Leg 4

[Guest]

Looks like all the western boats have lost some breeze now.

[dlangpap 0]

Camper again inexplicably manages to fall from first to next to last...

[Guest]

Not one to walk under ladders or talk Karma...

 

But they gave us Chris Nicholson after we gave them Robbie Deans......think about it guys!!!

[Guest]

Someone might think that there close to entering the doldrums with a change in the line up like this. Heres hoping Camper can have another good crossing and gain some distance back.

[Guest]

As Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas/FRA) led the fleet across the Equator and into the Southern Hemisphere around 0700 UTC this morning, the compression of the fleet appeared to have begun as all five teams made gains on Groupama’s lead.

 

During the darkness, the high speeds of the past few days had reduced and the fleet had slowed to around 13 – 16 knots as the first effects of the Doldrums started to come into play. At 0700 UTC today, the fleet had compressed to within 63 nautical miles (nm) of Groupama 4.

 

However at 1000 UTC, Groupama 4’s average speed had increased dramatically to nearly 17 knots, while the rest of the fleet struggled to produce 12 -13 kts and the team had drawn their lead back out to 75 nm over PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG.

 

The compression had been expected to last for at least 24 hours as the fleet sails south towards the eastern tip of the Solomon Islands where the wind is forecast to become lighter, especially tomorrow.

 

The Doldrums are connected to a semi-permanent feature called the South Pacific Convergence Zone around the western Solomon Islands and New Caledonia, but although speeds will drop, it is unlikely the fleet will hit the wall and come to a standstill, as is often the case in the Atlantic, with thunderstorms and squalls remaining a constant threat.

 

“Some squalls have been up to 38 knots and have resulted in us having to sail 60 degrees off course to weather of them,’’ says Ian Walker, skipper of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. “It is a real test for the crews who need to rapidly reduce sail as fast as they can and hang on tight until the rain squall passes.”

 

 

Co-skipper of fifth placed CAMPER, Stu Bannatyne agrees: “These thunder clouds pack a huge amount of power, so you have to be constantly monitoring them to get the most out of the and avoid any potential damage, which is not what we need right now.”

 

Groupama 4, PUMA (Ken Read/USA) and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) – now in third place - are all looking strong in the east and are still able to sail fast, wide angles. It’s not the case for Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP), CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) and Sanya (Mike Sanderson/NZL) 191 nm to the west, who will soon be forced to sail higher and slower.

 

“We are really seeing the benefit of being in the east and today we have passed both CAMPER and Telefónica,” reported Ian Walker today.

 

On board PUMA, the crew is happy knowing that whatever the others in the fleet decide, their position in the east is free of any geographic interference and allows them to be less reliant on straight-line boat speed and more focussed on sail selection and trim.

 

Beyond the island of Vanuatu, there will be new southeasterly trade winds, which Groupama 4 will benefit from once clear of the eastern tip of the Solomon Islands. Further south still, beyond New Caledonia, there is yet another new weather system with which the fleet will connect that should take them to the finish in Auckland in about eight days’ time.

 

At 1000 UTC this morning, Groupama 4 had a lead of 75 nm over PUMA’s Mar Mostro and Walker’s Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing had retained their third placed gained overnight, 107 miles behind. However, the entire pack had all lost miles to the leader and all but PUMA are over 100 nm behind.

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“I've got my fingers crossed for this third passage through the Doldrums: all you need is one bad squall to lose a huge amount of ground as the experience of our previous two equators has shown,” said Groupama 4’s skipper Franck Cammas/FRA, as his team pressed on towards the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific.

 

At 1900 UTC tonight, Groupama’s lead had extended again by two nautical miles (nm) as the fleet compressed under starry skies that belied the ominous clouds on the horizon that can sap the wind or change it 20 degrees in either direction.

 

Playing the squalls properly is a vital factor, but exhausting for the crews as they watch the radar and try to dodge and weave their way through, quickly altering sail configuration and trim accordingly.

 

“There is a lot to gain by playing them [the clouds] right, and a lot to lose by playing them the wrong way,” said Chris Nicholson, skipper of fifth-placed CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand.

 

In the path of the fleet lies the string of Solomon Islands, a point on the course that could throw up some opportunities further back in the fleet. To avoid the islands and any wind shadow they may throw, Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP), CAMPER and Team Sanya (Mike Sanderson/NZL) will have to sail higher and slower as they track out of the west. Or, they could pass between them.

