Leg One updates

[Guest]

some videos of groupama

 

 

and if you cant speak french, try and make up what there saying

 

[Atom Ant 0]

I wake up each morning now and wonder who else has broken and withdrawn - anyone today - yet?

[Guest]

I wake up each morning now and wonder who else has broken and withdrawn - anyone today - yet?

 

nope. ask again tomorrow morning. Both Telefonica and Camper should have hit 35+knot winds, so we could see something happen.

[PaulR 3]

well im glad that there have been 2 views already as youtube reckon there going to block it world wide as it breaks copy right. Think they have it wrong this time as crew.org covers the online promotion side of things. If anyone cant see the video please let me know.

 

 

BLOCKED for me.

[Guest]

Telefónica has notched up 540 miles in the past 24-hours, and is heating up! The record sits at 596.6 miles, set by Ericsson 4 in the 2008-09 Volvo. Do you reckon a record will be set in this edition?

[Guest]

pr time again. This finish is close and so is the speed record

 

With just 1,191 nautical miles (nm) to run to the finish for leg leader Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP), the miles are clicking down dramatically as the two of the three boats still racing in Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race hit high speeds riding a South Atlantic cold front.

 

The speeds of up to 28 knots will continue as the wind increases during the next 12 hours, but the numbers are still shy of the monohull world 24-hour distance record.

 

Presently the leaders have around 25 knots of breeze and they will continue to ride the front until early evening tonight when they will be expected to gybe onto starboard and begin their approach to Cape Town for a finish overnight on Saturday.

 

In second place, CAMPER (Chris Nicholson/AUS) is making good progress, although they will not benefit from the cold front as much as Telefónica. The boat has averaged some good speeds of around 22 knots and at one point overnight covered 96 miles in four hours. The team is still between 10 and 20 hours and 107 nautical miles (nm) behind the leader.

 

Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas/FRA) is secure in third place and continues to take the more direct northern track, 336 nm behind Telefónica. This doesn’t come without risks of its own, but rather than face boat-breaking conditions, the French team has to run the gauntlet with the centre of the St Helena High and must judge carefully how close to it they dare to sail in their attempt to cut short the distance to Cape Town. Even the quickest route does not show the team finishing before Tuesday morning at the earliest.

 

It’s fast and furious sailing out on the racetrack today as temperatures drop and a fire hose torrent of freezing water is continuously dousing the crews on deck, but the finish in Cape Town is now on the horizon and the promise of good food and a dry bed is keeping the crews focussed in the final stages.

[RushMan 31]

It would be great if the tracker had a 24hr distance travelled column.

[Guest]

Telefónica has notched up 540 miles in the past 24-hours, and is heating up! The record sits at 596.6 miles, set by Ericsson 4 in the 2008-09 Volvo. Do you reckon a record will be set in this edition?

 

 

I think the last two records have been set in North Atlantic, on the run home??

[SloopJohnB 322]

AA1 broke it on the first leg, then AA2 (the kids boat) broke it in the second leg to Melbourne.

 

Can't recall where E4 did it.

 

1994 "Intrum Justitia" 64ft, Lawrie Smith, GBR, 428nm. 17.83kts

1997 "Toshiba" 64ft, Dennis Connor, USA, 434.4nm, 18.1kts

1997 "Silk Cut" 64ft, Lawrie Smith, GBR, 449.1nm. 18.71kts

2002 "Illbruck" 64ft, John Kostecki, USA, 484nm. 20.16kts

2003 "MariCha IV" 140ft, Robert Miller, GBR, 525.7nm, 21.9kts

2005 "Movistar" 70ft, Bouwe Becking, NED, 530.19nm, 22.09kts

2005 "ABN AMRO ONE" 70ft, Mike Sanderson, NZL 546.14nm, 22.75kts

2006 "ABN AMRO TWO" 70ft, Sebastien Josse, FRA, 562.96 nm, 23.45kts

2008 "Ericsson 4" 70ft, Torben Grael BRA, 596.6nm, 24.85kts

[Guest]

is this game over for camper? Telefonica have smashed them in the last 3 hours and time is running out.

[Guest]

all baring a broken mast, boat or a bad injury to a crew member, I say that Telefonica have this one in the bag.

[Guest]

Video from camper as well as the midnight PR

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/Camper#p/u/6/-8kibrU8kTk

 

A dramatic daylight finish for Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race is in prospect as high winds of over 25 knots are forecast for leg leader Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) when she crosses the finish in Cape Town later tomorrow afternoon.

 

Martínez and his men have protected their lead and, by remaining in a southerly position for as long as possible, they were able to achieve high speeds as they rode the westerly cold front for longer. It wasn’t until 0400 UTC this morning that the team gybed and cashed in their chips, translating the lateral separation into distance ahead , which could end up being substantial.

