While Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) leads the dash to Cape Town, PUMA’s Mar Mostro (Ken Read/USA) made a successful rendezvous with a cargo ship and transferred enough fuel to allow the crew to motor towards the remote island of Tristan da Cunha.
Credit: Amory Ross/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race As the ship approached, Ken Read said, “This is our new best friend. This is life as we know it". The green jerry cans of fuel were transferred using ropes as the crew of Mar Mostro held the boat steady about two boat lengths from the towering side of the ship.
The sea state was calm and the operation was completed in daylight without a hitch, although Read said it was the most nerve-wracking thing he had ever done. The crew sent a package of t-shirts to the cargo ship by way of thanks, then re-hoisted their jury rig and set off in the direction of the island.
Telefónica has 1,614 nautical miles (nm) to run to the finish and computers are predicting her arrival in Cape Town on November 27. Yesterday, as the team neared the centre of the Saint Helena High, the day was quiet and cold and began with a beautiful sunrise. The highlight for the team was the first sighting of the majestic Albatross, the ocean wanderer whose solitary presence is a reminder of what it yet to come for the teams when they enter the vast wastes of the Southern Ocean.
CAMPER (Chris Nicholson/AUS) lies 107 nm astern. Crewman Tony Rae, who earlier in the week performed surgery on bowman Mike Pammenter’s face when he collided with the shrouds in heavy weather, confirms that his patient is making good progress. Rae, one of two medics on board, spent many hours training on ambulances and hospitals in preparation for this race.
“I never like to see anyone get injured and we don’t want that to happen to any of the crew as if any of them are down for any length of time, it’s not good for the boat. I’ve trained for those sorts of situations, so that when you come across those sorts of injuries or situations you can deal with it calmly and think through it. Time will tell if I have done a decent job or not,” he said.
A further 317 nm back, but sure of a podium position provided nothing unexpected happens, is Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas/FRA). The team is not so optimistic on reaching the cold front in time to sweep them quickly towards the finish. “Even the optimistic ones [forecasts] are not so optimistic anymore,” MCM Yann Riou reports. The team continues on port tack as temperatures fall, pushing the boat as hard as they dare.
