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Ten-foot waves hit Team Telefonica during Volvo Ocean Race
Monday, 26 March 2012 10:28

Team Telefonica: yachts are not for surfing

The Volvo Ocean Race is one of the most thrilling and dangerous sailing competitions in the world. Hi-tech monster yachts defy the power of Nature, anytime and anywhere.


Team Telefónica has been slammed by two monster waves as they blast through the Southern Ocean in over 40 knots of wind on Leg 5 from Auckland, New Zealand to Itajaí, in Brazil.

The crew experience life at the extreme as they hang on to whatever they can grab a hold of. Watch what happened with Team Telefonica.

"All aboard?", you hear after the first big wave hits the Spanish yacht. The footage, shot from one of the four fixed cameras on the boat, shows the entire on deck crew - including the helmsman - twice knocked off their feet by the impact of the up to 10 metre waves.

Winds were blowing very strong as Team Telefónica reached Cape Horn. Seconds before the first wave hits, helmsman Jordi Calafat can be seen urgently trying to steer the boat away from the impact before a wall of water slams into the boat engulfing the cockpit and leaving Calafat swinging in mid-air as the boat lurches out of control.

Later, when the second wave hits, Pablo Arrarte is thrown off the wheel and ends up steering on his knees as his shocked crewmates struggle back to their feet.

Remarkably, despite being thrown to the deck by the force of the waves, on both occasions the sailors regained their composure almost instantaneously to get the boat back under control in a matter of seconds.


 

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