DELTA LLOYD LEG ONE DAY 16 QFB: received 26.10.08 2116 GMT
Hi From Delta Lloyd
Day 16 position 400nm NE of Rio, heading south at 10 knots boat speed in 8.7 Knots wind speed, still ahead of Russians by 108 miles with E3 ahead of us by 32 miles and leaders ahead by 129nm all within range of being hurt by a second generation late campaign as approx 4,000nm yet to be raced. We are learning the boat each day as we go as we did not have any time for training and are looking now for E3 to be within sight so we can do two boat racing where we would learn faster.
Sail inventory, again due to the late entry, is limited with no testing of sails. We are on our first and final generation sails with some teams running generation four and five sails. With the fleet being so close this is an ongoing concern. Due to our late budget / logistics we ran with some old sails and this is and will continue to have a limiting performance effect. Notwithstanding, we still can win with good sailing and lady luck as our boat is still competitive. More so in big pressure where square metre of sail we have flying may be the deciding factor rather then the generation. Concerns arise in light air conditions - we need to recognise this - but only after we do some up close two boating.
Sunday was not a day for rest on Delta Lloyd with the following running repairs, it was like a ship yard on board today. Bert (Schandelvyl/BEL) and Krusty (Martin Watts/GBR) did a rig repair reinforcement carbon bonding of the earlier repair onto the mast, with 7 lay ups of carbon. Not pretty but needed if we fly a mast head kite on starboard tack in the 30+ knots of forecast downwind sailing into the Cape.
Water leak from generator water cooling system has caused short fusing on our main battery charging alternator. Famous Foynes Co Limerick sailor Edwin O’Connor and NZ Ryan Hustan (aka Husty), noted for his electronic genius / trimming abilities, both removed the old damaged one and replaced same with another redundant main engine alternator.
Some sail repairs were carried out by NZ Stu Wilson, Johnny Portman and Stuart Molloy, whose body is becoming muscle-toned with the daily work aboard a V70, with the dropping of the main and replacement of a broken car receiver, some patching, rigging storm jib sheet positions, bricking upwind J1 and 2 which will not be needed for run to Cape.
Mat (Matthew Gregory) on nav doing weather routing, Dutch Ed (Eduard van Lierde) on provisioning and tack line prod repairs. As we settle down for the night we will all sleep solid, not from over sailing due to lack of big wind speed, but due to a good day’s professional work by all.
The crew sends Volvo Ocean Race nurse Polly their affection for her attention to their concerns and are looking forward to treatment of their complaints in the Cape!
Cheers
Ger O’Rourke - skipper