#VOLVOOCEANRACE – Team Sanya is heading for shore again, the second time in as many legs. This time the Discover Ireland backed yacht in the Volvo Ocean Race has suffered rigging damage.

The 70-foot Chinese-Irish entry reported into race headquarters early this morning that they had suffered damage during the night to part of their rigging (D2 intermediate shroud) and are having to head to a port in Southern Madagascar in order to assess the damage and make a repair plan. All the team are safe and well, no one has been injured and the race boat is fully under control with the mast still upright and the boat still able to sail to shore.

Mike Sanderson, CEO and Skipper of Team Sanya, advised on the situation and background to the incident:

"We were just out of the major breeze and changing sails from the J4 to the fractional zero and were in wind speeds of around 12-14 knots when we noticed a vital piece of rigging loose from the mast (D2 shroud). We had just been through an awesome night's racing and were totally hauling and making massive gains so we were very upbeat about our progress. The weather was turning for the better and so we were happy in our decisions and general progress. We had been due to tack an hour earlier in the darkness but had delayed that given the conditions and for sure, if we had done that, the rig would have fallen over the side. As you can imagine we are totally gutted and can't quite believe this has happened when everything was going so well."

The team had now got the boat tidied up and they have secured the rig in a safe manner as they make their way towards a port in Southern Madagascar. The shore team and Volvo Ocean Race officials are assessing the port options and are in constant contact with the team on the boat.

#VOLVO OCEAN RACE - The second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race from Cape Town to Dubai has been cut short by organisers as a result of the growing threat of piracy in the Indian Ocean, The Irish Times reports.

The six yachts competing will be protected by armed guards as they are shipped on a secret route to the United Arab Emirates due to piracy concerns.

The boats will be transported by ship from an undisclosed location to Sharjah in the Arabian Gulf, from where they will sprint to the finish line in Abu Dhabi.

All six teams are currently in Cape Town, with Team Sanya, PUMA and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing hoping to get back in the race after retiring in the first leg.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, NATO recently foiled a pirate attack on a Spanish fishing vessel between the Seychelles and the Somali coast.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

#SANYA – Today Sanya Lan, the Volvo Ocean entry backed by Discover Ireland touched the water of the Cape Town this evening and is now tied up next to the team base, a momentous day for the team after retiring from Leg One nearly a month ago. The plan is to step the mast in the boat as soon as possible and then gather for a well-deserved team barbeque.

Sanya hits the water in Capetown

#SANYA– Definitely not as intended but neverthless on her way to Cape Town as our picture shows. The Discover Ireland backed Sanya entry in the Volvo Ocean Race has been successfully repaired and is ready to joing the other six yachts in the fleet. The 70-foot yacht suffered hull damage only hours into the race. Still to arrive is Puma, the third boat in the fleet to have suffered damage in the first leg.

Afloat again and heading for Capetown. Team Sanya is repaired and spotted on a cargo ship

#GALWAY HARBOUR- A proposed €200m outer deepwater port will have to be withdrawn due to a failure by Galway Harbour Company to secure necessary approvals for preliminary investigations, according to a report in yesterday's Irish Times.

The ambitious plan, which intended to build following the success of the stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race in 2009 (and to return next July), was due to have been submitted directly to the planning appeals board some months ago under the Strategic Infrastructure Act.

However, the harbour company was advised that site investigation works for the application were conducted without first securing full approval for a foreshore licence from the Department of the Environment.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is said to have been informed of the setback, which is expected to delay submission of a planning application to An Bord Pleanála until the mid-2012.

The development proposed transferring port operations outside from the existing single-dock facility (click HERE) south into Galway Bay, where reclaimed land in deeper waters would accommodate larger cruise-ships (click HERE) in addition a freight rail-link and a 200-berth marina.

#VOLVO OCEAN RACE - Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing's challenge was nearly scuppered at the outset when their yacht suffered a broken mast just hours into the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race yesterday. Dismast photos by Paul Todd below.

The accident occurred 30 nautical miles south of Cartagena on the Spanish Mediterranean, when the yacht Azzam encountered rough weather some six hours after leaving Alicante.

"Our mast broke into three pieces when landing off a big wave in 30+ knots of wind," said skipper Ian Walker. "We were sailing under a J4 and two reefs. We do not as yet know the cause."

A first leg disaster for Ian Walker on Abu Dhabi - Photo: Paul Todd

The broken mast pieces and rig were recovered, thanks to the "courageous" intervention of crewman Wade Morgan, who entered the water to cut away the top of the mainsail.

Walker added: “The mast from the first spreader up is now secured to the port side of the boat. About three or four metres protrude from behind the boat. A spider web of lines is keeping the operation intact. The crew are deeply disappointed.”