 

Further north, CAMPER (Chris Nicholson/AUS) was forced to gybe early at 2100 UTC yesterday after putting up a good performance. From their position, CAMPER will now have three to four knots less breeze - around 15 knots - than Telefónica . For this pair, it is now a question of holding it all together for a straight line sprint to the finish.

 

Meanwhile, Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas/FRA) still have choices to make. The team did not decide to go south yesterday and it is unlikely they will choose the southerly option now, although they are in desperate need of freeing themselves from the light wind area in which they are trapped. Their fastest escape route could be to sail northeast, but this would mean upwind sailing in very strong winds of 30 – 35 knots and a big swell for the last 50 nautical miles, boat-breaking conditions which the team will want to avoid if possible.

 

Estimated arrival times are now becoming more accurate as the fleet nears Cape Town and computers are predicting that Telefónica will cross the finish on Saturday at between 1500 – 2000 UTC. CAMPER will be around 0300 - 0900 UTC on Sunday and Groupama 4 overnight on Monday.

[Guest]

and a video from Volvo

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/volvooceanr ... zwjO7HQjOU

[Guest]

Campers third week wrap up.

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/Camper#p/u/6/VS_9OAkZNwI

 

Volvos 3rd week wrap up.

 

Team Telefónica were surging towards the Leg 1 finish line in Cape Town on Friday, poised to secure victory and move from last to first on the Volvo Ocean Race leaderboard.

 

Iker Martínez’s team, who finished last in the Alicante In-Port Race, are clear of closest rivals CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand and have less than 500nm of straight line sailing to go, across a course filled with wind that could increase to more than 25 knots.

 

The latest ETA has them completing the 39,000nm first leg as early as Saturday afternoon but the team will not be completely confident until they can see Table Mountain and then hear the sound of the finish gun firing.

 

“Even though the forecast is good and everything looks really great, anything can happen out here,’’ navigator Andrew Cape said from sea.

 

“There’s always a chance something will go wrong and competitors will sail around you. So, we’ll leave that hope until we’re 100 miles out. Even then, you never start celebrating until you cross that line.”

 

Cape put the team’s performance down to good decision-making and clockwork crew-work.

 

“It’s hard to put your finger on one thing, but it comes down to solid decision making, that helps,’’ he said. “We were always pretty sure of where we wanted to go, that’s just my aspect of it.

 

“But the guys kept the boat moving fast, and everything is in working order, which is massive because you don’t go anywhere with stuff breaking, or if you’re not trimming fast. The whole crew are working really hard to keep this show on the road and it’s working out really well.”

 

Team Telefónica are expected to cross the finish line at approximately 1520 UTC on Saturday, having stretched their lead over second placed CAMPER.

 

Volvo meteorologist Gonzalo Infante said there was a chance that the Spaniards would increase their current lead of 130 nm to more than 230 nm, because their south-east positioning gave them greater wind and a better angle on the runway to the end.

 

If current standings are maintained across the finish line, Telefónica will have 30 points for first place in the offshore leg to add to the single point they got for last place in the in-port race in Alicante. CAMPER will secure second position in Leg 1 and on the leaderboard, trailing Telefónica with 29 points.

 

CAMPER are expected to finish about 12 hours after Telefónica, crossing the line at around 0300 UTC on Sunday morning.

 

On board CAMPER co-skipper Stu Bannatyne said Leg 1 had proven that all of the pre-race speculation that this would be one of the closest Volvo Ocean Races in history was correct.

 

“It’s been neck and neck with Telefónica, we’ve traded skeds, our boat speeds have been very similar, so neither one of us can say we’ve got a great advantage here over the other guys,’’ he said. “It’s just confirmation yet again that this is going to be a yacht race down to the wire.”

 

In third position, Groupama sailing team continue to pay for choosing the southern route down South Africa’s coast while the rest of the fleet raced to the west in the first days of Leg 1.

 

The French team will have a much tougher route to the finish, including gruelling upwind conditions in their final days. They are expected to finish Monday evening or Tuesday morning approximately. Third place would see them up to third on the leaderboard with a total of 22 points.

 

Back on land, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skipper Ian Walker is expected to arrive in Cape Town on Saturday to reassemble his team and his boat Azzam. Walker said he expected the new rig to be ready to sail two or three days before the In-Port Race on December 10.

 

Team Sanya skipper Mike Sanderson admitted that his team were on an extremely tight timeline to repair the boat’s broken bow. However, he said he was “very confident” his team would also be ready to compete in the In-Port Race.

 

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG continues to motor towards Tristan da Cunha, and are expected to arrive in 24 hours, while the ship that will pick them up was due to leave South Africa for the remote island today.

