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From offshore to inshore: all the news abouts sea sports from 2000

VOLVO OCEAN RACE / Leg 4

The pain of thawing out

Sunday 17 February 2002Information Volvo Ocean Race

As the V.O.60s have headed further north towards Rio de Janeiro and the temperatures have started to soar, the crew have been experiencing excruciating pain as their chilblains and minor frostbite injuries have warmed up. Some of the teams‚ helmsmen have experienced repetitive strain injury from the rigours of steering their boats in the wild conditions of the Southern Ocean. Others will have cracked hands due to exposure to cold and wet for a length of time, and most will be experiencing the unpleasant and very uncomfortable feeling of repetitive salt chafe, which normally produces very unpleasant and painful rashes and swelling.

When hands crack in the Southern Ocean and you have had your fingers wrapped around a sheet trimming a sail for hours on end, the healing process is much longer and more trying. Add salt to the wound, literally and this will provide extreme pain and swelling and makes any movement of the fingers extremely difficult. Chilblains are another uncomfortable and debilitating affliction. They are a non-freezing cold injury, which appear red and swollen and can be extremely tender and may itch. One thing is certain, once chilblains have developed the treatment to minimise pain and further suffering is to remove the patient from further exposure and to rewarm them slowly. Not really a solution for a Volvo Ocean Race sailor!

For a number of the sailors the thermals have now been peeled off, with these clothes being discarded for the first time in around ten days and there has been a welcome change to clean shorts and tops. This has even prompted impromptu washing with wet wipes, shaving and general clean ups and has promoted an all over feeling of well being.

To start with a number of cuts, bruises and sprains were reported as the boats emerged from the freezing temperatures of the Southern Ocean. On Tyco Dave Endean had landed hard on his knee on a padeye, which was uncomfortable in freezing conditions, but as the temperatures increased, so did the swelling and for a few days he was confined to his bunk.

Paul Cayard reported from Amer Sports One that the boys were enjoying being clean, "Everyone is going for the big clean up: shaving, showers, new clothes." The crew were suffering, however, "It is amazing how tired and beaten up everyone is. Everyone has some small cuts that won’t heal. A few of us have slightly more serious problems. I have the thumb and index finger numb on both hands. I think it is from the tendonitis and I really hope it goes away soon. Roger [Nilson] burned his hand today with rope on a spinnaker take down. It is not good when the doctor gets hurt."

Billy [Peter Merrington] wrote of the thawing out process and the fact that numb was turning to pain, "I cannot even begin to describe the joy of throwing aside the thermal wear and baring the back to the afternoon rays for a time. The sun cream was dug out for the first time in a while. My foot problem arising from possible minor frostbite in the toes and end of the feet also seems to be coming along. I have upgraded them from totally numb to partially numb and sore today. Let’s hope they improve soon but it seems to be a slow process."

On Amer Sports Too, Lisa McDonald and crew were suffering from chilblains and the warmer weather was again causing pain, "I have learned a new word this leg - and the meaning of.... chilblains. Having got used to numb cold feet and hands for so long, the stinging, achy and sore sensations of the thaw are proving very uncomfortable for this crew. Hopefully within a few days the aches and pains will go and we will all acclimatise to our new surrounds."

With only a day or so to the finish of leg 4, all the sailors will be looking forward to the care and attention they will receive on their arrival. It will be a time to rest and recuperate and make sure that the minor sprains and injuries, cuts, bruises and chilblains are dealt with properly ashore. Just as the boats have taken a pounding, so have the sailors and it will now be up to the shore teams to make sure that the boats and the sailing teams are well prepared for the start of leg 5 to Miami on March 9.


Volvo Ocean Race Position Report, Day 22, 1558 GMT

PS Yacht Latitude Longitude DTF CMG SMG TFHR DTL DTL-C ETA PO
- 1 ILBK 27 38.04S 044 32.44W 00293 022 11.7 260 0 0 18 FEB 02 29
- 2 AONE 27 58.40S 044 19.84W 00310 018 11.9 276 17 +1 18 FEB 02 25
- 3 TYCO 27 53.16S 045 04.20W 00316 025 12.4 271 23 -2 18 FEB 02 18
- 4 AART 27 57.52S 044 57.08W 00318 022 13.1 282 25 -6 18 FEB 02 20
- 5 DJCE 27 56.68S 045 01.52W 00319 021 12.6 282 26 -5 18 FEB 02 14
- 6 NEWS 32 12.88S 046 30.92W 00586 023 08.9 220 293 +17 20 FEB 02 19
- 7 ATOO 35 16.48S 051 00.32W 00848 044 07.7 236 555 +26 21 FEB 02 7
- 8 TSEB 53 10.16S 070 54.40W - - - - - - - -


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