Trying to repair a yacht to racing standards is a nerve-wracking experience, as these VOR case histories prove
Ericsson 4
Apart from some damage on deck, Ericsson 4, the sistership to E3 and built at the same yard, suffered very little damage and finished the leg.
“E4 pulled a storm jib pad eye out of the deck,” explained builder Killian Bushe. “As far as I’m concerned when it takes laminate with it, that’s OK for me as it’s probably just an engineering issue. It took a large part of the deck with it.”
Aside from this and some damage to the rudder on leg 1 after hitting an underwater object, Bushe claims that E4 has sustained little damage.
“There was some slight flexing in one of the hydraulic ram panels as well as some damage to the lighter panels below which the crew keep falling into, but other than that they haven’t told me about any other damage,” he continued.
If correct, the lack of structural problems aboard the overall race leader may provide evidence to suggest different styles of sailing between the two teams.