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BT GLOBAL CHALLENGE - GLOBAL TEAMWORK TAKES TO THE SEAS Friday 7 February 1997 After a six week stopover in New Zealand, all the crews are back on board the yachts preparing for the restart of the BT Global Challenge on 9 February. Global Teamwork for example, has been out practicing her tacks and spinnaker peels in the Cook Strait. Skipper Merfyn Owen and his crew are eager to head out for the 1,230 mile sprint to Sydney, where the fleet will stop briefly before heading out into the Southern Ocean again, this time upwind to Cape Town. "Judging by how we pushed hard and sailed well as a team in the heavy airs of leg 2, we're hoping its going to blow a bit!" said Owen. "As long as the rig and boat can keep up with us we should do well." In the last leg from Rio, which included passing Cape Horn to starboard, Global Teamwork finished fifth, despite the failure of both her forestay and backstay. The team repaired both at sea, tacking into Lambton Harbour on New Year's Eve, their backstay held together with a 6 mm lashing and a marlin spike. Before their rigging woes, Owen and his crew had led the fleet for five and a half days and spent three weeks in the top three. Outfitted with completely new standing rigging (the wires which support the mast) in New Zealand, they're ready to push the boat and themselves hard on these next two Southern Ocean legs. Back on board is Rhian Jenkins (Swansea), who was last seen by the crew looking forlornly out of the window of an RAF helicopter in the South Atlantic. On 30 November, she was evacuated from the boat after becoming ill with a salmonella-type virus just north of the Falkland Islands. Teammate Julia Bishop (Chester) caught it all on film, earning her the top prize for this leg's BBC race documentary footage. Roger Arnold (Essex) has also rejoined the yacht for the leg to Sydney. He left in Rio, after chronic seasickness during leg 1 made him unsure he could pull his ever decreasing weight in the strenuous Southern Ocean legs, but he's been trying various cures - including acupuncture - and is ready for the next test. Two new crew members will round out the team on leg 3. BT Deputy Chief Executive Alan Rudge, who's known as "The Godfather" of the BT Global Challenge, has taken leave to join Global Teamwork. "I felt I could hardly encourage others to do something I was not willing to do myself!" he explained. In addition to his role as a race sponsor, Dr. Rudge has a family connection to Global Teamwork - he will be moving into his son Peter's bunk, who raced aboard from Rio to Wellington. Vivienne Poulson is also a BT legger; she works the night shift at the Bristol office, answering phones in the BT telemarketing centre. Though she'd never sailed before applying to join the race, she eagerly filled out the application, looking for "the adventure of a lifetime." For the nine core crew on board Global Teamwork since Southampton last September, adventure has already become a way of life. What they're looking for now is an improvement in their seventh place overall ranking. "The crew and I are very hungry for our first leg prize," said Owen. Meanwhile Sean Blowers who was sailing on Commercial Union has withdrawn from leg 3 because of a back injury, however he is hoping to be fit again for Leg 4, which will be his last leg, before returning to the UK to start work again on television. Michael Buerk, BBC broadcaster, anchor man for BBC television's flagship news programme, `The Nine O'Clock News' and presenter of the BBC1 `999' emergency television programme will be joining the race on Toshiba Wave Warrior for this next leg, along with Mike Calvin. Mike is a Daily Telegraph columnist and reporter for the BBC2 Documentary on the BT Global Challenge, who will be joining Motorola. For updated information on the BT Global Challenge : Internet site : http//www.btchallenge.com Fax database : 0990 321123 (+44 990 321123 from outside UK) Recorded telephone information line : 0891 505550 (UK only) Public enquiry bureau : 01703 212124 (+44 1703 212124 from outside UK) Ceefax page 388 (UK only) |
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