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| Hamish Hooper/CAMPER ETNZ/Volvo |
Furious fifty knot wind and a big swell took a toll on CAMPER, who lost their lead to Groupama overnight when they were forced to back off speed for a time to administer repairs.
CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand navigator Will Oxley said the boat was now back up to speed but had suffered from the full fury of the Southern Ocean. He said it had felt like the boat was “being dropped from a two-storey building”.
The repetitive hammering took a toll on a forward bulkhead that required repairs and cost her tens of miles on their rivals.
“We've been backed off for 12 or 13 hours doing some significant repair work up forward,’’ Oxley said in a radio interview. “We've just completed those repairs and we've got some heat up forward trying to cook off the bulkhead so we're good to go and can get up to speed again."
The repair crew of helmsman/trimmer Rob Salthouse and bowman Mike Pammenter had risked life and limb in the delicate operation and deserved a massive pat on the back, Oxley said.
“It’s pretty full on, trying to not to drop off a wave in the middle of them using a jigsaw or grinder and chop off their hand instead,’’ he said. “Salty and Mike have been dong a fantastic job under difficult conditions, working flat out.”
While CAMPER were heads down with their repairs, France’s Groupama sailing team slipped into poll position and Team Telefónica claimed second place.
At 0700 UTC Groupama held a 15-nautical mile lead over Telefónica and CAMPER trailed in third by 33 nm. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG were 15 nm behind CAMPER in fourth place.
PUMA navigator Tom Addis said the team were not overly concerned by their position as they trekked towards Cape Horn.
“Positions are easily hyped but everyone’s just looking after themselves,’’ he said. “There’s very little boat-to-boat strategy while the focus remains going fast at a heading that’s generally east and trying not to break anything.”
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing remain in the fleet’s wake in fifth position while Team Sanya continue to head for New Zealand to repair damage to their starboard rudder.