Nagel’s AkzoNobel badly suffered from severe mast damage. Team AkzoNobel, which is a known Volvo Ocean Race team belonging to Bermudian Emily Nagel, got the serious setback when yacht’s mast become victim of strong winds as well gigantic seas when things wrong yesterday.
It is found that gybe slipped from the mainsail track as off the back edge of the mast, tore into innumerous of mainsail’s carbon wood, and leads to puncture of the sail in various places. In spite of slow pace and wrestle the innumerous sail to the deck in above 45 to 50-knot winds as well as huge waves, the worldwide crew all inclusive of 7 men and 2 women become quicker to review the damage and carried out a repairing immediately.
After severe mast damage, team’s technical crew as well as experts from Volvo Ocean Race Boatyard maintenance, sailors arrived with repair solution to get back to the racing at the fastest possible speed.
The mast track found lost in two different places as sailors were previously feared due to unexpected crash in harsh windy condition. This may also mean that crew is ready to reattach immense of the track through strong glue to make use of the mainsail at the vast hoist.
A day before when winds moved upwards to 45 knots and the ocean swells, then a part of the crew paid attention on sailing by using headsails and other worked for repairing the mast and many horizontals shaped wooden battens that collectively make the sail stiff and help to keep the shape in the wind.
It is not just repair team, but sailors also put their efforts in repairing the severely wrecked damage to mainsail. They again inserted the wooden battens prior hoisting the sail.