Blake’s message was not warning

Press, 7 October 1985, Page 4

Blake’s message was not warning

NZPA staff correspondent London The Lion New Zealand skipper, Peter Blake, says he did not issue a warning to his rival Kiwi, Digby Taylor, in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race. In Portsmouth race headquarters issued a statement last week saying Blake had contacted it by radio and warned Taylor he would protest if NZI Enterprise failed to anchor while picking up a replacement generator part in the Canary Islands. Taylor has since indicated he will press on for Cape Town without the part and cease radio contact to conserve power. Race headquarters said yesterday Blake had again been in contact, and emphasised he had stated that under the 4’

rules, Enterprise should anchor. It was the race committee who advised that there might be a protest if Taylor did not comply, the Lion skipper was reported as saying. Blake also reported that ÜBS Switzerland had caught the trade winds, and was some ” 260 km ahead of him south of Gibraltar on the first leg of the race, which started a week ago. A malfunction in the satellites which monitor the yacht positions meant there was little new information during the weekend about their progress. At the last report, ÜBS Switzerland was leading from Lion. Portatan, sailing under a United States flag, was third and Enterprise fourth.