Telefonica Blue skipper Bouwe Bekking admits he is far from certain of sailing leg five from Qingdao to Rio de Janeiro after picking up a “silly injury” on the taxing trip to China.
The Dutchman, frustrated by missing a wind-shift six days into the leg, was stacking in anger when he twisted his back and felt something “snap”.
His pain was so severe he had to crawl on deck to stop himself from fainting, before retreating to a bunk for much of the remaining 1,100 nautical miles.
He now has barely a fortnight to recuperate before the February 14 start of the 12,300-nautical mile marathon to Rio – a trip he insists he will not sail if his fitness is not adequate.
“It will be a very hard leg physically for all the guys,” he said. “It would be crazy and selfish and you have to think about the team. I will only sail if I feel right and right now, if I am honest, I’d have to say that if the leg started tomorrow I would not go.
“It’s quite simple: you cannot go on a 40-day leg and be in the position I am in if you are not fit. I have to work hard over the next fortnight or so and hope I am ready for the next leg.
“I think I will be okay for the in-port race, but we will see.”
The circumstance of the injury has made the prospect of missing the leg all the more annoying for Bekking, whose team have won the last two legs.
“It was unnecessary,” he said. “We were sailing upwind very close to PUMA and missed a shift and I was so angry I grabbed a bag and strained so hard when stacking it (moving gear from one side of the boat to the other) I hurt my back. I twisted it. Bloody silly injury.
“Hopefully it will be fine.”
Bowman Daryl Wislang was also hurt in the 2,500-mile stage, injuring his shoulder and sitting out a large chunk of the leg.
Bekking is optimistic the New Zealander will recover in time. “He has some pain in his shoulder but I don’t think it’s a major,” he said.
The boat, meanwhile, is currently undergoing inspection after a leg which forced the retirement of Telefonica Black and the suspension of racing by Delta Lloyd and Ericsson 3.
After arriving on the dock yesterday, boat captain Pepe Ribes said: “There are some small problems and we damaged the crash bow (in a suspected collision) but the boat is okay.”