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Big Bang |
(06.09.2007) - Porto Cervo, Sardinia: Australian supermaxi Wild Oats XI, the record holder for the Sydney to Hobart race, was dismasted in dramatic fashion during Race Three of the Rolex Cup Maxi Yacht World Championship off Porto Cervo today. Incredibly, only one crewmember, Sydneysider Peter Shipway, was slightly injured when the 42-metre high carbon fibre mast exploded into three pieces and crashed over the side. Shipway was taken to hospital with suspected broken ribs. Four other crewmen were hurled
into the water during the incident. They either managed to swim back to the yacht and were dragged aboard or were picked up by support boats. The yacht’s 79-year-old owner, Bob Oatley, was aboard but escaped injury.
Even before the yacht had reached port Oatley declared to his 24-man crew that no effort would be spared in trying to have the 30-metre long yacht repaired and on the start line for the Rolex Sydney to Hobart race on December 26. Wild Oats XI will be shipped back to Australia from Italy almost immediately while plans are put in place for a new rig and sails to be made.
It appears that the mast broke as a consequence of the failure of rigging supporting it. Crew reported hearing one relatively small ‘bang’ then what was literally an explosion as the hollow carbon fibre spar broke into pieces and crashed down around them. With the balancing pressure of the rig then gone and the massive 12-tonne canting keel at its maximum tilt to windward Wild Oats XI rolled to windward so violently that the four crewmen were thrown over the side and Shipway was injured. Wild Oats XI was only four minutes into the 65-nautical mile race when the mast broke. What is confounding the crew is that there was only 11 knots of wind and small, choppy seas at the time while for 45-minutes prior to the start there was no sign of problems when they were sailing upwind in 14 knots of wind and a considerably more severe sea state. -- Rob Mundle
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Marv Novak, Seabrook/TX (US) (E-mail)
2007-09-06 22:01:20 UTC
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