The “movistar” is on its way to Cape Town – South Africa. The commercial dock of Cabezuela-Puerto Real, in the bay of Cadiz, was the scene for a spectacular operation to load the “movistar” on board the slip that will carry it over 5,100 miles from Cadiz to South Africa.
The “movistar” shore team worked from first light to get everything ready to load and transport the Spanish Round the World yacht. The cargo ship Toronto berthed next to the “movistar” around two o’clock in the afternoon, to start the loading operation. The strong wind that has been blowing in the Cadiz area all day caused difficulties and delayed the operation.
Three stage operation
The operation was organised in three stages: loading the container that was to carry the “movistar” material, loading the mast and finally, loading the VO 70 along with its cradle.
Xabi Fernadez, one of the crew that has been working on repairing and transporting the “movistar”, tells us how the operation was carried out: “The first thing we loaded aboard was our 20 foot container that stores all the material we need for assembly, breaking down, tools, etc. This was the simplest part, as we simply put it in the cargo ship’s hold, using a ramp”. The other containers we need for the “movistar” shore team’s job are already at our base in Cape Town.
“The second step was to load the mast aboard the cargo ship; don’t forget that it is 32 metres long and it has to be placed on a deck that is 15 metres above the ground. With the wind that was blowing, it was no easy task”.
“The final and most delicate step was to load the boat aboard, strapped into its cradle to prevent it from moving about”. A giant crane lifted the VO 70 together with its cradle. “Together, they weigh nearly 17 tonnes, and we lifted them aboard, hanging from the crane by a single point; the same point we normally use for lifting the boat on its own. To tell you the truth, it is the first time that we have lifted the boat so high above the ground, it really makes an impression”.
5,100 miles in two weeks
The “movistar” set off, strapped down on the deck of the Toronto, some time after 7 o’clock in the evening, headed for Cape Town. It now faces over 5,100 miles and about a two week voyage to South Africa, where the team hopes to unload the boat on the 16th of 17th of December to continue their training, as skipper Bouwe Bekking points out. “All we have to do now is wait for it to arrive and get it ready for our next objectives: the in-shore regatta on the 26th of December and the second stage that sails from Cape Town on the 2nd of January”.