[Guest]

Groupama in the Volvo Ocean Race

 

There are still 1,000 miles to go for Groupama 4, which has been sailing in the high pressure of the South Atlantic since Thursday evening. Meantime, the two leaders have increased their lead with every hour and are likely to continue in that vein this weekend as Franck Cammas and his men have to pick through the Saint Helena High...

 

After some big surfing over the past two days, sailing conditions have changed dramatically for the three boats still racing in the Volvo Ocean Race. Behind the front, which has been propelling them along at speed towards the finish, the high pressure has moved back into position, starting with the tail of the fleet. As such Groupama 4 has been the first to be affected by this new configuration. Her crew put in a gybe on Thursday evening when the wind shifted round to the West as it eased, followed three hours later by the New Zealanders and in the early hours by the Spaniards. For the two leaders, the goal was to set a direct course for Cape Town, now less than 530 miles ahead of Telefonica and less than 675 miles ahead of Camper, in a southerly air flow, which is likely to accompany them as far as South Africa. This breeze of twelve to fifteen knots bodes well for a finish late afternoon on Saturday for the Spanish, and early Sunday for the New Zealanders.

 

Patience and time

 

For Groupama 4, the last 1,000 miles promise to be a long, slow procession in the light airs of the Saint Helena High! Already stalling in less than eighteen knots of breeze, the French boat is also having to bend her course round as she has to deal with easterly headwinds... In fact Franck Cammas and his crew have got nearly 500 miles of sailing to perform in light, fluky winds before hooking back onto a steady SSE'ly wind. Indeed, the closer they get to South Africa, the more likely the high pressure will be to make headway at the same speed as them. In the meantime they'll just have to wait patiently!

 

Fortunately, the last hundred miles or so will be a lot more pleasant with around twenty knots of breeze on the beam, rising temperatures and the certainty of a warm welcome. Indeed, even with a deficit of over 700 miles and a finish in Cape Town over two days later (ETA Monday evening), the results for Groupama 4 remain extremely positive: a guaranteed podium place, a boat in tip-top condition, a united crew, unquestionable potential, particularly when sailing with eased sheets and a considerable wealth of experience gained for the next stage of the race. At the end of this first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, Franck Cammas and his men will still have a fifteen-point lead over the three boats which haven't managed to finish the leg, and a deficit of just nine points in relation to the likely winner, Telefonica... Indeed, there is very little chance now that the New Zealanders will manage to catch the Spanish, and even less likelihood that they'll pip them to the post.

 

 

Position of the competitors in the Volvo Ocean Race in the first leg from Alicante - Cape Town at 1400 UTC on 25/11/2011

 

1. Telefonica - 525.7 miles from the finish

2. Camper - 146.9 astern of the leader

3. Groupama 4 - 517 astern of the leader

[Guest]

The report second above "the 39,000 nm first leg" - this done in 20 odd days gives the an 80 knot average speed - hmmm

[Guest]

Telefonica are still gaining towards the end.

[Guest]

leg one is almost over and telefonica should take a well deserved win. In other news

 

The CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand crew posted the biggest distance of the leg so far in the 24 hours from 1755 UTC on Wednesday as they blasted east through the South Atlantic riding a cold front.

 

Their distance puts them in contention for the award, sponsored by the Volvo Ocean Race’s Official Timekeeper IWC Schaffhausen.

 

The team recording the greatest distance over a 24-hour period in each of the nine legs will receive an IWC Trophy.

 

The overall fastest time, over the entire eight months of the race, will land all 11 members of the winning crew with an IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12”.

 

The closest to CAMPER’s top run was Telefónica who posted a 24-hour distance of 549.16 up to 1625 on Thursday.

 

CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson said the performance of the boats was promising

 

“There isn’t a huge amount of breeze, but the performance of these boats is amazing,” Nicholson said. “The difference between the last race and this race is in the order of knots faster. In 20 knots we’re sailing up to 25 to 26 knots of boat speed.”

 

The state-of-the-art Volvo Open 70s are the fastest monohulls in the world. Ericsson 4 broke the world 24-hour speed record during the 2008-09 race, recording 596.6 nautical miles -- a mark that has not been bettered since.

 

But CAMPER co-skipper Stu Bannatyne reckons they could be in touch in the 2011-12 edition of the race.

 

“We posted a 550-mile run and that’s not a bad opener,” he said. “Not really record conditions with the sea state, and the wind speed hasn’t quite been enough, but it’s certainly an indication that the boat is capable of bigger runs.”

 

Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad reckons there’s potential for the yachts to blitz the 600nm 24-hour mark and set a new world record as part of the IWC 24-Hour Speed Record Challenge.

 

“These boats are very fast and the crews are the best in the world and now with the added incentive of the amazing prize, the chance of a record-breaking feat is even more likely,’’ he said.

