Leg 6

[Guest]

Woohoo I am the first...

 

Volvo Ocean Race

Channel: TV One

Description: Coverage from the In Port Race in Itajai, Brazil, as the Volvo Ocean Race fleet prepares to start Leg Six to Miami.Show Time: Sun 22 Apr14:00

 

 

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Volvo Ocean Race

Channel: TV One

Description: Coverage from the start of Leg Six in the Volvo Ocean Race as the fleet heads north to Miami.Show Time: Mon 23 Apr 22:55

[Guest]

FLEET UNDERWAY TO MIAMI IN LEG 6 OF VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2011-12

 

Itajaí, Brazil – U.S.-flagged entry PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG wasted no time in stamping their intentions to win the Leg 6 race to their home country, leading the fleet out of Itajaí, Brazil on Sunday and into open waters for the first few crucial days of the 4,800 nautical mile course to Miami, U.S.A.

 

After a six-leg inshore course off Itajaí’s coast, PUMA were followed around the final mark by Team Telefónica, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Groupama sailing team.

 

The five teams are in hot-pursuit of the maximum 30 points, which could prove vital as overall leaders Telefónica hold just a 16-point lead over second-placed Groupama with four legs to go.

 

The fleet will face more moderate conditions than those encountered in previous leg starts, with about 14 knots from the southeast creating perfect reaching conditions for the opening hours. The weather is expected to intensify as the crews near the South Brazil Bight, where a violent low-pressure system with wind in excess of 30 knots awaits.

 

There are plenty of other weather obstacles littering the course from Itajaí including tropical weather systems, strong currents and the dreaded Doldrums. A tricky transition from the low-pressure system into the south-southeast trade winds will also be crucial.

 

The teams will have to weigh up whether they choose to chase the trade winds further offshore, or take advantage of a strong coastal current and sea breezes inshore in the race to the Caribbean.

 

The final 1,300 nm stage from the Caribbean to the Miami finish line could prove to be a drag race, but violent lows that develop in the Gulf of Mexico and north of Florida near Cape Hatteras could give rise to an overtaking lane.

 

Five boats were at the start line for Leg 6, with Chinese-entry Team Sanya currently being transferred to the United States via commercial ship due to a broken rudder last month. They will re-start for Leg 7.

 

Four of the other five boats needed significant repairs over the past weeks in order to prepare for Sunday's start but incredible around-the-clock work by the team shore crews in Brazil had all the boats ready for an exciting two-week race to Miami. Boats are estimated to arrive around May 6 into Florida. The race last stopped in Miami a decade ago during the 2001-02 edition.

[Guest]

Highlight video of the start.

 

[Guest]

FAST REACHING THRILLS FLEET AS PUMA LEAD THE WAY

 

PUMA Ocean Racing Powered by BERG (Ken Read/USA) hold a slim lead of three nautical miles (nm) over CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) at 0700 GMT today as the American team continue to show the way towards Miami, the sole American host port on this edition of the Volvo Ocean Race

 

In a complete contrast to the beginning of Leg 5, which many of the sailors described as the worst opening night ever, the start of the 4,800 nm Leg 6 which began on Sunday at 1700 GMT, has been a relative breeze.

 

After a ‘bubble bath’ of around 20 knots for the first few hours, conditions settled overnight to produce fast reaching conditions in flat seas and warm water, allowing more sail area to be hoisted.

 

Less than seven nm separate PUMA in first from Groupama (Franck Cammas/FRA) in fifth place and the fleet is making around 14.5 knots. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) in third place, whose shore team worked round the clock to repair the boat in time to start the DHL In-Port Race Itajaí on Saturday, are right in the mix and having a great race with second-placed CAMPER.

 

“It has been a pleasure to start a leg with some reaching – this is the first leg not to start with a beat,” reported skipper Ian Walker. According to the British skipper, earlier, when the breeze was blowing 20 knots or so, PUMA, Telefónica and Groupama were in a very different league, although CAMPER and Azzam seemed to be evenly matched.

 

Although this leg will be largely a coastal one, Will Oxley, navigator with CAMPER suggests it is will be more difficult that it looks. “It’s quite a tricky leg actually. The next four or five days will be very, very tricky -- light and shifty with potential for big changes on the leaderboard,” he says. He added that it could be a long time before any boat in the west looks better and that long term, it looks like an easterly setup should pay.

