Outimage Australia - VOR 2008-2009 - Team Delta Lloyd Heads To Taiwan With Structural Damage

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News Update: Team Delta Lloyd Heads To Taiwan With Structural Damage
Leg 4 Day 10 - 20:32 GMT Tuesday, January 27, 2009.

Team Delta Lloyd, has been forced to head to Keelung in Taiwan with damage to the bow section of the boat. The boat was in fourth position on leg four of the Volvo Ocean Race from Singapore to Qingdao when the decision was made to turn back.

In 30-knots of breeze and big waves, David Pella from Spain discovered a crack in the bow bulkhead, which gives the hull its strength. The bow also showed some signs of delamination.

A few hours earlier, the mainsail had been torn again. The combined factors resulted in the inevitable decision to take shelter.

Team Delta Lloyd earlier in Leg 4 taking shelter in Salomique Bay, Philippines. The Crew is seen working hard to repair the ripped mainsail on deck.

Photo © Sander Pluijm / Team Delta Lloyd / Volvo Ocean Race.

Team Delta Lloyd is currently 14 nm from Keelung City in the northeast of Taiwan and expects to arrive in approximately two hours time. The team has not officially suspended racing so far and will carryout further inspection to the boat once in Taiwan.

"We are very disappointed, as we really wanted to do well in this leg. But Chuny (skipper Roberto Bérmudez / ESP) did want not to take any risks in terms of the crew’s safety," explained Media Crew Member Sander Pluijm / NED.

Martin Watts fixes the Forestay onboard Team Delta Lloyd while taking shelter in Salomique Bay, Philippines, earlier in Leg 4.

Photo © Sander Pluijm / Team Delta Lloyd / Volvo Ocean Race.

Martin Watts fixes the Forestay onboard Team Delta Lloyd while taking shelter in Salomique Bay, Philippines, earlier in Leg 4. Photo copyright Sander Pluijm / Team Delta Lloyd / Volvo Ocean Race.

"At the time we discovered the damage, we were sailing under storm jib and with three reefs in the main. It would have been irresponsible to continue racing, especially with the cold Chinese weather coming up. We informed the coast guard and put the safety procedure into operation," he said.

"Due to the delamination, the hull is absorbing water, which softens the bow which might break by wave slamming. That is the biggest risk now. The pumps are ready to use, so we won’t sink," Pluijm added.

All the wet weather gear on deck drying onboard Team Delta Lloyd, while taking shelter earlier during Leg 4 in Salomique Bay, Philippines.

Photo © Sander Pluijm / Team Delta Lloyd / Volvo Ocean Race.

All the wet weather gear on deck drying onboard Team Delta Lloyd, while taking shelter earlier during Leg 4 in Salomique Bay, Philippines. Photo copyright Sander Pluijm / Team Delta Lloyd / Volvo Ocean Race.

The crew has closed the watertight bow compartment as a precaution.

Earlier today, Ericsson 3 (Magnus Olsson / SWE) experienced similar problems to Delta Lloyd and has already arrived safely in Keelung City and officially suspended racing from this leg.

Time for lunch on deck, Stu Wilson left, Morgan White centre, Gerd-Jan Poortman onboard Team Delta Lloyd, while taking shelter in Salomique Bay, Philippines.

Photo © Sander Pluijm / Team Delta Lloyd / Volvo Ocean Race.

Leg 4 Day 10 - 19:00 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
(Boat name / country / skipper / nationality / distance to finish)

1. Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking / NED) DTF 422 nm
2. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael / BRA) +27
3. PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read / USA) +30
4. Delta Lloyd NED/IRL (Roberto Bérmudez / ESP) +250
5. Green Dragon IRL/CHN (Ian Walker / GBR) +289

Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson / SWE) SUS
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri / ESP) DNF
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp / AUT) DNS.

Visit www.volvooceanrace.org for all the latest news!

The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain, on 4 October 2008 with in-port racing, it will, for the first time, take in Cochin, India, Singapore and Qingdao, China before finishing in St Petersburg, Russia for the first time in the history of the race.

Spanning some 37,000 nautical miles, stopping at 11 ports and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world's premier yacht race for professional racing crews.

The official website: www.volvooceanrace.org

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