Ocean Globe Race: Water ingress on "Translated 9" forces the crew to abandon the race
Kristina Müller
· 08.04.2024
The crew still has a good thousand nautical miles to Portugal, where they could arrive on 11 April - the day on which the winners of the round-the-world regatta are expected to arrive in Cowes, UK.
Pumps activated, safety measures taken
At around 05:30 UTC on 5 April, the OGR regatta management received a text message from co-skipper Nico Malingri informing them that the repairs were not holding and that there were signs of delamination on the original hull. Hours later, at around 14:00 UTC, the skipper confirmed the message by satellite phone. The crew activated the bilge pumps and made preparations to abandon ship, even though the organisers said they did not expect this to be necessary. So far, they have not called for help.
The Italian Swan 65 left Punta del Este together with the Ocean Globe Race fleet on 5 March en route to the finish in Cowes. The ship is currently leading the IRC standings for the fourth leg, is first in the Flyer class and third in the Line Honours classification of the OGR.
Due to the emergency situation, the crew is now allowed to use satellite communication on board, which is actually prohibited during the regatta. The organiser is in contact with the crew and has also informed the shore-based team of the "Translated 9" crew.
Severe setback after a race to catch up
During the third leg of the Ocean Globe Race from Auckland to Punta del Este, the team was forced to return to the Falkland Islands after two cracks formed in the stern of the ship, allowing water to enter.
The yacht was put ashore on the Falkland Islands, support was flown in and extensive repair work was carried out on the hull. After a week of round-the-clock work, the crew set sail again for Punta del Este, where they arrived just five days before the start of the fourth leg. The team has now been hit all the harder by another setback.
The regatta regulations prohibit any outside help, so that "Translated 9" was automatically excluded from the classification of the third leg due to the stopover on the Falkland Islands. Any chance of possibly challenging the "Pen Duick VI" with skipper Marie Tabarly, which was sailing ahead, for line honours has now vanished into thin air.
Strong performance by the Italian team
Up to this point, the crew had delighted their fans in this first Ocean Globe Race. The "Translated9" achieved first place in the IRC classification for the first and second leg, second place in the Line Honours classification for the first leg and first place in the Line Honours classification for the second leg.
The ship already sailed around the world in the 1977 Whitbread Race, back then as the "ADC Accutrac". At the time, it was skippered by Clare Francis.