 

Nicholson and his navigator Will Oxley have spent much time debating the best way to tackle the problem. It would be possible for CAMPER to go west of the islands, but it would be a radical option.

 

“We’re behind in the game at the moment, but it is just too much of a gamble. We are going to stay with the fleet and hope that we can deal with the thunderstorms and light patches as well as or better than everyone else,” Nicholson said.

 

Nevertheless, it will be difficult for Telefónica, CAMPER and Sanya to close down the lateral separation of over 200 nautical miles (nm) to Groupama.

 

At 1600 UTC today, there had been some changes to the leader board as Telefónica traded places with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) for third and by 1900 UTC, Walker was 14 nm behind. PUMA’s Mar Mostro (Ken Read/USA) and had reduced their deficit slightly, taking Groupama’s lead down to 66.70 nm.

 

The leaderboard positions remained unchanged three hours later at 1900 UTC, as all but Telefónica, who had plenty of speed, had made losses on Groupama.

 

“It’s difficult, particularly with Groupama 4 in the position they are in, so far to the east. They make everything much more difficult for the fleet,” said Spanish skipper Iker Martínez. “We talk about winning, but the chances are very small if we are realistic. Unless something big happens, then the advantage of the two boats [Groupama and PUMA] is very big”.

[Guest]

Camper, Tele & Sanya going to shoot through the Solomons? Nicholson says no but all three are lining up the same gap when they'd really be wanting to be making more easting if they are going around the end. Shoot the gap, breeze more aft for a bit then dodge the high pressure that this S flow is holding up over Fiji. End up nicely west with good breeze for the stretch to Nth Cape.......

[Guest]

An exciting day lies ahead for the six boats racing to Auckland in Leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Although Groupama sailing team (Franck Cammas/FRA) retain a solid lead over PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (Ken Read/USA) who are well positioned in the east, further back in the field, a clear split has developed as three boats peel off to the west to take their chances.

 

While the leaders head for the eastern tip of the Solomon Islands, the westerly trio of Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP), CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) and Team Sanya (Mike Sanderson/NZL) have been forced to alter their Solomon Islands strategy and sail straight through the archipelago.

 

Although yesterday Nicholson insisted splitting from the fleet was a gamble he was not prepared to take, an unexpected wind shift has now made any other option impossible.

 

The choice of clawing upwind to reach the lines of Groupama, PUMA and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) in the east would lead to a considerable loss of miles.

 

Although the split trio are able to sail faster and lower than those in the east, they will face uncharted passages, mystery currents and fickle winds in the Solomon Islands.

 

“Having made the decision to go through the Solomon Islands and a westerly option through the Coral Sea, we now have to tough it out and stick to our guns. There are no half-measures now,” said CAMPER’s navigator Will Oxley this morning.

 

Meanwhile, Groupama and PUMA trade miles every three hours or so. At 0700 today, the French had an 87 nautical mile (nm) buffer over PUMA in second, while Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, the third member of the easterly pack was 145 nm adrift. All but Team Sanya had lost miles.

 

At 1000 UTC today, Groupama had pulled out another two miles from PUMA, as the entire fleet lost out again. CAMPER’s speed however, was top of the league at 16.5 knots average over the preceding three hours. Telefónica was leading the westerly boats, with around 64 nm to run before arriving at the strait between Choiseul and Santa Isabel Island, with CAMPER 45 nm directly astern.

 

“It’s no longer about risk versus reward, or ‘rolling the dice’, or any of the other catch ways to spin it; both sides are fully committed and there are no trading places,” wrote Amory Ross, media crew member with PUMA. “This has been a long leg, a gruelling, confusing, punishing leg, but it has been full of moments like this, that make you wonder how is it all going to play out?” he added.

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An unexpected wind shift has split the fleet in two and opened up opportunities for the boats on the fleet’s western flank as they take on a tricky passage through the sparsely charted waters of the Solomon Islands.

 

As the western trio Team Telefónica, CAMPER and Team Sanya all line up to pass through the middle of the huge archipelago, second placed PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG skipper Ken Read says he can hardly believe way the final 2000 nautical miles of Leg 4 are playing out.

