Vestas heads to Auckland on ship
Finch still pulls up Short after hamstring injury
Vestas 11th Hour Racing won’t compete in Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race and its 65-foot sloop is being shipped from Hong Kong to Auckland to repair damage sustained in a fatal collision with a Chinese fishing boat two weeks ago.
The team had been tight-lipped about its plans until releasing a statement on Monday.
The team said its “seriously damaged” boat couldn’t be repaired in Hong Kong, and that a new bow section is being built by Persico Marine in Italy and will be installed in Auckland.
Race organisers originally said there was limited damage from the collision, but photos of the yacht taken hours later showed a large hole in the port hull near the bow.
After declining to comment for several days, the team curiously waited to release its statement until the rest of the fleet was heading from Guangzhou back to Hong Kong after a weekend in-port race.
Team spokeswoman Kate Wilson said in an email that crew members were in their home towns. Wilson said she couldn’t say more because it is “an ongoing international investigation.”
Vestas 11th Hour Racing co-founder Mark Towill said he “simply can’t comment at this stage”.
Leg 6, which is 6100 nautical miles, begins today in Hong Kong.
Vestas hopes to rejoin the fleet in time for Leg 7 from Auckland to Itajai, Brazil, which starts March 18.
The collision with the fishing boat occurred 30 nautical miles from Hong Kong at the end of Leg 4.
One fisherman was killed and nine had to be rescued after their boat sank. Few details about the collision have been released.
This is the second time in as many editions of the round-the-world race that a boat sponsored by Vestas Wind Systems, a Danish wind company, has been seriously damaged. In December 2014, Team Vestas Wind smashed into a reef in the Indian Ocean. The boat was repaired, but the team missed most of the rest of the race. A hamstring injury is likely to keep top-order Aussie batsman Aaron Finch sidelined, meaning D’Arcy Short is all but assured of playing his second game in national colours.
The 27-year-old, coming off a stellar Big Bash League tournament, scored just four on debut as Australia cantered to a seven-wicket win over New Zealand in Sydney.
“I didn’t know what to expect but I went in with an open mind,” Short said yesterday. “The energy and consistency of how well they bowled at the start was definitely a step up.”
Finch, who hasn’t played since Australia’s third ODI against England on January 21, is recovering from a right hamstring twinge.
Short has reunited with the Australia squad after playing in Sunday’s BBL final for runners-up Hobart Hurricanes.
“I’ll have a bit of confidence coming out [at Bellerive Oval] but I’m still trying to adjust to international cricket,” Short said ahead of tonight’s T20 tri-series match against England in Hobart.
England’s cricketers arrived in Australia in October and it has taken until this month to reach Tasmania.
Dawid Malan, who has been in Australia for the distance, is highly motivated to play for England in every format, and energised by the fresh players around him, not to mention the new coaches.
“Test cricket tests your heart,” he said. “You don’t want to give it away and be seen to be weak. And then you have the pressure in T20 cricket, where you might be eating up balls and you are letting your team down, especially in a chase or on a good wicket. The biggest thing in T20 is not to panic. T20 cricket is about having options and knowing what they are.” — news.com.au