"All crew are safe and the situation is stable," said Ericsson 3 navigator Aksel Magdahl. "We are in constant contact with race control and team management."
Ericsson 3 is approximately 34 nautical miles north of Taiwan.
En route to the Leg 4 finish port of Qingdao, China, Olsson and the Ericsson 3 Nordic crew were placed second on this arduous leg that began in Singapore on Jan. 18 when the damage was discovered. The crew has been sailing upwind in gale-force conditions and steep seas up to six meters for the past four days.
"It's a cruel blow to the crew and the team, but right now the safety of the crew is paramount," said Richard Brisius, Ericsson Racing Team Managing Director. "They have done such an incredible job to stay in among the top three boats in the fleet throughout these very bad conditions. Now we have to set our sights on this new challenge, which is to get Ericsson 3 back racing."
Upon discovering the damage to the carbon-fiber hull, the crew affected repairs by placing parts of the engine box hatch, securing them in place with items on the boat and sealing it up with Sikaflex.
The team is evaluating its options. Ben Wright of Ericsson Racing Team's shore crew has been on standby since the start of the leg in case of such an emergency. He's on site in Taiwan preparing for the boat's arrival, which is estimated for midday GMT. A team of boat builders is in transit to Taiwan and will begin working on the boat as soon as it is hauled out of the water.
"It's hard to say how significant the damage is as the crew can't inspect the exterior of the hull," said Brisius. "All necessary safety measures have been taken on board the boat, including asking the Race Office to arrange for a support vessel to escort Ericsson 3 into port. As a team we need to assess the situation thoroughly, and we don't want to speculate before we have more information."
Juan Kouyoumdjian, the boat's designer, and his team of engineers have been on standby since the damage was reported.
"We've been in close contact with Ericsson 3 for the past few hours and our focus now is on getting the boat to a safe place and, when that is achieved, start the repairs," he said.
Launched in the fall of 2007, Ericsson 3 had completed nearly 15,000 nautical miles during training before the Volvo Race began last October. According to the 0112 GMT position report, Ericsson 3 was sailing in 24 knots of wind and experiencing a rough, 3.5-meter seaway.