 

Heading north from Itajaí, the course follows the Brazilian coast, but how far will the teams sail offshore? The trade winds are less reliable here. Clouds constantly disrupt the wind and, from time to time, low pressure extends from the shore, killing the coastal wind. Evidence from earlier races supports the long held rule of "less than 50 miles inshore or more than 500 offshore”, which will provide some good opportunities for the pack to split and some exciting racing.

[Guest]

Here are the updates from overnight.

 

LIGHT WINDS AND SPLIT DECISIONS

 

As forecast, the fast reaching conditions have been replaced by lighter south easterly airs and after a steady 24 hours, the five-boat fleet racing in Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race to Miami has split. At 1900 GMT tonight, leading the pack in the north west are CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS), who are doing their best to shake off their newfound opponent, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR), just 1.5 nautical miles (nm) on their hip.

 

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (Ken Read/USA), in third, have taken the middle road, while out to the east are Team Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) and Groupama sailing team (Franck Cammas/FRA) with 37 nm lateral separation from the leader.

 

“We’re dead equal speed with those guys,” said Chris Nicholson, referring to second placed Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. Nicholson believes Walker’s boat has a bit more righting moment than CAMPER and he is waiting for a nastier seaway in order to leave Walker’s men behind. CAMPER is 91 nm offshore of Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian city that has hosted the race on five occasions.

 

Telefónica and Groupama are following a different strategy and are heading away from the Brazilian coast, expecting to avoid the fickle winds inshore, as well as the adverse Brazil current, and arrive at the trade winds in pole position.

 

PUMA is sitting neatly between to the two groups of out riders. “It’s potentially quite variable,” skipper Ken Read said about the conditions. “Nothing is quite set in stone, that’s why we’re not putting on the blinkers and heading offshore. It’s quite changeable, I don’t know that anyone is 100 per cent sure what is going to happen here."

 

Although just 24 nm separate the fleet from first to last, the complicated weather could well result in big differences in the deltas between the boats as they approach Cape Frio 114 nm ahead and the next two days are crucial as the fleet approaches the south east trade winds in frustrating light airs, reaching the fresh breeze possibly on Thursday.

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

COLD FRONT HINDERS PROGRESS

 

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) remain glued to CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) at the head of the fleet, but a cold front has hindered progress and only PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (Ken Read/USA) seem to have the weather gods on their side.

 

The south easterly breeze in PUMA’s position mid field, 130 nautical miles south east of Rio de Janeiro, has maintained some bite and in the three-hour period leading up to 0400 UTC, Ken Read and his men were able to average boat speed of 12.2 knots. Further to the east, Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) and Groupama (Franck Cammas/FRA) suffered with light airs, but, unlike the inshore pair, have the advantage of more easting and a clear path ahead.

 

Although not entirely happy with their position 24 nautical miles (nm) offshore of Cabo Frio, and preferring long term to be further out to sea, CAMPER have spent the night dodging road blocks of another kind, when after dark they came across an oil research vessel towing 14 8,000 metre cables behind it.

 

Two guard ships escorted the towing vessel and the entourage motored directly across the path of CAMPER, requiring the team to alter course. Skipper Chris Nicholson reckons the diversion cost five miles on PUMA, Telefónica and Groupama. According to Media Crew Member Hamish Hooper, the sky was lit by flames from the many oilrigs dotting the horizon looking like cities sitting on the ocean.

 

At 0700 UTC, 34.4 nm split CAMPER in first to Groupama in fifth place, with light airs affecting the whole fleet and boat speeds dropping significantly. The inshore pair was able to average around 4.3 knots, PUMA 4.2 and the offshore pair only 3.5 knots, causing the entire fleet to make a small loss on CAMPER.

 

As the five-boat fleet makes its way towards the band of south-east trade winds, the sailing so far has been simple. Tacks have been few and only sail changes and lugging the sail stack fore and aft to trim the boat have kept the crews occupied. As the fleet line up, in a lateral separation of 59 nm, it is a question of who will be set free first by the new breeze, in two days’ time.

