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More casualties on Hobart leg

SEB: A broken rudder forced her back for repairs

SYDNEY, Australia -- The notorious waters of Bass Strait separating the Australian mainland from Tasmania continued to wreak havoc among the 75 starters during the second day of the 627-mile Sydney-Hobart race.

For many of those that survived the terrifying giant waterspouts of the first day on Thursday, the hard upwind bashing into heavy seas whipped up by 35-knot headwinds and a counter current continued to take a relentless toll on the remainder of the fleet.

On Friday, the retirement total increased to 15 when another line honours prospect, the modified Volvo 60 Grundig, skippered by Sean Langman from Sydney, dropped out with a major bow damage.

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As the boat limped back to the port of Eden, Langman said: "We felt that we were in danger of sinking so we sent out a pan distress call. Nicorette came up on Channel 16, as did the race control, and we made ready just in case the worst would happen.

"We cut up the bunks to shore up the bow and stemmed the water inflow with bunk cushions."

While Grundig was not in a mayday situation, Langman kept race control aware of the boat's condition. "I felt it best to have our position recorded correctly and be in a position where we knew all the boats around us, if we required assistance, that those boats could help us."

At the front of the fleet, the well prepared Volvo 60s were also suffering. First there was news that the all-women crew on Amer Sports Too had broken their forestay.

Fortunately the wind moderated so Amer Sport Too will be able to get to Hobart and make repairs to the rigging during the three-and-a-half hour pit stop before heading onto New Zealand.

Less fortunate were the crew on SEB who were forced to retire from both the Sydney-Hobart and leg three of the Volvo Ocean Race when their rudder bearing broke.

"This is a very hard blow for all of us in the team. Being stopped for the full leg by things like this is very sad," said skipper Gurra Krantz.

The rudder broke away from the hull, although the crew managed to salvage it before it broke into pieces and installed the emergency rudder.

The damage occurred 70 miles north of Tasmania's north-east tip when SEB was doing 10 knots in strong south-westerly breezes.

Water flooded into the boat until all the watertight hatches were closed, and the hole in the hull, caused by the missing rudd er, was plugged.

Close finish

SEB is now on course for Eden for repairs before sailing or transporting the boat to Auckland.

"Most important in a situation of this magnitude is ensuring the crew and the boat are safe," added Krantz.

"In the prevailing conditions here, we would not venture to carry on racing with an emergency rudder." At the front of the race, Illbruck was leading a group of six Volvo 60s with less than four miles separating them on Friday.

They are all trying to fend off the late challenge by the larger 20-foot maxi Nicorette for a line honours win in the race to Hobart. Nicorette had closed to within 10 miles as the wind became lighter close to the land.

The light and variable winds were likely to be with the fleet until they passed Tasman Island on the south-eastern tip of Tasmania.

From there it is almost 60 miles to the pit-stop in Hobart, crossing at first the aptly named Storm Bay before sailing the 12 miles up the Derwent River.