GREEN DRAGON RACING
broken forestay 6
For EDITORIAL USE only, please credit: Guo Chuan/Green Dragon Racing/Volvo Ocean Race
GREEN DRAGON LOSES FORESTAY BUT SAVES MAST
Ian Walker/GBR (pictured) and his crew were in fourth place and sailing in 17 knots of breeze upwind and a short, choppy sea, when the boat suffered a broken forestay, a crucial part of the rigging, which helps keep the mast in position.
Quick reactions by the crew, who rapidly eased sheets and secured halyards to the bow, prevented the loss of the mast and the team will continue to race to Qingdao.
Having carried out a rig check, Green Dragon is now sailing with her small J4 headsail and full mainsail and has 176 nautical miles to the mark positioned off Luzon, which the fleet must keep to the east of. It is unlikely the team will be able to fly any other headsails with just a makeshift headstay, but although they will be handicapped for the final 1500 miles to the finish, they still plan to race as hard as they can.
The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain, on 4 October 2008, 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, visiting 11 ports over nine months, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world's premier ocean yacht race for professional racing crews.
For all media enquiries please contact Lizzie Ward on +44 (0)1489 554 832 or email lizzie.ward@volvooceanrace.org. For all photographic enquiries, please contact Tim Stonton on +44 (0)1489 554 867 or email tim.stonton@volvooceanrace.org. For further images, please go to images.volvooceanrace.org
broken forestay 6
For EDITORIAL USE only, please credit: Guo Chuan/Green Dragon Racing/Volvo Ocean Race
GREEN DRAGON LOSES FORESTAY BUT SAVES MAST
Ian Walker/GBR (pictured) and his crew were in fourth place and sailing in 17 knots of breeze upwind and a short, choppy sea, when the boat suffered a broken forestay, a crucial part of the rigging, which helps keep the mast in position.
Quick reactions by the crew, who rapidly eased sheets and secured halyards to the bow, prevented the loss of the mast and the team will continue to race to Qingdao.
Having carried out a rig check, Green Dragon is now sailing with her small J4 headsail and full mainsail and has 176 nautical miles to the mark positioned off Luzon, which the fleet must keep to the east of. It is unlikely the team will be able to fly any other headsails with just a makeshift headstay, but although they will be handicapped for the final 1500 miles to the finish, they still plan to race as hard as they can.
The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain, on 4 October 2008, 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, visiting 11 ports over nine months, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world's premier ocean yacht race for professional racing crews.
For all media enquiries please contact Lizzie Ward on +44 (0)1489 554 832 or email lizzie.ward@volvooceanrace.org. For all photographic enquiries, please contact Tim Stonton on +44 (0)1489 554 867 or email tim.stonton@volvooceanrace.org. For further images, please go to images.volvooceanrace.org