Emotional welcome for Scallywag: Hong Kong boat arrives in Itajai for leg eight of Volvo Ocean Race
David Witt and his crew have only two days to prepare the boat for the journey to Newport as they continue to race after the loss of teammate John Fisher
A delivery crew was given an emotional round of applause by fans and crews from other boats as they brought the Volvo 65 into Itajai with the aim of preparing it for the start of leg eight from Itajai to Newport, Rhode Island on Sunday.
“We had a fantastic delivery crew, they joined us as the last moment, jumped on the opportunity and did some fantastic work together to get her here and once the boat hits dock it’s all hands on deck,” said Scallywag crew member Luke Parkinson.
And the Scallywag Delivery Team has arrived!
The moment the boat was inbound, the Scallywag sailors and shore crew set out and climbed onboard to ensure that everything went smoothly once the boat docked.
The clock starts now, and not a single second can be wasted! pic.twitter.com/uUD65ysDeJ— Sun Hung Kai Scallywag (@scallywaghk) April 19, 2018
“Basically, we need to do two weeks preparation in three days, it’s a big challenge in front of us but we have a solid crew to get the job done.”
Scallywag was forced to abandon leg seven of the race from Auckland after crew member John Fisher went overboard on March 26 about 1,400 miles from Cape Horn in South America. Scallywag headed for the safest landfall on the coast of Chile. The crew later decided to continue with the race.
Briton Fisher, 47, a close friend of Scallywag skipper David Witt, is presumed lost at sea.
“We had a fantastic reception and now we have to work flat out to get the boat on the start line,” said Scallywag navigator Libby Greenhalgh. “The boat is in relatively good shape and we hope to get it back on the water either the evening before or the morning of the start.”