[Guest]

KEEPING THE ENEMY CLOSE

 

CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) continue to maintain the lead in Leg 6 to Miami from their inshore position, 20 nautical miles off the Brazilian coast, but the fleet is clearly divided on whether sailing inshore or offshore will pay off. Although CAMPER is carefully rock hopping up the coast, avoiding the Brazilian current and with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) for company, skipper Chris Nicholson would have preferred to be in closer contact with the rest of the fleet.

 

“You’d always prefer to keep your enemies close, but we had a bit of trouble hanging onto them on the tight reaching and, at the end of the day, that option wasn’t there for us,” he explained. Instead, the inshore duo will have to wait another 48 hours or so before the outcome of their decision becomes clear.

 

For the pair furthest offshore, Team Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) and Groupama sailing team (Franck Cammas), currently in fourth and fifth places on this leg, but in first and second overall, the last 24 hours has been spent dawdling in fickle breeze. Groupama skipper Franck Cammas is happy to be offshore, viewing the inshore option taken by Ian Walker and Chris Nicholson as risky.

 

“There’s a fair amount of instability inshore, but it’s hard to judge how many miles away you need to be,” Cammas said. “Our aim is to gradually distance ourselves from the Brazilian coast. We’re set to hit another zone of light airs on Wednesday, and there’s even a strong chance of being forced onto a beat, which will enable us to heave even further offshore.”

 

The Spanish skipper, Iker Martínez agrees. “We didn’t want to get too close to the coast, it was a choice, but now we can see that everyone has been hit by the light airs, so we will have to see what happens,’’ he said. “We have confidence in our position the east and the boat is going well. It is a question of wind.”

 

It has been a tough day for PUMA, as both groups started to move again, the team were parked under a big cloud, which extended as far as the eye could see. “There is no pretty way of getting round this corner at the moment,” said PUMA navigator Tom Addis, as the fleet drifted in hot sun and crystal clear water.

 

With the south east trade winds still a tantalising 48 hours or so away, the immediate concern is dealing with the instability of the transition zone. At 1900 tonight CAMPER led the fleet from Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing by 2.7 nm with Groupama in fifth place, 41.30 nm astern.

 

The fleet now has a lateral separation of a whisker under 100 nm, which can easily produce different breezes and different currents. During the past three hours, boat speeds have climbed back up to a promising 13.3 knots for PUMA, but it is a game of patience once again.

 

 

 

[Guest]

LIGHT, FLUKY AND INTENSE NIGHT AHEAD

 

After a day of reasonably high speeds and easy sailing, at 1600 UTC today the Leg 6 lead changed again when CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) regained pole position followed by sparring partner Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR).

 

After separating earlier in the leg, with CAMPER and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing taking a route close to the shore, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (Ken Read/USA) choosing the middle road, and Telefónica and Groupama, who are struggling to keep pace with the Spanish boat, taking the offshore option, the courses of the five boats are beginning to fuse once more.

 

Tonight they are picking their way across a permanent and stationary cold front, a 50-mile wide area of storms that has produced a 180-degree wind shift and is now throwing out a much lighter north westerly breeze. As the fleet tacks back and forth around the thunderclouds, separation has started to reduce and at 1900, 30.4 nautical miles (nm) covered the fleet from CAMPER in first place to Groupama in fifth.

 

Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) and Groupama (Franck Cammas/FRA) are still offshore, intent on covering each other and guarding their positions of first and second in the overall rankings. PUMA who took the lead briefly earlier today, in fourth place on the overall scoreboard, are free to sail their own race, while CAMPER and Abu Dhabi, just 0.4 nm apart, have steered away from the coast and are racing towards the outriders and take on the challenge of the storm area.

 

The frontal line is light and fluky and just one cloud can rain on the parade of any of the teams and shake up the leg leaderboard up dramatically. The next 12 – 24 hours will be something of a lottery until the first boat reaches the northern edge, however all are confident in the positions they have chosen as they work their way towards Cabo Branco, the easternmost tip of Brazil, 650 nm or so ahead.

 

“We’re fairly happy with our position. At this stage we wouldn’t swap positions with the guys inshore and we are fairly comfortable with where we are,” said PUMA navigator, Tom Addis.

 

“Traditionally, from here on up, once you pop on out into the trade winds on the northern side, being east is the thing that is worthwhile, and we are west of our opposition. We are going to try to keep working east and hopefully, when the music starts again on the other side, we will be far enough east to lay Recife in the north of Brazil,” explained Will Oxley, navigator of CAMPER.