Yacht and crew - which includes Wexford man Justin Slattery - were last night headed towards the flatter water at Cabo de Palos before returning to Alicante under motor to begin repairs and get back in the race.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing are one of six teams competing in the epic round-the-world yacht race, which is set to finish in Galway next July.

Earlier this week the team finished first in the initial in-port race of the competition.

The official Volvo Ocean Race website has more on the story HERE.

#VOLVO OCEAN RACE - Organisers for next year's Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Galway have promised the event will be "bigger and better" than the previous race visit in 2009.

John Killeen, president of Let's Do It Galway, told the Galway Independent that he expects as many as 8,000 foreign visitors to the City of the Tribes next July.

Green Dragon on show in Alicante this week – her dockside poster reads: 'the race begins in Alicante, the party starts in Galway'

Killeen is in Alicante on the Spanish Mediterranean for the week of events and in-port races leading up to the official start of the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race this Saturday.

The race is set to finish in Galway on Tuesday 3 July 2012, attracting the world's media to Ireland's fifth largest city for the final prize-giving.

Nimmo's Pier will be the focus of entertainment facilities for the many thousands expected to throng the city as the six competing yachts complete their epic challenge.

"It’s a rare opportunity for Galway and Ireland to have the leverage of such an event and, if we don’t [use it to benefit Galway], it will be remissible,” said Killeen.

The Galway Independent has more on the story HERE.

Support is needed, say Galway organisers to put the 70-footer into a youth development role. Her real value is in doing this, says Galway's Enda O'Coineen and such use is of 'much greater than her market value'.

The boat, under British skipper Ian Walker, failed to meet expectations in the 2008-9 race when it was discovered that the boat's keel bulb was too light. It did however get a rapturous welcome into Galway for the port stopover in May 2009.

In the longer term Galway owners are still trying to figure out what to do with the vessel but some youth development role is touted as a favourable option.

Just how this might come about or how inexperienced hands could master such a high tech vessel has yet to be revealed, however.

The Chinese built boat came out of storage this summer and VOR organisers have been putting it to good promotional purposes on the Continent.

Green Dragon is now in Spain and will represent Galway in this month's VOR 'Legends Regatta' in Alicante. It is sailing with a young Irish crew.

The regatta is another marketing opportunity for the boat that might yet throw up a buyer.

Coveney will officiate at an International press and VIP breakfast in the Volvo race HQ this Friday before the nine month long race begins on Saturday.

The Government Minister, himself an avid racing sailor, will see the Discover Ireland backed entry, Team Sanya, compete against the five other entries in a 33,000 mile race round the world that finishes in Galway next July.

Ireland's two top offshore sailors are involved in the race but there is no Irish crew on the Discover Ireland backed boat. Kerry's Damian Foxall is a watch leader on Groupama, Wexford's Justin Slattery is bow man aon team Abu Dhabi.

Discover Ireland is putting up to 25% of the sponsorship for the Chinese Sanya entry.

Also attending Friday's breakfast event, as part of Galway's delegation, is Irish ambassador to Spain Justin Harman, the Mayor of Galway Hildegarde Naughton and Galway City Manager Joe O'Neill.

As part of the promotional build up a Galway Hooker is en route to the middle east in an unexpected cultural exchange between Ireland and the United Arab Emirates. The traditional Irish sailing boat is on the way to Abu Dhabi in an exchange that will also see six Arabian dhows in Galway for the finish of the race next summer.

The day started with rain and gusty wind but that did not deter the teams, guests and fans to support the boats as they left the dock in Alicante at 1130am this morning. By the time racing was ready to get going the breeze had died to around 8 knots northerly providing testing conditions for all.

Photo: Paul Todd/Volvo Ocean Race

The race got underway on time with Abu Dhabi high and fast off the line and moving into immediate control of the race which they went on to win comfortably. At the first mark, Abu Dhabi led around followed by Camper, Puma, Groupama and a bit of a gap to Telefonica and Team Sanya. Team Sanya managed to overtake Telefonica down the first downwind leg moving into 5th.

The boats then headed up to the windward leg on a tight fetch where the wind died completely and brought in a number of shifts. Camper were the first to struggle and dropped from 2nd to last place momentarily. Team Sanya moved up to 3rd and all was looking very exciting. The teams then had to gybe back to reach the gate with Abu Dhabi getting around cleanly and heading to the finish with pace.

The rest of the fleet closed up on each other making for exciting viewing and the final downwind leg to the finish was nail biting to the end with Telefonica incurring a penalty and so the finish places ended up as:
1st Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing
2nd Puma Ocean Racing
3rd Camper Emirates Team New Zealand
4th Team Sanya
5th Groupama
6th Telefonica