Christmas in Madagascar

Mike Sanderson's team to rejoin the race when fleet returns from Abu Dhabi

Team Sanya issued an update today on the process they are following to ensure they can get back into the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race as quickly as possible and ensure they are 100% race ready ahead of the race into their home port of Sanya at the end of Leg Three.

Yesterday in Fort Dauphin, Madagascar, the team took their mast out and started the process of repair. They are working closely with Future Fibres, the manufacturer of the rigging system, to agree on the optimal solution. Frano Tregaskis, Rigger for Team Sanya is travelling today from Madagascar to Valencia in Spain with the spreaders and will remain in Valencia with Future Fibres while they prepare the new rigging system.

Towards the end of December, the new rigging system will be transported by air freight out to the race boat in Madagascar and the team will work on completing the process as some cooking/curing of the new rigging will need to take place on site. Once the rigging is in the place, the mast will be re-stepped and some ‘on-dock’ tuning will follow.

In order to ensure satisfaction by all parties on the repair and fitness for purpose of the new rigging system, a number of days of sea trials will take place in early January off the coast of Madagascar before everyone is fully confident of the repair process that has been taken place.

The team and boat will then move to the safe haven port to be there by mid January and will wait there until the rest of the fleet are transported from the first safe haven port after their re-start in Abu Dhabi to the second safe haven port as part of Leg Three.

Team Sanya is totally focused on taking the time to ensure the repair is 100% to their satisfaction and they can enter the second part of Leg Three with full confidence to enable them to demonstrate the team’s ability to deliver results as they approach their home port of Sanya.