Russian TP52 Valars damaged in Castellón harbor

Most readers will certainly remember the image of the America's Cup yachts of Emirates Team NZ, BMW Oracle and Alinghi lying on their sides after being toppled by a violent storm that swept through the harbor of Marseille during the Louis Vuitton Act 1 in September 2004.

Yesterday morning history repeated itself, only at a smaller scale and at a different place. According to Jaume Soler's Blog, the heavy gusts whipping the Valencia region, reaching 70 knots at some points, struck through the Castellón harbor.

This port, 80km north of Valencia, has been chosen by some of the TP52 teams to be the winter home for their boats. Unfortunately, and the picture tells the story, some shore crew did not take the necessary precautions and decided to keep their yachts masted throughout the winter. In the center of the picture, the toppled TP52 is the ex Caixa Galicia, now bought by a Russian owner and renamed as "Valars". To the right, between the chimneys, Atalanti and to the left, Rush, seem to have withstanded the adverse winds.

This is certainly a reminder that no precaution is too much, especially with high-end racing yachts that cost a million euros!! We have no information concerning the extent of the damage.

Russian TP52 Valars, among various other boats, toppled by heavy winds, inside the harbor. Castellón, 8 March 2007. Photo courtesy of Jaume Soler's Blog