 

“I’m happy with our eastern position,” said Groupama navigator Jean-Luc Nélias. “It’s a bit more logical and I feel it’s less hazardous than the course taken by Abu Dhabi and CAMPER,” he added.

 

There is at least 100 nm of tricky sailing to complete before the fleet punches through the front and reaches the reasonable breeze on the other side, when the winners will be easy to see and the not so lucky will be searching hard to find a passing lane.

 

 

[Guest]

PUMA LEADS THE WAY

 

After what amounted to a tortuous night traversing the belt of light and fluky wind, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG led the way out into fresh breeze at 0400 GMT to become the new leader on Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Itajaí to Miami. At 0700 GMT, the team had a margin of 13.6 nautical miles (nm) over CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) after coming to a virtual standstill overnight for an agonising three hours.

 

Ken Read and his men gybed on to starboard at around 0430 GMT looking good to cross ahead of both CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) who had both managed to cling onto their podium positions. But, soon after, PUMA gybed on to port back to head back offshore, as all but Groupama (Franck Cammas/FRA) took a hitch to starboard.

 

CAMPER and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing continue to claw their way east to set up for a good angle to clear the eastern tip of Brazil at Recife, 547 nm ahead, while Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) and Groupama (Franck Cammas/FRA) remain glued together 50 nm to weather.

 

For the crew of PUMA, it was a stressful time, as they wallowed becalmed, wondering whether the rest of the fleet had suffered the same fate.

 

“So many times in this race we’ve found ourselves in this situation, becalmed and vulnerable, forced to watch while the others just sail around the outside,” said PUMA Media Crew Member (MCM) Amory Ross.

 

The feeling of total helplessness was one that none of the crew ever wishes to relive as the boat drifted backwards at times. But as the rest of the fleet hit the wall and slowed, cat’s paws of breeze appeared for PUMA and, two hours and two sail changes later, the hopes of the crew rose along with the wind strength.

 

“A giant sigh of relief and we were free, taking our Mar Mostro north with smiles on our faces,” Ross wrote.

 

Meanwhile, CAMPER had, for the first time, lost sight of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, only to see the black hull of Azzam creeping back over the horizon to close to within 100 metres to continue the close racing that both teams are relishing.

 

As the fleet makes its way north towards the eastern tip of Brazil, the separation of 55 nm from PUMA in first place, to Groupama in fifth is becoming significant.

[Guest]

PUMA POINTS NORTH

 

After a tense night with plenty of cloud activity and a few gybes this morning to set up the angle for the turning point at Recife on the coast of Brazil, PUMA Ocean Racing Powered by BERG has continued to hang on to the lead she claimed a 0400 GMT this morning.

 

Although Ken Read and his men have been able to put some distance between CAMPER Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) in second place and themselves, it is far from secure and the margin at 10.9 nautical miles is only just into double figures. Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) moving into third place at 1600 GMT is once again proving a threat to the American lead, although they have replaced CAMPER as Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s sparring partner. The pair is neck and neck with Ian Walker and his crew on board Azzam as the windward boat.

 

CAMPER is 216 nm south east of Salvador De Bahia. “We’d be happy to be another 40 miles east than where we are now, but, at the same time, we are only 180 nm off the coast, so the breeze only has to shift 10 degrees further right and we’d be very happy with where we are,” said CAMPER navigator Will Oxley, looking into the fine detail. While the CAMPER team is happy with how their boat is performing, matching the rest of the fleet both in light airs and upwind, the crew of the trailing Groupama (Franck Cammas/FRA) are not quite so comfortable.

 

“We are putting a great deal of effort in, but it is failing to pay off,” said helmsman/trimmer Charles Caudrelier. The team are mystified as to why Groupama 4 is not performing and is now 75 nm in arrears.

 

“We’ve had a speed deficit during the start of this course, which means that we have fallen behind,” Caudrelier said. The crew has checked that nothing is wrapped around the appendages, even sending Caudrelier into the water to take a proper look, but nothing was found. “Right now, those at the front of the pack are tending to make good their escape, but we can’t really explain our deficit,” the Frenchman said.

 

With the trade winds yet to fully establish, there are still options for the French in the next day or so and Telefónica skipper Iker Martínez was quick to point out that although being the first boat to reach the trades normally gives a big advantage, it also depends on the stability and strength of the winds.

