All six Volvo Ocean Race boats are now back in the water for the first time in nearly a month.
Team Sanya was the sixth and final boat to hit the water in Cape Town, craned in at the Waterfront around 1745 local time (GMT+2). They joined their rivals PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, who hit the water this morning, and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, lifted in yesterday, alongside Team Telefónica, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand and Groupama sailing team dockside in the Cape Town race village.
"Today is a day of split feelings really - on the one hand I cannot praise enough everyone that has been involved in the process of getting our boat back into race mode again,” skipper Mike Sanderson said prior to Sanya’s lift back into the water.
“Across three teams of people - from our own shore team, the Salthouse Boatbuild team and Ashdown Marine team – it’s quite unbelievable what has been achieved, especially over the last 24 hours.
“On the other hand, I do feel of sense of nervousness before the leg start. There are four boats out training and here we are with our keel going on and going into the water only tonight.”
Sanya were forced to pull out of the first leg with hull damage sustained on the first night of racing.
Just moments earlier Abu Dhabi’s rig came crashing down, a fate also suffered by PUMA 15 days later.
The three remaining teams were able to complete the leg without any major damage.
“For sure my apprehension has gone up probably also given a forecast of 35 knots on the nose at the start so not too much of a settling in period,” Sanderson added.
“The most important thing right now is to get out sailing tomorrow and for sure a lot of those nervous feelings will go once we are sailing again.”
Tomorrow the teams will go head to head around an inshore course in a practice race ahead of the Waterfront In-Port Race on Saturday.
The start of Leg 2 to Abu Dhabi takes place the following day.
From : Volvo Ocean Race
Credit : P. Todd / VOR
Team Sanya was the sixth and final boat to hit the water in Cape Town, craned in at the Waterfront around 1745 local time (GMT+2). They joined their rivals PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, who hit the water this morning, and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, lifted in yesterday, alongside Team Telefónica, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand and Groupama sailing team dockside in the Cape Town race village.
"Today is a day of split feelings really - on the one hand I cannot praise enough everyone that has been involved in the process of getting our boat back into race mode again,” skipper Mike Sanderson said prior to Sanya’s lift back into the water.
“Across three teams of people - from our own shore team, the Salthouse Boatbuild team and Ashdown Marine team – it’s quite unbelievable what has been achieved, especially over the last 24 hours.
“On the other hand, I do feel of sense of nervousness before the leg start. There are four boats out training and here we are with our keel going on and going into the water only tonight.”
Sanya were forced to pull out of the first leg with hull damage sustained on the first night of racing.
Just moments earlier Abu Dhabi’s rig came crashing down, a fate also suffered by PUMA 15 days later.
The three remaining teams were able to complete the leg without any major damage.
“For sure my apprehension has gone up probably also given a forecast of 35 knots on the nose at the start so not too much of a settling in period,” Sanderson added.
“The most important thing right now is to get out sailing tomorrow and for sure a lot of those nervous feelings will go once we are sailing again.”
Tomorrow the teams will go head to head around an inshore course in a practice race ahead of the Waterfront In-Port Race on Saturday.
The start of Leg 2 to Abu Dhabi takes place the following day.
From : Volvo Ocean Race
