Volvo Race Bids Adeus to Brazil
As we post this edition of ‘Lectronic Latitude, the once-again six-strong fleet of Volvo Ocean 65s is at sea and racing toward the United States. Leg 6 from Itajaí, Brazil, to Newport, RI, got underway yesterday, with the fleet now emerging into pressure after a characteristically light-air struggle away from the Brazilian coast.
Though conditions are light to moderate, the forecast shows a lot of upwind work before the fleet reaches the trade winds and takes off for the doldrums, which will once again slow and potentially consolidate the fleet, while creating an opportunity for someone to escape. “There will be a big rubber-band effect in this leg,” said navigator Will Oxley of Team Alvimedica.
The celebration and flair that Brazil provided made for a fun and festive atmosphere in the race village, effectively masking some of the drama that is occurring fleet-wide as teams start to melt down one by one, with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing solidifying their ownership of the top of the leaderboard. Spanish team MAPFRE has been docked two points for making (non-performance enhancing) repairs to the boat and not notifying the right authorities that regulate the one-design aspect, while SCA and the nearly-rebuilt Vestas have lost appeals to replace badly damaged and repaired headsails. With a new rig flown in from Europe and trucked down from Rio de Janeiro to the small city of Itajaí, the Chinese entry Dongfeng was one of many teams repairing damage from the notorious gear-buster that is the Southern Ocean and Cape Horn.
Going into Leg 6, Turkish/American Team Alvimedica is amped to be racing toward their homeland, while Brit Ian Walker and Abu Dhabi are looking close to unbeatable. Team Brunel has the momentum after winning the light-air crap shoot in-port race on Saturday. Dongfeng’s French skipper Charles Caudrelier was part of the Groupama team that dismasted in the last Volvo Ocean Race on the same leg around Cape Horn and overcame all odds to win the race. Caudrelier is determined to achieve that feat once again. No slot-car effect in this one. Follow along at www.volvooceanrace.com.