 

“There are three of us here and three of us there,” Read said. “It’s amazing, a few days ago I would have said you’d be crazy to go through those gaps, but now there are three boats doing it and it might even work, too.”

 

Read’s navigator Tom Addis agreed that none of the teams planned a Solomon Islands crossing at the start of the leg but said the move had become the only option for the western boats after the wind shifted to the right over the past 24 hours.

 

“It’s not completely unexpected based on where they were located, stuck in the west there, but I am sure it wasn’t anyone’s Plan A to go through there when we left Sanya,” Addis said.

 

“If they came up to our line they would have to consolidate a pretty major loss just to get up to us,” he explained. “So it’s their best option to go through that passage and try to get up to us at some later stage -- which could still work out for them.”

 

Addis said any passage through the relatively uncharted islands was likely to be a tricky one -- particularly at night.

 

“It’s a bit more complex than open water sailing obviously,” he said. “It’s a very sparsely inhabited part of the world and the charts aren’t very good.

 

“They are going to be going through it at night -- certainly Telefónica and CAMPER -- and it’s not lit like we are used to with lighthouses and channel markers. But they will have charts of the area and they will just have to deal with it.

 

“We’ve got our issues to face breeze-wise too so I am not really sure how it is going to play out,” Addis admitted.

 

On Telefónica skipper Iker Martínez convened a special meeting of the crew to weigh up their options before deciding on the island gamble which could open an opportunity for big gains for the Spanish team.

 

“The third leg was tricky in terms of the meteorology, but this leg is proving to be even more unpredictable,” Martínez said.

 

“A few days ago we were convinced we didn't have many chances open to us and it would be a pure horse race down to New Zealand.”

 

On CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, navigator Will Oxley confirmed Chris Nicholson’s crew had now made their mind up to go for the gap between the islands of Santa Isabel and Choiseul.

 

“There are no half measures now,“ Oxley said. “Having made the decision to go through the Solomon Islands and a westerly option through the Coral sea, we now have to tough it out and stick to our guns to the end game in about seven days time as we approach the top of New Zealand and see how it plays out.”

 

Leg leader Franck Cammas on Groupama sailing team said this latest development presented the French team with additional risk as the fleet headed into the Doldrums.

 

“Of course we would prefer them to be aligned in our axis behind us,” Cammas confessed. “In uncertain areas like the Doldrums it’s very risky to have boats to one side like this with different weather.

 

“They already did 12 very fast hours. It was a good move. They were obliged to do it because of their position but it could be a very, very good shortcut for them.

 

“It could even be a winning one if they get a different wind than us. OK, they might get wind shadows between the islands, but they can get acceleration too. We will have lulls too because of the wind system here.

 

“For a boat, who is attacking, it’s a very beautiful option,” Cammas concluded.

 

At 1300 UTC today, leg leaders Groupama in the east had an 86 nautical mile (nm) advantage over second placed PUMA, while further west third placed Telefónica were a another 17 nm off the lead.

 

Fourth placed CAMPER were 48 nm back, just 5 nm ahead of Ian Walker’s six placed Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.

 

Mike Sanderson’s Team Sanya remained in sixth, 210 nm behind Groupama.

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A speedy passage through the Doldrums into south easterly trade winds by race leaders Groupama saw the French crew extend their advantage at the front of the fleet to almost 90 nautical miles (nm) over second placed PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG.

 

However, with over 1,500 nm of racing and an increasingly complex weather scenario ahead of them Franck Cammas’ crew are still very much feeling the heat from the chasing pack.

 

Groupama helmsman Damian Foxall said their Doldrums crossing had been brief but eventful as they picked their way carefully through, successfully dodging the wind holes which had scuppered them on the first and third legs.

 

“We had lots of squalls and clouds but no areas with no wind at all,” he said. “We avoided the lulls and made the most out of the gusts.”

 

Despite having stretched their lead Foxall said there was still nervousness on board, particularly about race leaders Team Telefónica who re-emerged as a potential threat after a fast run through the middle of the Solomon Islands.

 

“It was well done by Telefónica, they came back in to the match through the islands,’’ Foxall said. “They are back in the game.”

 

At 1300 UTC today Groupama were the fastest boat in the fleet sailing in solid trade wind conditions at an average of 16.3 knots -- more than two knots faster then anyone else.

