HUGO BOSS. Image copyright Chris Cameron/DPPI/Barcelona World Race.
by Barcelona World Race media
HUGO BOSS have confirmed that that they will make a short halt in The Falkland Islands so that Andy Meiklejohn and Wouter Verbraak themselves can complete essential sail repairs and repair the mainsail track at the head of the mast which has been an ongoing problem since the Indian Ocean.
At 1400hrs UTC the Kiwi-Dutch duo were some 70 miles SW of the East Falklands island, making for the haven of Berkeley Sound in the East Falklands.
Wouter Verbraak on HUGO BOSS. Image copyright Alex Thomson Racing.
There the duo have the intention of dropping anchor so that they, themselves, will make the repairs unaided using only repairs with materials they carry onboard.
And so, within the terms of the race rules the co-skippers are hopeful they can do the necessary work without having to receive outside assistance, which would require the stop to be of minimum duration 48 hours.
The ALEX THOMSON RACING TEAM statement this afternoon says:
" It is a difficult call for the skippers to make this temporary stop, as they are determined to make the finish of this race without making a formal stop and incurring a 'penalty'. However, they view the opportunity to make some repairs now important to ensure they can carry out the rest of the race at higher levels of performance which has been significantly impeded over the last couple of weeks. They expect to be on anchor for up to 24 hours."
After a challenging few days for many of the Barcelona World Race, there was sanctuary tonight for one team, as Hugo Boss reached Adventure Sound on the East Falkland Island. Meanwhile the ongoing battles on the water have led to inspiration from other IMOCA 60 skippers.
Andy Meiklejohn asleep on board HUGO BOSS. This is a working "stop", so there won't be much time for sleep in the Falklands. Image copyright Alex Thomson Racing.
The black IMOCA 60 reached Barrow Harbour and halted sailing around 1930hrs (UTC) this evening. As they plan to anchor and complete the work without outside assistance they will not be subject to a mandatory 48-hours stopover.
Alex Thomson Racing
Barcelona World Race
