A powerful cyclone in the Pacific has forced organisers to delay the fifth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race through the Southern Ocean for a further 24 hours until Tuesday.
The start had already been postponed from tomorrow to Monday over safety fears, but with Cyclone Pam continuing to menace the New Zealand coast with winds of more than 250 kilometres an hour in the last 24 hours, a second delay became inevitable.
Cyclone Pam is, according to one New Zealand meteorologist, the fiercest in the South Pacific for 40 years.
Richard Green told local radio station RadioLIVE yesterday: “Cyclone Pam is enormous, it is the most powerful it can be.
“We have seen nine cyclones of Category 5 in the last 40 years in the South Pacific, and this is the strongest.”
Knut Frostad, the chief executive of the Volvo Ocean Race, said he had “no option” but to delay the fleet’s departure for the 6,776-nautical mile leg to Itajaí in Brazil.
The sailors have unanimously backed that decision.
“We know that our boats are strong, but we cannot sail in 70-knot winds [130 kph]. This is already something more than a cyclone. I have not seen anything like this in my life,” Mapfre skipper Iker Martinez said.
Officials have also started dismantling part of the specially-built race village in Auckland to avoid damage, although Saturday’s in-port race was due to take place as planned.
Race meteorologist Gonzalo Infante has warned of winds of up to 60 knots tomorrow night to Monday morning.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, who hold the overall lead of the event, have confirmed that Adil Khalid will not be on their Azzam vessel for the second successive leg.
The Emirati picked up a stomach bug last month, two nights before the start of the fourth leg from Sanya, China.
That forced Khalid to withdraw and he returned to the UAE, where he had been recovering and regaining his strength in a bid to be fit to make his return to action in this leg.
However, race doctors have ruled that he is still not fully recovered enough to be able to sail and his place on Azzam will be taken by Antiguan sailor Louis Sinclair.
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
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Rating: 3/5
WHEN TO GO:
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Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The five pillars of Islam
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
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The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000