Ericsson heads back

More canting keel problems in the Volvo Ocean Race

Early this morning, at around 01:30 GMT, Ericsson was sailing at 10 knots, in 15-20 knots of wind, when a part of the keel movement system broke. Ericsson was in second place when the incident occurred and her boat speed was reduced to allow the crew to inspect the damage. She is now heading back towards South Africa in order to consider the best course of action. The crew is in no danger.

Ericsson was beating on port tack when a part of the keel movement system broke. The initial finding is that the piston rod has broken close to the clevis on one of the two hydraulic cylinders that control the canting of the keel. The crew has decided to return towards South Africa in order to replace the broken part and continue racing if possible. The boat is currently running at 10 knots in 15 knots of wind speed, with the keel locked in the central position.

Ericsson Racing Team skipper Neal McDonald commented: “We first became aware of the failure at about 01.00 GMT when we heard an unidentified bang, that later we identified as a failure to one of our piston rods. We are obviously disappointed but at the same time we are keen to sort this out as quickly as possible in order to continue sailing in the Volvo Ocean Race.”

Ericsson’s shore team is preparing for action, in order to carry out the necessary repairs as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Volvo Ocean Race Chief Executive, Glenn Bourke, commented, “obviously in coming up with the brand new Volvo Open 70 design, we realised that we were producing a boat that would be at the cutting edge of ocean racing. So far the boats have lived up to expectations in terms of speed and performance. The issues experienced with canting keels have been around for some considerable time and are not unique to the Volvo Open 70 design. In the case of Ericsson, until we know the full nature of the current problem it would be premature for us to comment any further. In each case where there have been keel related issues on our boats, there has been a ready flow of information between syndicates to fully understand and overcome any problems and I am confident that this communication will continue.”