 

On third placed Telefónica, despite being 142 nm adrift of Groupama, navigator Andrew Cape said he expected chances to open up on the way to New Zealand as the fleet faced a constantly evolving meteorological scenario.

 

“We still have opportunities,’’ he said. “The weather situation is very unclear. It’s six or seven days until we reach the top of New Zealand and the weather is changing rapidly.

 

“Outside of the three day forecast a lot of things can happen,” Cape said. “You can gain or lose, so you have to just keep on top of your game.

 

“We’re still going for the win. I think in three or four days time there will be loads of tricky conditions going on and anything can happen.”

 

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing navigator Jules Salter said Ian Walker’s fourth placed crew were happy to have maintained lateral separation with the boats in the west despite having lost miles when Telefónica, CAMPER and Team Sanya pulled off their successful Solomon Island sortie.

 

“If we were along side them (now) we wouldn’t be quite as fast as them. At least having this separation with them gives us a few options,” Salter said before re-affirming the Emirati team’s commitment to pull out a good leg result.

 

“We haven’t given up yet,” he said. “We’re still in the hunt. We won’t really know until the end. Even if you end up 40 miles behind the other boats, it’s so light heading into Auckland at the moment that there’s even potential in the last couple of hundred miles.”

 

Race meteorologist Gonzalo Infante says the fleet should enjoy consistent east-southeast trades of 10 to 15 knots in the Coral Sea before the winds freshen and turn southeast favouring Groupama and PUMA in the east.

 

The fleet should reach the island of New Caledonia by Monday afternoon, with latest predictions taking the fleet to the west of the 300 nm land mass.

 

From there the teams will have to sail against the wind to the finish in Auckland with the leaders expected to arrive on or around March 10.

[Guest]

Day 14 - Judgement of Solomon

 

 

 

The Doldrums have been traversed without hassle, both by those favouring the outer ringroad of the Solomon archipelago and those opting for the shortcut through the islands. As such there haven't been any major hierarchical upsets, but the lateral separation is still just as big (220 miles) between the leader of this fourth leg, Groupama 4, and the leader of the overall standing, Telefonica.

 

 

 

The biblical king didn't have to make a ruling: the judgement of Solomon hasn't changed anything and the two parties have now been dismissed. Indeed the Sword of Damocles suspended above the disciples of the West has splashed down! In reality it proved to be a dagger rather than a sword on the water since those favouring the inside track, the Iberians, the Kiwis and the Chinese, haven't had to suffer the trials and tribulations of what was a virtually inexistent Doldrums due to a breathless monsoon system. The insular zigzagging hasn't even affected the East-West split between the two threesomes… As such Abu Dhabi's plans were somewhat foiled as they lost their third place to the benefit of the Spanish. However, Groupama 4 has nonetheless consolidated her leadership since the equator, as she's extended her lead over Telefonica by a good forty miles, and gained around twenty on Puma.

 

 

 

Foiling in the trades

 

“We've been in the southern hemisphere since Friday and we've had to make our way around the Solomon's, which is a disadvantage: they are high, which leads to a risk of calms and disturbed wind. We're somewhat lucky because the north-easterly monsoon hasn't settled into position. The Doldrums, which are usually situated over the archipelago, will be less tricky to traverse. However we're unfortunate because those favouring the West won't suffer its effects. As such it's not an advantage to position yourself further East as we are, in order to get through this Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). There's a big game of call my bluff going on between us and Telefonica, which has been able to slip into a little channel between the islands, without being too affected. We'll see the outcome on exiting the Doldrums, but the Spanish have a good card up their sleeve…” explained Groupama 4's navigator, Jean-Luc Nélias, on Saturday.

