The Clipper fleet is now safely in Subic Bay following the abandonment of the race at the weekend see previous news story here. The fleet of round the world yachts was diverted to safety following the discovery of loose keel bolts in seven of the 10 boats.

According to a report of the Clipper website today Glasgow, the first of the fleet to be affected, has been hauled out of the water, and an initial survey of each boat has been completed. This has been sent to the design team who are considering both the reasons for the problems, and the best course of action to resolve it.

From the initial inspection it would seem that there has been a failure of the bond between the hull and the internal strengtheners in the area of the keel. This has caused varying degrees of cracking in 8 of the 10 boats, which in Glasgow’s case was leading to quite severe water ingress.

The challenge now is to come up with a solution and then to get a team together to carry out the repairs. Surveyors, structural engineers and experienced laminators will all be required, as will sufficient cradles to hold the boats out of the water. At present the Yard at the Subic Bay yacht Club only has one suitable for this size of vessel, so one of the first actual jobs will be to manufacture some more.