 

At 1900 GMT the five-boat fleet continued their compression as bows were pointed north, with a little over 1,000 nm covered since the leg start on April 22. From her windward position, PUMA’s Mar Mostro led CAMPER by 10.9 nm, with Telefónica 33.8 nm and Abu Dhabi 34.7 nm behind.

 

 

[Battleship 100]

The Campervan looking good this morning, pulled out to 6 miles ahead of Tele and only 2 miles adrift of Puma now.

[Guest]

FLEET TURNS TOWARDS MIAMI AS TRADE WINDS KICK IN

 

The Leg 6 frontrunners pointed towards Miami for the first time on Saturday after clearing the north-eastern tip of Brazil, hoisting spinnakers as they set up for classic trade wind conditions.

 

Focus turned from tactics to straight-line speed as the fleet, led by PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, lined up for a 3,000-mile drag race through the Caribbean Sea.

 

Speeds were expected to rise throughout the day as the teams stretched their legs in the faster downwind sailing conditions typical of the south-east trade winds that the cutting edge Volvo Open 70s revel in.

 

At 1300 UTC, PUMA were clinging to a narrow lead of five miles but CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand and Team Telefónica, practically neck and neck in second and third, continued to bite chunks out of Ken Read’s crew’s narrow advantage.

 

Around 22 miles back were Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, while fifth-placed Groupama sailing team remained around 100 miles adrift of the leaders.

 

Although they were passed by Telefónica yesterday, CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson said his team were relishing overhauling Iker Martínez’s crew to reclaim second place early on Saturday as the fleet rounded Recife, the north-eastern point of Brazil.

 

“Personally I don’t think that from here we’re going to see vast differences in the boats, so we’ll probably see these first three boats stick closely with each other,” he said.

 

“I think we are very competitive -- we certainly don’t have an issue in the tight reaching.

 

“This was a course that could have been extremely difficult for us with regards to a lot of jib reaching and it hasn’t been the case so far.”

 

Despite losing their grasp of the leading trio, Abu Dhabi were looking forward to opening up the throttle on Azzam in the downwind conditions.

 

“Hopefully we’ll make some gains downwind,” watch captain Rob Greenhalgh said. “Later today we’ll turn the corner, get our spinnaker up, get some downwind sailing going and see how the boats are matched in that sort of stuff.

 

“It’ll be great to get the spinnaker up and get some boat speed.”

 

Abu Dhabi have lacked the edge over their rivals at certain points of sail but Greenhalgh said the crew were itching to see how their downwind speeds matched the rest of the fleet.

 

“To be honest it’s nice to be in the race,” he added. “We’ve not been in the race so far just because we haven’t had the boat speed to hang in there, but finally the wind Gods have played our way slightly.”

 

The race’s sixth crew, Team Sanya, began work on their boat after it arrived by container ship in Savannah, United States.

 

Sanya will carry out repairs to their rudder, damaged early in Leg 5 leading to their retirement from the leg.

 

They will also attend to a 1.5-metre crack in the hull, discovered when lifting the boat onto the container ship.

 

Sanya will carry out the repairs in Savannah before sailing to Miami to rejoin the fleet for the PortMiami In-Port Race on May 19 and the Leg 7 start the following day.

 

 

 

 

 

[ERSATZ 2]

It seems a little strange doing a morning Volvo check only to find none have busted overnight.

[Guest]

It seems a little strange doing a morning Volvo check only to find none have busted overnight.

 

 

Groupama must be very annoyed that they broke their rig n the last leg as they have not had the same pace since the new rigs have gone in.

[Guest]

NIP AND TUCK BATTLE CONTINUES FOR TOP THREE ON DOLDRUMS APPROACH

 

The top three teams on Leg 6 from Brazil to the USA are today engaged in a nip and tuck scramble as Ken Read’s PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG continue to lead from Chris Nicholson’s CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand and Iker Martínez´s Team Telefónica in third.

 

With just over 3,000 nautical miles still to go, PUMA managed to pull out a lead of slightly over 13 nm by the 0700 UTC position report this morning, but the margin between second and third remained miniscule, with overall race leaders Telefónica edging past CAMPER to establish an advantage of just one and a half nautical miles.

 

At 1300 UTC PUMA had a 9.28 nm lead, and CAMPER had returned to second place, half a nautical mile ahead of Telefónica in third.