 

“It is very prestigious among the sailing fraternity.

 

“To this day I can still remember when I was on Intrum Justitia when we broke the 400nm barrier in the 1993-94 race. It was a massive achievement that I was so proud of.

 

“This time, the fastest competitors in the Volvo Ocean Race will have the added bonus of a beautiful watch that they can wear for the rest of their lives as a reminder of that achievement.”

[Guest]

Cape Town, South Africa – After putting in a faultless performance on Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, which started from Alicante, Spain on November 5, Team Telefónica crossed the finish in Cape Town at 1814 UTC (2014 local time) on Saturday after 6,500 nautical miles and 21 days, five hours, 14 minutes and 25 seconds (21:5:14:25).

 

Telefónica skipper Iker Martínez and his crew stepped ashore to a summer’s evening in Cape Town and a rapturous welcome from a crowd of sailing fans, shore crew and loved ones.

 

“The feeling is fantastic. It's something that you only dream of. We've seen what can happen and we have achieved much more than we thought we could," said Martínez, an Olympic gold and silver medallist for Spain.

 

The team now lead the Volvo Ocean Race with a total of 31 points -- 30 for victory in the first offshore leg and one point for coming last in the Iberdrola In-Port Race back in Alicante. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand were around 200 nm behind the winners, with an ETA of Sunday morning. Groupama sailing team were around 825 nm behind and expected in on Tuesday.

 

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Team Sanya and PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG were all forced to retire from the leg and are facing a race against time to be ready for the Cape Town In-Port Race on December 10 and the start of Leg 2 to Abu Dhabi the following day.

 

It was day four, November 8, when Telefónica first took over the lead from PUMA’s Mar Mostro. The pair had covered each other’s moves in what has turned out to be an unusual opening leg for the world’s premier ocean race. Boat-breaking conditions early on, which forced out Ian Walker and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Azzam and Mike Sanderson’s Sanya, gave way to endless upwind sailing in light airs.

 

As CAMPER, Telefónica and PUMA all decided west definitely was best in terms of position, the drag race between Telefónica and Mar Mostro began and looked set to continue throughout this, the second longest leg of course. Groupama became a lonely warrior, splitting from the pack in an unorthodox move and hugging the African coast, a tactic that put her briefly into first place.

 

By day seven, PUMA’s Mar Mostro and Telefónica had traded places and the following day, the fleet finally found the weather system they had been looking for and hoisted their downwind sails.

 

On day 11 and after 2,000 nautical miles of racing, Mar Mostro was only 7.2 nautical miles ahead of the blue boat and, as the leading pair tackled the windless Doldrums, the lead swapped regularly.

 

At the Equator, PUMA’s Mar Mostro and Telefónica crossed within an hour of each other and the trend continued when, on day 13, November 17, Mar Mostro led Telefónica round the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha by 55 minutes. But, by day 14, fortunes had changed and Telefónica had taken charge as the two yachts raced hard to reach a cold front, which would catapult them into Cape Town.

 

Martínez said at the time, “We’re pretty close to PUMA, almost nothing between us. It’s great to be so close – it makes it a great race.”

 

The crew of Telefónica had freed themselves from PUMA’s vice-like grip and stormed away, heading south to skirt the Saint Helena high-pressure system that blocked their path to the sought-after westerlies and the inevitable sleigh-ride to the finish.

 

On day 17, November 21, 31 nm behind Telefónica, Mar Mostro dismasted. The match race was over. PUMA limped away towards the most remote settlement on earth at Tristan da Cunha, where they await a ship to take them back to Cape Town, and the crew of Telefónica sailed their own foot perfect race to the finish.

[Guest]

Groupama still fighting to make it to capetown. Im glad im not on that boat as I wonder if they have any food left?

 

At 1900 tonight the trailing Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas/FRA) was in for yet more grief. The boat will continue to wallow, making slow progress in light and fickle wind conditions. This will be followed by a low-pressure system, which will build overnight allowing the team to gybe and at least point their bows in the direction of the Cape Town finish line.

 

However, the same frontal system that battered CAMPER (Chris Nicholson/AUS) yesterday will also threaten Groupama 4. Upwards of 30 knots of wind is forecast with the same boat-breaking confused sea state.

 

“We want to get to Cape Town as soon as possible because the stopover will be short, but we also want to get there in one piece with the boat in perfect condition,” skipper Franck Cammas said as he waited for the wind to fill in.

 

Computers are predicting a finish tomorrow morning, although current progress is down to five knots average and the arrival for this, the final boat to cross the line in Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race, is still uncertain.

 

Leg 2 to Abu Dhabi begins on Sunday December 11, with the second in the in-port race series held the previous day.