BP has utilised onboard B-sat technology provided by BT, to send a diagram of the incident to Race Headquarters. RHQ Manager John Keating advised the incident is still under investigation and the Jury has yet to hand out a verdict. The Challenge crew volunteers have spent upwards of three years training together, forging strong friendships. But, as Isle of Man s Peake also noted, As soon as the gun went to start the race the atmosphere changed. Everyone's tone of voice changes once that gun goes off.
People wind harder, shout louder and politeness largely gets thrown overboard.
It didn t take long for the teams, which were finalised in January, to sharpen their competitive edges. Logica subsequently withdrew that protest. The Jury penalised the team one point for this infraction. Additionally, the jury calculated that, had Logica returned to that spot the yacht would have finished eighth, not seventh, and adjusted the position another point. Thus far the Jury has declined to consider a related appeal by Spirit of Hong Kong.