 

Ian Walker’s Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing were in fourth, 46 nm off the lead, but still capable of pouncing on any mistakes by the leading trio. Back in fifth, Franck Cammas’ Groupama sailing team are struggling to make major inroads into their 116 nm deficit.

 

This morning the leading three boats made a synchronised move towards Brazil, gybing to the west to pick up an advantageous current and hook into a wind bend around the coast.

 

PUMA navigator Tom Addis said the top three boats had been sailing in pleasant down wind conditions and concentrating on taking full advantage of wind shifts to achieve optimal angles.

 

Addis said the PUMA crew had welcomed having CAMPER and Telefónica as stalking horses, but were keen to stretch their lead before crossing the Doldrums and picking up the stronger trade winds.

 

“We have had a bit of company which is always good because you can test your modes and work out the best way to sail your boat,” Addis said. “It’s not quite drag racing yet though.

 

“We have just gybed back in towards the Brazilian coast and I think CAMPER have done the same. There is still a little bit of VMG gybing left to do over the next 24 hours but after that I think when we get into the north trades it will be a bit more settled and then off we go.”

 

Addis confirmed that the first boat into the trades would get a jump on the fleet but said he believed that the fleet’s fourth Equator crossing could still be fraught with risk for the leg leaders.

 

“We would always prefer to be leading into those situations, but it is a fairly fragile one this time I think,” Addis said.

 

“The Doldrums aren’t looking too bad for us and I think the first one into the trades should be able to extend, but it doesn’t look like we get all the way to the finish in that mode.

 

“It looks like we are going to go soft again after the Caribbean, so that will mean another compression from behind unfortunately.”

 

Telefónica watch captain Neal MacDonald confirmed the westerly move was all about the wind direction, strength and current, a direction he expected all three boats to keep heading for today.

 

“There is current and a few other reasons we want to get west while we can and I imagine everyone will have the same game plan in the big picture,” he said. “It looks like we will all get back towards the coast and into a bit more pressure and then the wind will flick back and we will get back on to starboard again.”

 

McDonald said he expected the three way tussle for the lead to continue for a while yet.

 

“For the last 48 hours we have had those guys in our sights,” he said. “Right now we have lost them (CAMPER) and PUMA have got the better of both of us and slipped ahead.

 

“I think CAMPER and us are going to be head to head though for the next couple of days. This morning they crossed about a mile and half behind us, which was quite pleasing. We will have to see what will happen next but that was a good moment for us.”

 

Race meteorologist Gonzalo Infante said the presence of two low pressure systems deep in the North Atlantic looked likely to disrupt the normal trade wind system after the equator, making the leg to Miami slower than expected, but giving hope to Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Groupama sailing team who are back in fourth and fifth respectively.

 

“The boats will track close to the Brazilian coast for now which will give them the best window through the Doldrums in the next couple of days,” Infante said.

 

“With the trades likely to be disrupted, the drag race element of this leg might only last for 1,000 nautical miles or so, maybe as far as Antigua in the Caribbean.

 

“Then, the weather models are less certain for the approach to Miami and we may see some unusual strategies for the final miles.”

 

CAMPER navigator Will Oxley agreed, saying: “First we have the Doldrums to deal with. Then the trade winds are looking quite disrupted for the last part of the leg and some interesting routing options are popping up.

 

“Normally you reject these out of hand, but based on our experience so far in this Volvo Ocean Race, every option remains on the table.”

 

Neal McDonald said he believed the race was far from over despite the current spread of over 100 nm from first to fifth.

 

“It still could be anybody’s race,” McDonald said. “I think Groupama have got a bit of ground to make up, but there are going to be starts and stops. The boats are close enough that although some of the distances look big, the boats eat up those miles pretty quickly.

 

“So we are very much looking behind us as well as looking in front.”

 

Latest predictions suggest the leading boats should arrive in Miami on or around May 9.

 

 

 

[Guest]

MARATHON MATCH RACE KEEPS PUMA IN LEAD

 

A marathon match race for second place has kept Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) and CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) fully occupied, while PUMA extends her lead to 25 nautical miles (nm) in the race to the Equator and beyond. Meanwhile, Groupama and her skipper Franck Cammas, who trail the fleet by 113 nm, have picked up speed and were the fastest in the fleet in the past three hours.

