They had won the first in-port race. Guest of honour Zinedine Zidane was at the "real" start yesterday and jumped off board after the harbour lap as planned; he was safely picked up by the support boat. All was well, everything went according to plan. Now the race could really begin for Ian Walker and his men from Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. But after just a few hours there was a bang and the shock: the mast was gone. One moment "Azzam" was still powering through the steep Mediterranean waves in the darkness. The next, the ship lay helpless in the water and was tossed around like a cork without any propulsion.
The whole thing happened about 30 miles south of Cartagena, with winds of around 30 knots and waves 3.5 metres high. According to the organisers, all the crew are safe and sound and are busy salvaging the rig parts, but there is no question of sailing on. "There's no panic," reported Jules Salter from on board. "We will motor back and repair" (to the Video ).
The crew cut the rig loose and were able to salvage both the mainsail and the J4 foresail. One man had to go into the water to cut away the headboard and the top mast slide. The regatta centre is in constant contact with the boat to clarify the extent of the damage and support the sailors. The coastguard in Cartagena is on call, while the shore team is making all the preparations to replace the rig and get the boat back in the race as quickly as possible.
The other five boats continue sailing along the Spanish coast. Course: south-west. Speed over ground: 13 to 14 knots. In the position report at 23:00 CET, the New Zealand "Camper" was again just ahead.
More on the Event page and about the Live stream the YouTube channel and the apps for I-Phone and Android.
Current positions and distances in the Live tracker.
.
