Pepe Ribes, Volvo Open 70 “movistar”’s bowman, arrived yesterday at the Desafío Español 2007 headquarters with the drift keel and rudder to undergo repairs at the team’s facilities.

Repair work has already started on these two appendages by engineers from the Spanish team and King Marine, the shipyard in charge of construction of the new Spanish boat for the America’s Cup.

Agustín Zulueta, Desafío Español Racing Project Manager, commented that “repairs will take place in three stages; first, the drift keel and the rudder, already arrived at headquarters; then repairs at the shipyard and on board at Portimao”.

Gabriel Mariani, manager of King Marine, pointed out that “six composite specialists are on their way to Portimao to undertake bulwark repairs”. On the drift keel and the rudder, Mariani said that “they could be ready in three or four days; the ruptured pieces prove that they are the result of a strong collision”.

Pepe Ribes, bowman on “movistar”, thanked “the support and hard work of the Desafío Español to repair the boat’s damages, and the fact that if repair work is completed by the 29^th as planned, she would be ready to be sailing again by the December 1 deadline that would allow them to resume the race leg to Cape Town”.