Rolex Sydney-Hobart, Etihad Stadium ha disalberato
IncidentiMaxiRolex Sydney HobartVela 14 Dicembre 2009 Zerogradinord 0
[singlepic id=4787 w=300 h=204 float=left]Rolex Sydney-Hobart – Sydney – A sole due settimane dall’inizio della Rolex Sydney-Hobart, grande classica dell’emisfero australe che dal 26 dicembre vedrà impegnati alcuni tra i Maxi più rinomati del mondo attraverso lo Stretto di Bass, uno dei protagonisti annunciati è in guai seri. Etihad Stadium, già noto alle cronache sportive con il nome di Skandia-Wild Thing, ha infatti disalberato nel corso del trasferimento che, concluso a motore, lo ha portato a Sydney.
Lo shore team di Grant Wharington si è immediatamente adoperato per tentare di trovare una via di uscita che consenta alla barca di essere sulla linea di partenza il prossimo Santo Stafano. Nel corso di una conferenza telefonica, gli ingegneri della Southern Spars, vista l’impossibilità di costruire un’antenna nuova in tempi così stretti, hanno consigliato l’utilizzo di un albero realizzato per Alfa Romeo che si trova presso il loro stabilimento.
“Dopo aver guardato i progetti possiamo dirci fiduciosi – ha spiegato il sempre ottimista Wharington – Non ci sono problemi insormontabili da affrontare. La sfida più grande è il trasporto, ma ci sono diverse persone che se ne stanno occupando e credo che già in serata sapremo qualcosa di più. Domani verremo raggiunti da un team di tecnici della Southern Spars che ci aiuterà nel preparare la barca in vista dell’arrivo dell’albero di rispetto”.
ROLEX SYDNEY-HOBART, EITHAD STADIUM (FORMER SKANDIA) HAS LOST ITS RIG
[Source Rolex Sydney-Hobart] Grant Wharington’s 98 foot supermaxi Etihad Stadium has lost its rig 10 miles off Deal Island.
All 20 people on board are accounted for and no-one has been hurt in the incident that has Grant and his crew baffled.
The boat is heading towards Eden to re-fuel and continue on to Sydney.
[UPDATE 14 DECEMBER 2009] There was no day of rest in Victoria today, as Etihad Stadium maxi owner and skipper Grant Wharington and a number of people from his crew hooked up on a conference call with a New Zealand based Southern Spars team, a world leader in the design and construction of carbon fibre masts.
One of the engineers gave up his Sunday morning to overlay the boat rig plans of the mast that is now at the bottom of Bass Strait and the replacement mast belonging to Alfa Romeo’s Neville Crichton to determine how the replacement mast can be worked into the Etihad Stadium maxi layout.
At this stage, the ever optimistic Wharington, believes that it could be do-able.
“Based on what we saw with the rig plans today, there are no insurmountable problems with the use of the replacement mast at this stage” he said.
“Our next challenge however, is the transport, and we have a few people working on some possible solutions to that problem – we’ll know more later tonight”
Southern Spars will be working overnight on their report and assessment of the situation and the timeframe available, and will deliver their findings tomorrow.
“The Southern Spars team will come back to us tomorrow with an analysis and recommendation – as well as some very tight timelines should we be able to go ahead with getting and installing the replacement mast” said Grant.
Should all logistics swing in the favour of the Etihad Stadium maxi, and the mast can get here in the timeframes required, she may be back sailing on Sydney Harbour in a little over a week’s time – and be race ready by Boxing Day to line up with the other seven maxis to start in the 2009 Rolex Sydney Hobart.
All of the pieces of the logistical puzzle will start to come together over the next 24 hours, and timing is critical.
“As soon as Europe wakes up from the weekend and returns to work, we will start to form some solid plans and be able to make some definite decisions“ said Grant.
And then the work really begins…
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