Dutch yacht protests

Press, 2 March 1982, Page 34

Dutch yacht protests

PA .... Auckland Flyer and Berge Viking were involved in a protest minutes after the start of the Marydel; Plata-Portsmouth leg. oLjthe Whitbread, round-; the-world-race at 7 aim: (N.Z. time) on Sunday. ' .'’ ..Details - from Mar; del Plata are sketchy but it appears ‘there’ was a'minbr " brush involving the 76ft Flyer (Holland) and the 57 ft Berge Viking (Norway) as the fleet got away in light,, north-easterly head winds. 1 ' Flyer's skipper, Conny van Rietschoten, immediately radioed ashore his intention to protest. : There were no such problems for the New Zealand 51- . footer Outward Bound (skipper Digby Taylor). It

burst across the line and was second only to the 51-footer Skopbank, of Finland, as the fleet left the Argentinian seaside resort.' », ; The ■' 68ft . Ceramco New Zealand got-its.worst' start of the race — underpowered with a reefed niain and number two : headsail. ‘lt was tenth across the line and took more than an hour .to catch and begin to pass the leaders Skopbank and Out- ; ward Bound. ;. Soon after the start gun. the breeze kicked in to 15 knots and. for the racers, the lumpy' head sea was a quick reminder that there is still 6100 miles to go to the finish of the 25,000-mile adventure. The handicap situation, with three-quarters of the

journey done, is still tense. But a lot could happen with both the Doldrums and the Azores High to be negotiated as well as the huge tides of the English Channel. Outward Bound is sixth leaving Mar del Plata. It can readily climb to fourth and could even displace Flyer from third if the leg favours the smaller boats. But it has to watch the 49ft Morbihan (France), the third leg winner which is only 3hr 2min astern on handicap. Ceramco New Zealand is fourteenth on handicap, out of the reckoning after its first leg dismasting. The leaders are not expecting to reach Britain until April 2 or 3.