Boat maintenance on Telefonica Blue's keel in the Rio de Janeiro haul out area after more than 40 days of sailing in Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. Image copyright Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race.
by Volvo Ocean Race media
Telefonica Blue may have taken the brunt of the notable damage caused to the fleet in leg five, but shore boss Campbell Field is comfortable with his workload.
The team hit a rock with their keel before the leg even started and then endured a forestay failure at a critical juncture, immediately slashing their hopes of a third straight leg win.
Other publicly disclosed problems included damage to their mainsail, check-stay structure, boom vang, prop box, water-maker pump and a daggerboard post, but Field revealed the boat is "pretty healthy".
He added: "We've got your usual long list of maintenance and service jobs, but I could count the actual repair jobs on one hand.
"There was a hole in the deck from when one of the shackles on the masthead zero broke; the check-stay damage is a bit of a laminating job, but there is no damage to the check-stay itself. We are putting right the repair we did on the keel in China. There's also a chunk out of the transom, a few marks on the rudders from stuff in the water."
Telefonica Blue's mast receives attention, whilst the workers are protected from the sun's rays, in Rio. Image copyright Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race.
The team will receive a boost during the stopover when a new inventory of sails arrives for both Blue and Black. Field confirmed a new mainsail was among Blue's, replacing the sail which severely delaminated en route to Rio.
Field now plans to get the boat back on the water by Thursday morning, with a training sail scheduled for later that afternoon. It is a tight schedule, and his team of 20 - plus five extras - are working from 8am to midnight on the job.
"It's a very long list, so we are focusing on the things that need to be done for the in-port race. Then next week we will have a go at the wish-list items. We will try and do as many as we can, but we'll be good to go for the restart."
The haul-out and maintenance area in Rio. Image copyright Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race.
Volvo Ocean Race
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