Sport-heute: Sailing - Die Negativserie auf der Telefonica Black hört nicht auf.

12. April 2009, 22:34

Die Negativserie auf der Telefonica Black hört nicht auf.

Die Tragödie auf der Telefonica Black!

In der fünften Etappe kurz nach dem Start das Aus - jetzt zu Beginn der sechsten Etappe vor der Küste Rios ein Verletzter.
Mike Pammenter vom Vordeck wurde mit Verdacht auf Knöchelbruch mit dem Helikopter von Bord geholt und ins Spital geflogen. Alle hoffen, dass er bald wieder Mittun kann. Telefonica Black schein nach dem Maleur in der vierten und fünften Etappe das Pech an den Bootswänden zu kleben.

Brüttisellen, 12.4.09 (mk) LEG SIX DAY TWO TELEFÓNICA BLACK QFB: received 12.04.09 0646 GMT

We had a splendid beginning on leg six. Fernando Echávarri, at the helm, made a great leeward start supported by Gonza (Gonzalo Araujo) doing the tactics. We rounded the windward mark first and held the lead all the way to the mark off Copacabana Beach, but were close to losing our fragile lead as the tack of the ‘Anaconda’, our large masthead headsail, came undone. Got it back on and moved slow eastwards in the weak SE'ly breeze but had hard to keep PUMA behind.

At this time we became aware that the ankle injury of our foredeck crew Mike Pammenter was serious enough to decide to evacuate him from the boat. In the early hectic minutes of the race he got the genoa sheet around his ankle and was brutally pulled into the base of the mast during a tack. Uncertain about the possibility of a fracture, as the ankle became more swollen, he carefully stepped off the boat into the Volvo Ocean Race supplied RIB that caught up with us just SW of Ilha Maricas, a bit down the coast. Sad for Mike and sad for us as we need all 10 of us to push the boat for the next 4900 nm. Still the best choice, to make sure he recovers as soon as possible.

At this time, 0520 GMT, we have made very unsatisfying progress towards Cabo Frio as the breeze for hours has stayed around 3-4 knots from the north. Telefónica Blue and Green Dragon made a bold move and pushed hard to become closer to the shore than the rest of us and picked up a little more land breeze. The two are now leading the pack of seven. We could see them passing through the background lights on the shore faster than we wanted!

The latest seven day forecast does not look promising and indicates rather 20 than 16 days at sea before we tie up in Boston.

Yours Roger

Roger Nilson - navigator

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TELEFÓNICA BLACK EVACUATES INJURED CREWMAN

After leading the fleet out of the Guanabara Bay at the start of Volvo Ocean Race leg six in Rio yesterday, Fernando Echávarri’s bowman, Mike Pammenter from South Africa, had to be taken off the racing yacht by a support boat after injuring his ankle.

Although not broken, the injury to his ankle was serious enough to warrant the evacuation of Pammenter from the boat in order that his ankle would have time to heal fully ahead of the trans-Atlantic leg to Galway from Boston in May. Pammenter is very disappointed. “I feel sorry for the guys, I feel I have let them down,” he said.

The accident happened before the top mark as the fleet left Rio yesterday when, during a manoeuvre, Pammenter’s foot became entangled in the genoa sheet, which then flicked him into the mast.

Meanwhile, out on the race track, the fleet of seven has been trying to make the best of the very light airs, creeping within one mile of the shore. The breeze has stayed around three to four knots from the north and the keeping close to the shore offers the possibility of more land breeze. “The latest seven day forecast does not look promising,” noted Roger Nilson, the Swedish navigator onboard Telefónica Black.

Not even a hundred miles have been chalked up since the start yesterday and at 1300 GMT today, the boats were all still within 10 miles of each other. Boats speeds are a miserable three knots at best – for Telefónica Blue, which is in the lead and 0.5 for Delta Lloyd, which is bringing up the rear. Green Dragon is in second place just two miles behind the blue bloat. PUMA is still in third place with Ericsson 4 on her hip. A mile back is Ericsson 3.

The whole fleet, except Delta Lloyd has passed the headland of Cabo Frio. Delta Lloyd is just 0.7nm off the southern tip.

Leg Six Day 2: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(boat name/country/skipper/nationality/distance to finish)

1. Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) DTF 4806 nm
2. Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker/GBR) +2
3. PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +5
4. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) +5
5. Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/SWE) +6
6. Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) +7
7. Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermúdez/ESP) +10

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Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race. Fernando's Echavarri's Telefonica Black, which burst out of the starting blocks on Saturday afternoon, will sail the leg into Boston one man short.

11APR09 Leg 6 Start , Rio de Janeiro. PUMA Ocean Racing on the dock before the start of Lg 6 from Rio to Boston, 4900 nautical miles.

11APR09 Leg 6 Start , Rio de Janeiro. PUMA Ocean Racing on the dock before the start of Lg 6 from Rio to Boston, 4900 nautical miles.