Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race
Monday 5 January, 2009 14:00 GMt
The Rule Management Group (RMG) of the Volvo Ocean Race, the group responsible for the management of the Volvo Open 70 Class Rule and the measurement of the race fleet, has submitted a report to the International Jury. The submission concerns the bow of Ericsson 4, the current leader of the Volvo Ocean Race. The document was received on the evening of the 4th January.
All modern racing yachts, especially high speed offshore racing yachts with plumb bow profiles, feature a crash box / sacrificial element in the bow of the boat. Built of foam, the sacrificial element is designed to receive the force of impact, crumple or break off whilst leaving the structural integrity of the rest of the hull intact.
On Saturday, the Chief Measurer came across a foam-built false bow section of a boat in Ericsson Racing Team (ERT) colours near the ERT containers. This was an old bow section from Ericsson 4 which, following damage well before the race started last year, was removed and replaced with a new bow section made using the same mould. The old bow section was kept as a spare part and loaded into ERT's shipping containers.
On Ericsson 4, two of the key hull measurement references for the Volvo Open 70 Class, the LLF (Limit of Length Forward) and the RPF (Reference Point Forward) occur on this sacrificial bow section. The point in question is established by the measurers when they measure the hull for the first time. All significant measurement references on Volvo Open 70 hulls are marked with small self-tapping screw heads bonded into the hull.
For some reason it would appear that the Ericsson Racing Team didn't inform the measurers that they had replaced the sacrificial bow section and 'duplicated' the position of the measurement reference point with another screw head, something that may have affected the accuracy of the hull measurement data.
On discovering the facts in Singapore, the measurers were obliged to report this situation to the International Jury. The Jury, chaired by Bryan Willis (GBR) and whose four other members are Rut Subniran (THA), Tee San Tan (SIN), Shane Borell (NZL) and David Tillet (AUS) will meet on Thursday in Singapore to consider the report and decide what actions, if any, are required.
Ericsson Racing Team declined to comment on the issue at this time.
The other teams are equally reticent, with most citing a preference to let the Jury process run its course.
"It appears that a boat might have a problem, but for us, we're going to concentrate on ourselves," said PUMA skipper Ken Read. "If the Race Committee asks us to comment, we will, but beside that, we're playing our own game, making sure our boat is in one piece and our crew is in the best shape it can be to go boat racing."