Cape Town to Sydney
Within hours of the fleet emerging from the shadows of Table Mountain, the first problem was reported. It came from illbruck and was so serious that Race HQ went on standby for an emergency rescue operation.
“The bow seemed to be lower than normal and started taking waves more frequently,” the report read. “The boat got slower and slower and then we could not keep her going anymore. We eventually found an inspection port on the bow had come off somehow. The entire forward compartment was full of water and we had to stop racing. We started the emergency pump and started getting the water out, and bailed with buckets from on deck. It took nearly two hours to control the situation before we could start racing again.”
Three days later, Tyco was also in distress, after suffering damage to the rudder. They headed off towards Port Elizabeth to make repairs, but discovered the rudder and bearings needed completely rebuilding. The boat was taken out of the water and put on a cargo ship to Sydney.
“Team Tyco can definitely come back from this setback,” said distraught skipper Kevin Shoebridge.
“But we’ve got some work ahead of us. The job has become tougher and we can’t sustain a low placing again but we can definitely come back.”
Elsewhere, the thrill of riding the Volvo Ocean Race 60s through the Southern Ocean was starting to create a buzz across the radio network.
“The boat’s incredible. I’ve never driven anything like it in my life,” shrieked NewsCorp helmsman Barney Walker after they came within two nm of breaking Silk Cut’s 447 nautical mile record in 24 hours. A few hours later, Team SEB did smash the record, covering an amazing 457 nautical miles at an average speed of 19 knots, top ending at 34.8 knots.
While most the fleet were smokin’, Keith Kilpatrick on Amer Sports One was having some serious problems with stomach pains and vomiting. It was an intestinal blockage that could prove fatal if not treated. The boat was out of range for an airborne medical evacuation, but as his condition worsened, the supplies of morphine and antibiotics began to dwindle. The Australian Air Force and Maritime Rescue Coordination centre were called in to airdrop new supplies on board and Roger Nilsson, a qualified doctor, was charged with the tricky job of setting up an intravenous drip while the boat was doing 20 knots through a violent and freezing Southern Ocean. As soon as Amer Sports One reached safer waters, Kilpatrick was taken off and Dalton breathed a sign of relief.
Team SEB were also having their problems. Navigator Marcel van Triest learned his mother had died so, with the race office’s blessing, he dived off the boat as soon as they reached Eclipse Island and headed home. His team-mates were in the lead and as the miles were crossed, so the lead over illbruck increased and with 48 hours remaining, the two were neck and neck with Fanstone and McDonald on their tails.
After his first leg blunder, ASSA ABLOY navigator Mark Rudiger was anxious to make amends on the approach into Sydney, but again, he took a gamble which went disastrously wrong and having moved up into second place they slipped back to sixth.
It was a shocking result and Rudi took it badly.
“For myself, I misread the weather in some key instances, and took some larger risks to try and win rather than protect what we had. In hindsight, we could have stayed with News Corp and had a fighting chance at SEB. Instead we gambled and lost, and it pains me to see what the crew and management went through based on my decisions. Looking to the future, I will have to heal my own personal wounds and start focusing on how improve my performance for the remaining legs.”
illbruck put in a last minute spurt to cross the finish line first for the second time, a remarkable result bearing in mind their early problems. Team SEB came in shortly after and Fanstone took the final podium place.
In fifth place was Amer Sports One who created the biggest spectacle of the closing stages, much to Dalton’s embarrassment. His boat broached after crashing off a wave during a gale in the Bass Strait. As soon as they crossed the Opera House finish line, Dalton was taken off the yacht on a stretcher with suspected broken ribs and severe bruising. Crew described the scenes as ‘utter carnage’ but Dalton was slightly more matter of fact.
“I was in the galley area and I was suddenly launched into space. I broke the stove and the fitting that held it to the bulkhead and slammed into the side of the boat. Roger suspects broken ribs and maybe some internal damage. It is very painful when I breathe.”
Poor old Dalts.