Renault Captur left the pontoons in Wellington this morning at 05:00 GMT after a 30 hour technical stop to repair their starboard rudder. Spirit of Hungary is heading to Bluff, at the tip of New Zealand's South Island, to repair the mainsail head carriage.
The latter team, made up of Nador Fa and Conrad Colman, is currently seventh in the Barcelona World Race. The technical stopover in Renault Captur could have allowed them to catch up with the German crew, but they set sail again this morning at 05:00 GMT. Jörg Riechers, the German skipper of the white boat, was pleased with the repairs to the starboard rudder, which the team was able to make thanks to a group of friends living in New Zealand. "We are ready again! We lost some 2000 miles and two places in the rankings, but we can't help it."
Spirit of Hungary were this morning 550 miles from the port of Bluff, located south of Invercargill, and are expected to arrive on Tuesday evening, February 24, in favorable sailing conditions. The two men have been trying to repair their mainsail head carriage for two days, taking turns climbing the masthead to free the attachment system that no longer allows them to hoist and lower the mainsail. Friends of Conrad Colman, who came specially from Auckland, will be waiting for them to help with the repairs. The team hopes to stay in the dock for as little time as possible, a minimum of 24 hours, according to race rules.
Ranking as of February 23, 2015
1 - Poujoulat Chimneys
2 - Neutrogena
3 - GAES Centros Auditivos
4 - We are Water
5 - One Planet, One Ocean / Pharmaton
6 - Renault Captur
7 - Spirit of Hungary