 

Throughout the night, CAMPER and Telefónica traded gybes. For several hours the pair raced side by side with Telefónica just off CAMPER’s port side, 150 nm off the coast of Brazil.

 

As the battle raged, each team tried sailing first in one mode, gauging performance, and changing to another, much as PUMA did to keep Telefónica at bay two days ago in an effort to gain the upper hand. At 0700 GMT today, after gybing away, Telefónica emerged five miles ahead of the red boat.

 

Telefónica skipper Iker Martínez said the remaining 2,700 nautical miles do not look as straightforward as he had imagined and he is expecting some important tactical decisions ahead and certain points where lots of miles might be dropped. “We are keeping our guard up,” he said.

 

Telefónica watch leader Neal McDonald added: “It’s still a very open race. Groupama has a lot of ground to make up, but we’ve still got some calms ahead and the boats are so close that we’re watching astern as well as head.”

 

The fleet is due to cross the Equator within the next few hours and then has around 150 nm to sail before reaching the light-wind Doldrum-belt, which could still shake up the overall leader board considerably.

 

As the crew of PUMA continue to revel in their lead position, with skipper Ken Read commenting, “sailing on a Volvo Open 70 doesn’t get any easier than this,” for fourth-placed Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing the struggle continues. The team is in less wind than the boats ahead and less wind less wind than fifth-placed Groupama sailing team, who are pounding along and averaging 17.9 knots. The wind has headed a few degrees forcing Ian Walker and his men to sail tighter angles, and the crew have changed to a code zero sail, which will allow them more versatility in the changing wind speed and angles without sacrificing as much boat speed. “Now, all we need is our luck to follow suit, and the breeze to fill in a few more knots,” wrote Media Crew Member Nick Dana.

[Guest]

BIG NIGHT IN STORE AS VOLVO FLEET TAKES ON FINAL DOLDRUMS

 

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (Ken Read/USA) tonight leads the fleet into the Doldrums for the fourth and final time during the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 having crossed the Equator earlier today. After failing on Leg 1 to supply King Neptune with the correct libations, something to which the crew attribute their subsequent dismasting, this time they were careful to correct the error of their ways and offered the King a drop of rum to keep them safe in the northern hemisphere.

 

At 1900 GMT, the Americans had a buffer of 26 nautical miles (nm) over CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) who had gained 11 nm, overtaking Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) and moving into second place by just 0.8 of a mile, as the trio raced up the north east coast of Brazil, 200 nm offshore.

 

So far, the light airs Doldrums zone, which stretches about 200 nm, has been well behaved, although a lot thunderstorm activity is on the cards for tonight.

 

CAMPER co-skipper Stu Bannatyne believes that being this far west in the Atlantic, the Doldrums crossing will be a lot kinder. “Fingers crossed it stays as nice as it is right now – we have about 15 knots of wind and are beam reaching and all going nicely,” he said today.

 

He added that a good passage through will be about managing the clouds and making sure you are not off course by more than five or 10 degrees, with the right sails up at the right time. According to Ian Walker, skipper of fourth-placed Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, relative to the Doldrums we have seen in the race so far, it looks reasonable inactive.

 

While Telefónica and CAMPER continue to make inroads into PUMA’s 26 nm lead, a distance that can be swallowed up in an instant by misjudging one rogue cloud, both Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Groupama (Franck Cammas/FRA) have been leaking miles. At 1900 GMT tonight, Abu Dhabi was more than 110 nm miles adrift, while Groupama struggled 151 nm astern of PUMA.

 

The poor performance of Groupama is something this crack crew are simply not used to. “It doesn’t feel good to be trailing the other boats, it’s a completely new feeling,” said helmsman/trimmer Martin Stromberg. “There have been a lot of ups and downs, but at the moment there are a lot of downs,” he said. The crew are doing their best with the conditions they have and are hoping to find opportunities later in the leg.

 

Once through the Doldrums, the north east trade winds will come into play, however they are fairly unstable at this time of the year. “It’s not uncommon to have a front push down from Florida and mess things up even more from the Bahamas onwards,” Bannatyne said.

 

Giving hope to the beleaguered French team, the CAMPER co-skipper recalls finishing this race 10 years ago into Miami when there were “all sorts of rain clouds and thunderstorms”.

