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Navigator leaves boat in yacht race Posted: Wednesday November 28, 2001 11:31 AMSOUTHAMPTON, England (AP) -- The navigator aboard the leading yacht in the Volvo Ocean Race has left the boat near the coast of western Australia to return to Europe after the death of a family member. Marcel van Triest returned to the Netherlands on Tuesday after leaving the Team SEB yacht at Eclipse Island, off the coast of Western Australia state. He was taken to Perth and then flew to Europe. "This is a very difficult and sad situation and Marcel has our full support in his time of loss," Team SEB managing director Pelle Norberg said. Skipper Gurra Krantz said he was confident the boat could cope without its navigator in the final days of the second leg to Sydney. "It is of course a sensitive and unwanted situation, but in these circumstances Marcel's situation and human values are the deciding factors," Krantz said. "Thanks to our preparations we believe we can still keep our competitiveness in the fleet." The first of the seven boat fleet is expected to arrive in Sydney on Dec. 4 after leaving Cape Town, South Africa on Nov. 11. The eighth competitor, Team Tyco, had to withdraw from the leg after breaking its rudder. Van Triest is expected to return to Team SEB in Sydney, in time for the start of leg three to Auckland, New Zealand on Dec. 26. After the leg finishes, two boats face protests. The race committee Wednesday charged Amer Sports Too and djuice dragons of contravening the international regulations for preventing collisions at sea. The protests relate to the paths of the boats approximately one hour after the start at Cape Town. Much of the fleet is close together as it heads into the Great Australian Bight. Team SEB has a five nautical mile lead over News Corp, which is one nautical mile ahead of Assa Abloy. They are followed by first leg winner illbruck (eight miles) and djuice dragons (25 miles). Amer Sports One is 56 miles and Amer Sports Too 163 nautical miles from the leader. Meanwhile, Keith Kilpatrick, the U.S sailor who was evacuated from Amer Sports One late Tuesday told of the agony of falling ill while at sea. "I actually had two types of pain, one lower down which was a deep pain all the time," the 40-year-old, of Long Beach, Calif. said. "The other one was right up between my ribs, which felt like somebody was twisting a knife in me. It was very unpleasant." Kilpatrick was released from hospital on Wednesday after suffering from a suspected blocked intestine. He hopes to rejoin the crew for the third leg. The nine month round-the-world race which began in Southampton, England, on Sept. 23 and ends in Kiel, Germany in June 2002.
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