Green Dragon underwent a small re-fit and it was back in the water in Cape Town a week after their arrival. As conditions improved on Friday the crew headed into Table Bay for a test sail. Whilst sailing upwind in 30 knots, the J4 lock strop broke, this was the same issue the crew experienced in Alicante prior to the start. This caused the head swivel on the sail to break away and come down, damaging the tip of the third starboard spreader.
The Dragon returned to her temporary home in the V&A Waterfront to assess the damage. The shore team have been in consultation with Southern Spars New Zealand as they prepare the damaged area ahead of the new spreader arriving from Holland today. The team were missing a vital component for the repair, a titanium stem ball, which is needed to attached the spreader to the mast, Ericsson Racing Team have kindly lent the team this crucial part in order for the repairs to continue.“The boat is being prepared as normal for race mode, kits bags, food, sails and spares have all been loaded today. We have been working on checking the halyard locking systems, and making sure they all engage and disengage correctly. We are now ready to go as soon as the new spreader arrives in Cape Town.” Johnny Smullen, Green Dragon Shore Manager.
The spreader is currently en route to Cape Town and should arrive at 2300 local time (GMT +2), where the team will start the final process of attaching it to the mast.
