hours into Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.
“It was the scariest day of my life for sure,” said Khalid, who was chosen from more than 120 hopefuls to be the first ever Emirati to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.
“Being out at sea, in the dead of night, and having that happen... We were well drilled for the situation and behaved so calmly and professionally. However, your heart is beating really fast and you thank god everyone is safe.”
Disaster struck for the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team at 1915 UTC on Saturday when their Volvo Open 70 yacht Azzam fell off the back of a wave in violent seas around 30 miles southwest of Cartegena. They were just six hours and 84 nautical miles into the 6,500 nautical mile leg from Alicante to Cape Town.
During the recovery, carried out in total darkness, boat captain Wade Morgan had to jump into the sea to release the locks that keep the mainsail attached to the mast.
“Everyone was really inspirational, especially Wade,” Khalid said. “Getting in the water to cut away the rigging was very brave; I have a lot of respect for him. When you are faced with a situation like this, you really see what you are made of. We handled it very well and I think that says a lot about the crew that has been put together.”
The crew, led by British skipper Ian Walker, managed to recover the rig and motor back to Alicante before launching into a round-the-clock repair effort.
“The name of our yacht, Azzam, means determination, and that is what we all feel right now,” Khalid said. “We want to get back out on the water and give it 110 per cent. Of course, it is scary to think about it, so I try not to. What will happen will happen and we still want to win this race.”
Abu Dhabi’s replacement mast arrived in Alicante last night where a team of specialist riggers set about preparing it for racing. The team will also carry out a complete check of the boat’s hull, which was damaged during the recovery of the rig.
Walker told a press conference yesterday he hoped to be back in the race within three days.
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