Repairs start for Vestas 11th Hour Racing

(February 12, 2018) – Only six of the seven teams are competing now in Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Hong Kong to New Zealand as Vestas 11th Hour Racing is on a mission to repair their boat following the collision with a fishing boat as they neared the finish line of Leg 4 in Hong Kong.

After revealing on February 5 they were loading the boat onto a freight vessel in Hong Kong for transportation to Auckland, they report today the yacht was offloaded from the transport ship in Tauranga, New Zealand, and was then transported that evening by truck 200 kilometers to a shipyard in Auckland where repairs will begin.

Due to the strict one-design nature of the Volvo Ocean 65, a bow section was fabricated from existing molds at Persico Marine in Italy and transported to Auckland. The plan is to remove the damaged parts of the hull and attach the new section under the supervision of an independent surveyor to adhere to the class rules.

The goal is to re-launch in time for Leg 7 to Itajaí, Brazil, on March 18th.

Beginning on February 7, Leg 6 is listed as a 6,100 nautical mile course from Hong Kong to Auckland, New Zealand. For crew lists… click here.

Race details – Tracker – Scoreboard – Race route – Facebook – YouTube

Overall Results (after 5 of 11 legs)
1. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 34 points
2. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 30
3. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 23
4. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 20
5. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 18
6. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 15
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 9

2017-18 Edition: Entered Teams – Skippers
• Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED)
• Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA)
• MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP)
• Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA)
• Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS)
• Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR)
• Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED)

Background: Racing the one design Volvo Ocean 65, the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race begins in Alicante, Spain on October 22 2017 with the final finish in The Hague, Netherlands on June 30 2018. In total, the 11-leg race will visit 12 cities in six continents: Alicante, Lisbon, Cape Town, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Auckland, Itajaí, Newport, Cardiff, Gothenburg, and The Hague. A maximum of eight teams will compete.

Source: Vestas 11th Hour Racing