SAILING. VOR2012, Leg One Day 5 – It is clear that this is not your usual first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. In fact, Stu Bannatyne (NZL) co-skipper of CAMPER says, “The traditional first half of the first leg of this race is nothing like we are experiencing now.” Having done this race five times previously, Bannatyne would have a good idea of what ‘normal’ is, and it seems that the weather the fleet is contending with is anything but.

The direction we head for now onboard CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand during leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo Credit: Hamish Hooper/CAMPER ETNZ/Volvo Ocean Race)

Out in the west it has been straight line sailing for new leader Telefónica (Iker Martinez/ESP, PUMA’s Mar Mostro (Ken Read/USA) in second and fourth-placed CAMPER (Chris Nicholson/AUS) who all continue to slog upwind, often without tacking for hours on end.

However, a change in direction will come when this westerly group nears the island of Madeira, some 92 nautical miles ahead. A frontal system is approaching which will bring about a wind shift, so all gear is ready for the tack and the crews are waiting for the signs. Once through this system this group will begin their turn south and enjoy some beam reaching towards the Doldrums, but this, the best type of sailing is still a tantalising 36 hours away at least.

Although the westerly choice still seems favourable, the rock-hopping along the coast had pushed Groupama 4 and Franck Cammas’ team into the lead earlier this morning, but at 1000 UTC today they had slipped back to third place losing 17 nm, largely through having to sail dead downwind in light airs.

Tomorrow Groupama 4 should pass through the corridor between Lanzarote and Western Sahara where winds will build. They are now over 300 miles to east of the rest of the fleet and 42 nautical miles offshore. Although the French crew describes their position as the ‘highway to hell’, they also say: “With Morocco just under our eyes, we really feel like this is the start of a round the world trip… A lonely one, and one that really wasn’t planned.” Speaking to Race Headquarters this morning, PUMA’s Ken Read said he was surprised by Cammas’ choice and would not want to swap places.

No one likes not being in the lead and on board CAMPER the crew has been left with a bitter taste after sacrificing considerable miles to edge west yesterday. They are now 60 nm behind Telefónica and have lost another 16 nm in the last three hours. A steely determination prevails among the crew who wait anxiously for the results of each position report every three hours. When the update arrives, good or bad news is met with barely a word; it is just about clawing back the lost miles and getting back into the game. The crew reports: “Everyone is still smiling and all still giving each other grief purely for the entertainment of everyone around them!”

Volvo Ocean Race 2011 - 2012
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November 9, 2011 - 1000 UTC

D-Day For Abu Dhabi As They Prepare To Sail

The next few hours will be make or break for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing as they race against time to get back into the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, with the fleet now well ahead of them but several days away from high-speed sailing in the Atlantic.

Abu Dhabi, led by British double Olympic silver medallist Ian Walker, installed the replacement mast this morning and were on the verge of being ready to re-join the fleet, four days after their mast snapped in violent Mediterranean seas.

While the Mediterranean is calmer at the moment, the conditions once they are through the Strait of Gibraltar and into the Atlantic could be all too familiar.

“It could give us the confidence we need to carry on the journey but it will be nerve-wracking too,” Walker said. “We’re not fighting for every inch like we would with other boats around so we might throttle back but on the other hand if we can go full steam and get through that’s exactly the kind of confidence boost we need.”

On the racecourse a virtual game of chess was unfolding with the lead changing several times in the last 24 hours. It was Spain’s Team Telefónica who led the fleet at the 1300 UTC position report after surrendering the top spot briefly to Franck Cammas’ Groupama sailing team, who were hugging the African coast after splitting from the fleet.

By mid morning Telefónica were back out in front. For skipper Iker Martínez and trimmer Xabi Fernández it was another reason to celebrate after they were named ISAF Rolex Sailors of the Year last night in recognition of their glittering sailing career together which includes gold medals at the Athens Olympics in the 49er dinghy class, silver medals in Beijing and three world championship wins.

“We’re very happy with this,” Martínez told Race Headquarters by Inmarsat satellite phone today. “It’s something that is very important and makes us very proud.

“We don’t have many ways to celebrate on board but we had a little bit of cheese and a little bit of ham which is the best thing for now. We are going to enjoy it much more when we arrive in Cape Town.”

In any case, with Ken Read’s PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG snapping at their heals there was no time for prolonged festivity among the Spanish team.

“We can still see PUMA after five days of racing,” Martínez added. “That helps us a lot learning how to set up the boat and it pushes us a little bit more. It looks like we will be like this not only for this leg but for the whole race.

“The next 24 hours looks like there will have plenty of things happening. We have another front coming and we need to manage the situation as best we can. It looks like there won’t be very much wind so we need to make sure we don’t stop. Every time we stop it’s difficult because we know Groupama are going to be putting miles on us.”

Cammas and his team of offshore experts caused a stir when they split with their rivals two days ago, boldly opting to stay close to the Moroccan coast instead of heading west in search of the stronger trade winds.

Groupama’s Media Crew Member Yann Riou, himself an experienced ocean racer, said the crew were on a “highway to hell” in a gamble to shave distance off their route to Cape Town.

“The unbelievable scenario we felt could happen yesterday is now taking shape,” Riou said. “Our three competitors went for the west, looking for a new weather system. Let’s say we won’t see them again soon!

“As far as we are concerned, even though we have no competitor around us, we are running after a tradewind embryo moving with us towards the south. If we manage to catch it, we believe our option could pay. If not, we will have to reduce our consumption of diesel and food, because we could stay in the neighbourhood for quite a while.”

Cammas’ decision to stay close to shore has caused controversy among his rivals. PUMA Ocean Racing skipper Ken Read said he was “surprised” by the Frenchman’s tactics – and that he had absolute trust in his own navigator Tom Addis.

“We like where we’re at,” Read said. “Tom Addis is THE weather man. I have a lot of confidence in him and I like where we are. I wouldn’t change places with [Groupama] now, no way.”

Team Sanya, led by 2005-06 race winner Mike Sanderson, were this afternoon finalising plans to ship their damaged boat to Cape Town where they will carry out repairs in time for the second leg of the race to Abu Dhabi.

Volvo Ocean Race 2011 - 2012
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November 9, 2011 - 1500 UTC

Groupama 4 back on top

It’s losses all round tonight at 2200UTC as Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas/FRA) extends her lead.

Telefónica with the Spanish super star Iker Martinez has lost 20 nautical miles (nm), PUMA’s Mar Mostro (Kenny Read/USA) 19 nm, and the worst casualty CAMPER (Chris Nicholson/AUS) has lost 24 nm. She’s now 105 nm in deficit and has only averaged 5.4 knots out to the west, while the French team is creaming along at 13.8 knots as the boat heads into fresher breeze on their inshore course.

Telefónica and PUMA’s Mar Mostro are just a mile apart, still clinging tightly to each other and watching every move, while CAMPER is out of sight, 21 nm further west with Madeira 60 miles on their port beam. Groupama 4 has about 60 nm to sail before the French team reaches the Canary Island of Lanzarote. But, it’s going to be a long painful night for the three in the west until they reach Madeira and a potential change of fortune.

Volvo Ocean Race 2011 - 2012
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November 9, 2011 - 2200 UTC