 

 

 

Indeed the easterly trades are back on the scene this Sunday, providing clear skies punctuated by whitish cumulus and still calm azure seas. However, these winds are forecast to be somewhat sickly at daybreak (local time) on Monday and they will also shift round to the South-East. The next obstacle on the way to Auckland is New Caledonia, less than 400 miles ahead of Groupama 4's bow. The opportunity to pass to the East of the French Islands now appears obsolete since the breeze has a vague desire to blow from exactly the direction they want to sail towards beside the island of Lifou. As such Franck Cammas and his men will probably opt to continue as they are for a while, southbound, with their sights on the island of Art and a jaunt pas the largest lagoon in the world…

 

 

 

Bout and final thrust

 

Though Groupama 4 boasts a 140-mile lead over the Spanish boat in relation to the fleet's arrival in Auckland, in reality there is only thirty miles between them from North to South. As such the duel is a long way off scoring a bull's eye! In this way Franck Cammas and his crew will have to go for a final thrust as they negotiate New Caledonia, where they will have to draw the sharp edge of their sword whilst remaining on their guard. They'll have to stab forward a little at a time before lunging in front of the expected trajectory of the Iberians. Thus, with a more open angle, the French boat should be able to accelerate more than the ‘westerners', especially as the tradewinds are steadier to the East. It will be important to benefit from this slight edge to avoid any riposte, as Telefonica doesn't have any way to counter this assault which, if everything pans out as it should, the Americans and Emiratis will also be involved in.

 

 

 

Monday evening will certainly be the moment to review the situation in terms of the actual distances to the finish, as the various routes will converge. The eastern trio will make a balestra (sudden leap forward) in terms of miles by slicing through the Coral Sea. Meantime Solomon's disciples will attempt some avoidance tactics by sailing close to the wind, so as to home in on the direct course and benefit from additional pressure around New Caledonia. This convergence on the way past Vanuatu and New Caledonia is also linked to the fact that the last 1,000 miles aren't easy to read. Indeed a micro-depression is moving in between the two large French and New Zealand islands from Tuesday, leaving room for a consistent barometric marshland on Thursday. As such it would seem preferable to cover ones adversaries by positioning oneself in front of their bows. This is particularly true given that a weak northerly wind offshore of Auckland could herald another duel with daggers drawn this week between the two Melanesian options…

[Guest]

Camper are close to picking back one spot and its the best news that they have had in a while.

[Guest Rocket]

Dunno how accurate those wind forecasts are - but looks like from Noumea there will be some beating in light to moderate - and the fleet are closing up as we speak. May be more chances coming for Camper shortly - they certainly seem most likely to compete if it is on the nose. They have hung on quite well the last few days. However they don't seem to be that quick reaching still. Must be hard keeping their humour!

 

The next few days look like a mine field - they wiggled past the Solomans well - but the eastern boats are going to get the new pressure first.

[Guest]

Camper move up to fourth and are still gaining on the leaders. Can they make a move and claim a few more scalps?

[Guest]

Will leg leader Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas/FRA) cling onto the lead or will the French lose the precious gains made over the last 15 days? The fleet is converging and the French team’s lead has been up and down like a yoyo for much of today, dropping to a frightening 53 nautical miles at 1000 UTC, before steadily climbing to a healthy 83.7 nm over PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG at 1600 this afternoon.

 

However, at 1900 UTC tonight the good news story continued and Groupama 4 was on fire. Her lead had climbed to 92.9 nm over PUMA, and her speed was an astonishing 18.1 knots, when all but PUMA had averaged less than 10 knots in the previous three hours.

 

The five-boat chasing pack had all made losses. Team Sanya (Mike Sanderson/NZL) was the worst affected, suffering a slamming loss of 34 nm.

 

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) didn’t fare much better. Engaged in a heated battle with CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS), the Emirati team lost 29 nm, while CAMPER lost 26. Only eight nm separate the pair in distance to finish, but Abu Dhabi has a lateral separation of 163 nm.

 

Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) and CAMPER both put in a series of tacks today to hitch east. Telefónica is now 115 nm west of Groupama, but 153 nm behind in the approach to New Caledonia.

 

“I wouldn’t trade places with Telefónica, even the way they’ve been going,” PUMA’s pitman Ryan Godfrey commented. “It’s a long way uphill for the guys to the west. I’d rather be where we are and taking the high and slow road.”

 

The breeze is weakening and there has been some thundercloud activity adding to the intensity on board the six race boats as they sail the last 1200 or so nautical miles to Auckland.

 

According to Chris Nicholson, there is a lot of uncertainty in the weather left in this leg. All boats have every device known to man in order to help them find the fastest way. “But, at the moment,” says Nicholson, “it’s reverting to the basic rules of sailing – go to Auckland in the fastest way possible and deal with the weather presented until we know more.”