Delta Lloyd

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] At 7:30 this evening, we were sailing upwind in 20 knots of wind - pounding away in a short steep sea state with our J1 headsail and a reef in the main. All of a sudden, there was a massive breaking sound from inside the boat.

One of the hydraulic rams, that cants the keel from side to side, had ripped off the bulkhead that connects it to the boat. Immediately we put our safety plan into place.

Unsure of extent of the structural damage and integrity of the boat, everyone moved to their areas. We took down our headsail. The water pumps were deployed and put on standby. Survival suits and grab bags were pulled from the safety locker in case we were sinking and needed to abandon the boat. I called the race office to tell them our position and to be on standby in case we needed assistance from another boat. I also worked on finding ports that we could take refuge. The closest ones were 400 miles away. Meanwhile the guys on deck limped the boat along at three knots.

Broken hydraulic ram on Delta Lloyd. Indian Ocean, 18 December 2008. Photo copyright Sander Pluijm / Team Delta Lloyd / Volvo Ocean Race

The next phone calls were to the designer, Juan Kouyoumdjian to help us assess the implications of the structural failure. He helped us determine that we could continue to sail, with our keel locked in the centre position by using the starboard hydraulic ram.

Right now, we are sailing with our little J4 headsail and a reef in the main towards the northern tip of Indonesia, which also happens to be the location of the scoring gate. Using the sails to heel the boat helps to reduce the slamming loads on the hull. We are making decent headway at about nine knots of boat speed. Over the next two days, we will work with our shore team to figure out how we are going to get to Singapore.

It was a very scary moment onboard, but it was great to see the entire team handle the emergency in a calm and professional way. We are fortunate to be able to continue east towards Singapore. However, every wave that we crash into is a bit more worrisome than normal. Hopefully, we can get the boat safely to the Malacca Straights in one piece. For now, we are happy to be safe, which is always our first priority.

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Team Delta Lloyd arrived in Alicante today with a message for its rivals: “Underestimate us at your peril.”

The syndicate, which used the six-day crossing from Cork as its 2,000-mile qualifier, is the last team to reach the start port.

Only three weeks ago the team had not concluded deals with its Dutch backer, while its shore crew of eight is smaller than any other in the field.

Irrespective of the statistics, Ger O’Rourke, who will skipper the boat formerly known as ABN AMRO ONE, is adamant his team can raise some eyebrows. He said: “We are behind the eight-ball, make no mistake. We clearly are the underdogs and we aren’t fighting that. Preparation is vital in this race and we have not had much of that. If you look at our shore operation, there are eight people including my daughter. We will also be using some volunteers.”

Delta Lloyd arrives in Alicante. 17 September 2008. Photo coyright Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race

“In all, it means we have a lot of work to do, but I would not have entered this race if I thought we could not win it.”

The Irishman figures that his team’s lack of preparation time will hinder his team early in the race, but expects the effect to be nullified by the point scoring system which is weighted towards the second half of the race.

He added: “I don’t imagine we will be super competitive in the first leg because we need more time to learn about this boat, but by the second and third legs I think we can be up to speed.

“As I said, we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think we can win. We are confident; we have a boat that has won this event before and we think it would be foolish for people to underestimate us.”

Crewmember Stuart Molloy, who was onboard for the delivery, explained the team did not try to break any records on its crossing.

He said: “We didn’t push things; it was very much a delivery crossing. We occasionally let her go to 25 to 26 knots and ran hard downwind, but there was a bit of caution because our canards and stuff don’t have the right bearings on and our running rigging is being replaced.

“We are replacing pretty much everything on here. It’s a nice long job list.”

“It was a good ride. We had the A3 on for three or four days and didn’t drop below 20 knots. As we got closer to the Med it was lighter and lighter and then from the Gibraltar Straits to here it was light and on the wind.

“This boat is still really quick and the excitement level goes through the roof. You really need time to learn these boats, but with a bit of that we can really impress some people.
“You can’t tell what will happen until we all line up and go at it.”

Delta Lloyd arrives in Alicante. 17 September 2008. Photo coyright Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] It was confirmed today that the Dutch yacht Team Delta Lloyd will be the eighth entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, which starts in Alicante, Spain on 4 October. The team will be sailing the winning boat from the 2005-06 event and will sail under the Dutch flag with sail number NED -1.

The international crew will be skippered by Ireland’s Ger O’Rourke, and the team will be made up from a mix of Dutch sailors and Ger O’Rourke’s current Chieftain Racing Team, which won the Fastnet Race.

The first generation Volvo Open 70, designed by Argentinean Juan Kouyoumdjian has been completely rebuilt and re-fitted during the last few months to bring it in line with the demands of this year’s event.

On leg eight of the Volvo Ocean Race, between Galway and Goteborg-Marstrand, the race course will include a rounding mark outside Rotterdam which will be bring the fleet into Dutch waters, giving the spectators from the Netherlands an opportunity to see something of the fleet as it passes by.

“I am very excited that we have an eighth entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, and I am particularly pleased that the latest entry is Dutch. The Netherlands has played a big part in this event since the first race in 1973 and we are very pleased that we continue to attract entries from this country,” said Volvo Ocean Race Chief Executive, Knut Frostad.

Frostad also added that he has long been a fan of boats being capable of doing more than one race. “The spirit of this campaign is one that I admire. The team has a good boat, the winning boat from the 2005-06 race, and I am looking forward to watching their performance throughout the duration of the event,” he said.

Team Delta Lloyd is currently at sea finishing its 2,000 nautical mile qualifier and should arrive in Alicante to join the rest of the fleet at the weekend. The full race crew will be announced once the boat has arrived in Alicante and the team has gone through its full survival training course. Start Port festivities in Alicante begin next week along with official scrutineering and measuring of the eight entries.

The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain, on 4 October 2008 with in-port racing, it will, for the first time, take in Cochin, India, Singapore and Qingdao, China before finishing in St Petersburg, Russia for the first time in the history of the race. Spanning some 37,000 nautical miles, stopping at 11 ports and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world’s premier yacht race for professional racing crews.

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back