When Team Malizia’s boat was hit by a heavy wave, Kuiper fell off her bed, the team said in an extended press release. He was bleeding profusely above her right eyebrow. Kuiper did not lose consciousness and was treated by his colleagues. A competition doctor has also been contacted on the beach. Kuiper status is monitored every hour. Due to the remote location where the boat is currently moored and the stable position of the original Zoetermeer vessel, it was decided not to stop the leg.
“I look like a pirate Rosie,” Kuiper says. The boat shake is intense, it’s pounding in my head, but I think it’s going to be okay. I sleep a lot and the boys are paying close attention to me.” In addition, quieter conditions are expected in the Southern Ocean on Monday.
The Ocean Race’s third stage runs from Cape Town east to Itajai in Brazil. Four weeks ago, the go-ahead sounded for the longest leg in the race’s 50-year history of more than 23,500km. The remaining four boats – Guyot’s team gave up early in the stage – are on their way to round Cape Horn Point in southern Chile.
Earlier in the Ocean Race, Kuiper, the only Dutch participant in this edition, spoke extensively about the difficult conditions on board. She had tinnitus, ringing in the ears, slept poorly and sometimes had to vomit a lot because of the bad weather.
