The video of the mast breaking on the "Mar Mostro"
Puma is out. After Abu Dhabi and Sanya, that makes three out of six. Two with a broken mast, one with a delaminated hull. And that on the very first leg of a total of nine. This is a failure rate that must have caused the organisers to worry, because it is reminiscent of the problems of 2005/06, when the boat class was new and some of the boats were only able to cope with the demands of the race to a limited extent.
The third generation is now sailing and, as Puma designer Juan Kouyoumdjian assured us at the launch of the "Mar Mostro" (see YACHT 18/2011), the VO-70 class has undergone a natural evolution based on changed rules and more precise construction methods. At the same time, however, Kouyoumdjian also expected the boats to be constantly sailed at the limit by the crews, unlike in the past.
Yesterday at around 16:00 CET, the team of co-favourite Puma was also caught out, chasing the bold leading Spaniards from Telefonica in the South Atlantic with a wind force of around six from the north-east. The cause of the mast breakage is still unclear at the moment, but the task of the first leg is to repair the damage as quickly as possible, which is the prerequisite for getting back into the race. "This race is about points," explained skipper Ken Read. "We sacrifice them on the first leg to have the chance to get some on the second." To the Soundbite.
With a mast stub barely five metres long, an emergency sail and with the help of the engine, the boat is now being towed towards Tristan da Cunha, a small island less than 700 miles from its current location. The disappointment on board is huge, but everyone is well and trying to put this nightmare behind them as quickly as possible. The first task is to cover the remaining 2,500 miles to Cape Town and then put a new rig in place at lightning speed.
At the front, Telefonica continues to set the pace southwards, but Camper (minus 97 miles at 02:00 CET) and Groupama (minus 279 miles) are now closer. The Spaniards still have around 2,000 miles to go to the stage finish in Cape Town. There was drama on the New Zealand boat, on which bowman Mike Pammenter injured his face when he fell into the shrouds during a sail change and had to be stitched up with three stitches by onboard doctor Tony Rae.
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