 

“There were a lot of place changes in that last 150 miles. It’s still all on the table at this point,” Bannatyne said.

 

Tonight, the first three boats are ripping up the miles towards Miami, and with a positive current and flat sea, speeds are still in the mid-teens, or in CAMPER’s case, nearly 20 knots.

 

Once through the Doldrums, the next stage of the race, a 1,000 nm drag race to the mid Caribbean, can begin.

 

 

[Guest]

BLACK CLOUDS ALMOST BRING DOWN PUMA

It has been a long, hard night for PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (Ken Read/USA), who have been fighting to stay in pole position on Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race to Miami. As the leading trio of PUMA, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) and Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) fought against black, wind-sucking clouds in the midst of the Doldrums, PUMA bled miles continuously throughout the night.

 

PUMA’s lead of 30 nautical miles (nm) from Telefónica at 1300 GMT on Monday was eroded painfully when, at 1900 GMT, CAMPER swept into second position, 26 miles astern. Throughout the night, hard-pushing CAMPER and Telefónica continued to apply the pressure, closing to within seven nm at 0400 GMT this morning. By 0700 GMT, the margin had narrowed a fraction more to just 6.2 nm, with third-placed Telefónica just a mile astern of CAMPER.

 

As the squalls rolled through, bringing rain with them, the crew of PUMA tried every sail they had on board to keep the black boat moving, but to no avail. A final squall brought CAMPER and Telefónica within sight, while PUMA lay becalmed with only the mainsail hoisted. There was not enough breeze even to unfurl a headsail. With the keel canted to one side to prevent the boom from sweeping uncontrollably across the deck, the PUMA crew could do nothing.

 

“We still hate clouds. We hate them – even the pretty ones. They ruin our days and plague our nights and they’ve just done it again”, wrote Media Crew Member Amory Ross. “One massive, unavoidable green glob on the radar and an ominously dark splotch on the horizon indicate imminent doom. Nothing can prepare you for the gut-wrenching conclusion once its run its course and stolen your wind, hopes and in this case, your hard-fought lead.”

 

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) have been able to bring their deficit back under 100 nm and at 0700 GMT were 82.7 nm adrift of the leaders. Groupama (Franck Cammas/FRA), who have also been struggling for much of Leg 6, are poised to break through the 100 nm barrier too, as both teams continue to make good speed while the leaders hit the wall in the Doldrums.

 

The leading pack is 290 nm southeast of Cayenne in French Guiana, making a miserable average speed of three to four knots. Today is set to be another painful once as the fight to reach the steady northeast trade winds continues.

[Guest]

PUMA FACE ANOTHER NIGHT OF PRESSURE

 

After 36 hours of constant attack from CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) and Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP), Volvo Ocean Race Leg 6 leader PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (Ken Read/USA) are facing another night of combat - - but tonight the distances are vastly reduced.

 

PUMA goes into a second night of pressure with a buffer of just 2.9 nautical miles over CAMPER, and have not extended their lead as skipper Ken Read had hoped. The pot of gold which they must be first to reach lies 60 nm ahead, at around latitude six degrees north. Here the wind is forecast to head slightly and provide more pressure. If PUMA can keep the marauding pair at bay, the northeast trade winds could set them free, providing beam reaching at least until the first of the Windward Islands.

 

“It’s a question of when and if we pop out of this little Doldrums area,” PUMA skipper Ken Read said earlier. “Hopefully we will get into some pressure before the other guys do and put a little bit of distance back on them.”

 

The battle heated up tonight when at 1900 GMT. PUMA, the most windward of the trio, were recording the slowest average speed in the five-boat fleet, beam reaching at around 10.5 knots. Just five nm to leeward, CAMPER was sailing fractionally faster at 10.7, while 16 nm further west third placed Telefónica had gained a mile in the last three hours and were making 11.5 knots.

 

Fastest tonight is Groupama (Franck Cammas/FRA) who are averaging 12.5 knots and steadily eroding their deficit, which yesterday lay at over 100 nm. Tonight they are 81 nm astern of PUMA and are concentrating their efforts on reeling in Ian Walker’s Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing who are eight miles ahead. A tough night awaits.

 

 

[Battgirl 23]

Thanks to Stephen and Youtube I am still interested. Its nice to get the human side of the racing and to see how fast the boats are going.