Telefonica hearing to take place tonight

Measurement group protest Spanish VO70 over the number of sails they may have carried on leg 4

This evening, the international jury attached to the Volvo Ocean Race is to hear the protest brought by the race’s measurement group over the sails carried by Telefónica during Leg 4 from Sanya to Auckland.

With the jury chaired by ISAF international judge Bernard Bonneau, the scheduled protest hearing will take place in Itajaí tonight at 1800 local time (2100 UTC). It concerns an alleged breach of article 5.2.2 of the Notice of Race. Under this rule, a boat competing in the fully crewed round the world race has a limit placed on the sail wardrobe they can carry on board to one storm trysail, one storm jib and one heavy weather jib, plus a maximum of seven other sails, made up of a maximum of one mainsail, two headsails, three spinnakers and one staysail. On Leg 4 the Spanish VO70 may have exceeded this.

If race leader Telefonica is found guilty, then the outcome of tonight's hearing could have a profound effect on the Volvo Ocean Race scoreboard.