MAPFRE returns to Volvo Ocean Race

(March 30, 2018; Day 13) – MAPFRE, the overall race leader in the Volvo Ocean Race, finds itself in unfamiliar territory on Friday, re-starting Leg 7 behind the rest of the fleet after a 13-hour pit stop to make repairs.

The MAPFRE crew re-started Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race at 07:10 UTC this morning after stopping near Cape Horn at 18:32 UTC yesterday evening to repair a luff to leech tear in their mainsail as well as earlier damage to their mast track.

“What happened to the mainsail, I think, is a consequence of the problems we’ve been having since day two or three, where part of the mast track came away from the mast,” said skipper Xabi Fernández.

“From then we fought very, very hard in the Southern Ocean, with ratchet straps on the mast and mainsail not working properly.

“Today, as we got close to Cape Horn, we sheeted on a bit harder and a third of the mainsail ripped from side to side and now we have no more choice but to drop the mainsail as we have.”

The team was met by members of its shore crew. already in position and on standby in case the team decided to stop to fix the mast track issue.

The repairs were effected as quickly as possible, but MAPFRE rejoins the race in sixth place on a double-point scoring leg, with plenty of work ahead to salvage a result in this difficult Leg 7.

COURSE: Starting on March 18, Leg 7 takes the teams from Auckland, New Zealand to Itajaí, Brazil. Race organizers choose to estimate the tactical distance for each leg rather than list the actual distance, an unusual decision that’s revealed once the race starts and the tracker lists the actual distance to finish. The VOR says Leg 7 is 7600 nm whereas the truth is more like 6623 nm with an ETA in Itajaí between April 4 and 6.

For crew lists … click here.

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

Overall Results (after 6 of 11 legs)
1. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 39 points
2. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 34
3. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 26
4. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 23
5. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 23
6. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 20
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 12

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: Volvo Ocean Race