il mostro is back in the race. Kenny and the boys ventured out of hiding at sunrise this morning. The team headed off to beat around the northern tip of the Philippines, Cape Bojeador to be exact.
If you've been reading the Volvo Ocean Race website, last night was not a good time for the PUMA team. After taking the lead in Leg Four to Qingdao, il mostro was dealt a devastating blow. In conditions of 50 plus knots of breeze and 20 plus foot seas, the boom snapped in half. For you sailors out there, you know how difficult it is to sail upwind without a boom, it's pretty near impossible. It is safe to say that the conditions onboard yesterday were the wildest most of the crew has ever seen- the waves don't get much larger. While the crew was obviously disappointed with the damage, Kenny was quick to point out: "Guys sailing on this boat are studs. No fear."
But today is a new day and the boys are working their way back up in each position report. At this time, two boats have suspended race (Green Dragon and Delta Lloyd) and Telefonica Black has retired from Leg Four with serious structural damage. The weather was still unforgiving today but the team is now past Cape Bojeador and the winds have subsided a bit...only 34 knots now! The waves are still intense but starting to calm, word from Kenny is "Capey promises the waves are getting better as we get away from land. We all desperately want to believe him but remain cautious."
The crew would like to make a point of saying thank you to all who sent well wishes last night when their amazing leg was interrupted. These notes definitely help keep spirits high when the going gets tough. And there are still many miles to go...like Kenny always says, "stranger things have happened..."
Post your comments to the team on the PUMA Ocean Racing Facebook Group.
