Føler du at du hadde store problemer under en regatta i fjor?
Vi bare spør. For uansett hvor store problemene var så er det nok en seiler som har hatt det verre. Les rekken av hendelser Christophe Bullens har hatt, som seiler Velux 5 Oceans og som nå omsider har valgt å trekke seg fra regattaen.
Belgian solo sailor Christophe Bullens has been forced to retire from the Velux 5 Oceans following a string of technical problems onboard his yacht, Five Oceans of Smiles. After a catalogue of breakages and equipment failures the final straw came just an hour after setting sail from Cape Town for the third time when the mast track ripped out for the second time.
Here’s a timeline of events that led to his withdrawal:
October 5, 2010: Bullens` original Eco 60 Five Oceans of Smiles is dismasted en route to La Rochelle. He and his team start the search for another yacht to race in
October 13, 2010: Four days before the race start Bullens acquires Artech from French sailor Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty
October 17, 2010: Bullens starts the Velux 5 Oceans with the rest of the fleet before returning to La Rochelle after a 48-hour qualification passage
October 24, 2010: After making preparations to his new boat, Bullens sets sail from La Rochelle a week behind the rest of the fleet
November 1, 2010: Bullens forced to stop in Gran Canaria for 48 hours after strong winds split his mainsail and broke several battens
November 10, 2010: Bullens diverts to the Cape Verde Islands to seek medical attention after developing a fever
November 25, 2010: Around a tonne of water floods into Five Oceans of Smiles
November 28, 2010: Five Oceans of Smiles hits a whale
December 6, 2010: After 49 days at sea, Bullens arrives in Cape Town with just five days until ocean sprint two starts
December 16, 2010: Leg two starts four days later than scheduled due to strong off Cape Town
December 17, 2010: Bullens returns to Cape Town after the electronics on his yacht failed and rudder problems
December 20, 2010: After an amazing effort by a team of volunteers on the dock in Cape Town Bullens restarts leg two
December 22, 2010: Problems with the mast track on Five Oceans of Smiles too force Bullens to return to Cape Town
January 1, 2011: Bullens sets sail from Cape Town again but is forced to return after the mast track breaks again
January 3, 2011: Bullens withdraws from the Velux 5 Oceans
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