| Abu Dhabi sacrifice Leg
1 points for long term gain. |
| By Volvo Ocean
Race Media. |
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| Photos by Nick Dana,
Yann Riou, Paul Todd, Amory Ross for Volvo Ocean Race.
Page and article edited By Peter Andrews. |
| Leg 1, Day 7, 14:30 UTC,
November 11, 2011. |
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| Ian Walker stifled
his competitive instincts and retired his Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing
team from Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race on Friday, while ahead
of him a fleet now reduced to four boats prepared for crunch time
in the Atlantic. |
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Skipper Ian Walker and the crew of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing retire from leg
1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town,
South Africa.
Photo © Nick Dana / Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
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| The decision to pull
out of the leg was a wrench for the British skipper, who will now
forfeit the 10 points he would have scored for finishing fifth.
Team Sanya had already pulled out from the six-boat starting fleet,
but now he can look forward to getting the boat in optimum condition
for Leg 2. |
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Skipper Ian Walker onboard Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing during leg 1 of the Volvo
Ocean Race 2011-12, from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa.
Photo © Nick Dana / Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Instead of pursuing
the boats ahead of him, Walker will now take his racing yacht Azzam,
which was dismasted on Saturday and returned to the water on Wednesday,
to Lisbon. It will be loaded on to a ship on Monday and taken to
Cape Town, where rigging modifications can be carried out in time
for Leg 2.
"It's been an agonising period but on balance today we
made the call that we needed enough time in Cape Town to make
some modifications to our rigging," Walker said from the
boat. "We have been checking [the weather] almost hourly and right now I am
more confident than everthat we have made the right decision." |
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Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing's yacht Azzam, skippered by Britain's Ian Walker,
returns to Alicante, Spain after the mast broke in rough weather on the
first day of racing on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12.
Photo © Paul Todd / Volvo Ocean Race.
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The points for the
first leg will be decided among Groupama sailing team, whose decision
to take the road less travelled near the coast of Africa looks
increasingly smart, and their three rivals out in the west; Team
Telefónica, PUMA Ocean Racing powered
by BERG, and CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, who briefly
flirted with the coast before siding with the majority.
Groupama appear to be sitting pretty with a lead of 237 nautical
miles over Telefónica as of the 13:00 UTC position report,
but they are aware that their lead could yet disappear if they
do not manage to avoid a long spell in the windless area at the
eastern end of the Doldrums; a so-called triangle of doom for
any boat that gets trapped there. |
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Groupama Sailing Team sail along the African coast during leg 1 of the
Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa.
Photo © Yann Riou / Groupama Sailing Team / Volvo Ocean Race.
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The top three teams
were travelling at roughly similar speeds around 14 knots at 13:00
on Friday but those in the west were just waiting for a high pressure
ridge that will let them turn south at speeds of 20 to 25 knots
and start clawing back the miles.
"I think it's going to end up being a closer run thing," said
CAMPER's navigator Will Oxley. "This afternoon it looks
like the trades will collapse for Groupama and conversely we
will have plenty of wind, but 200 miles ahead of us is a long
way. It's on the tipping point at the moment I guess." |
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Team Telefonica, skippered by Iker Martinez from Spain after the start
of Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean race 2011-12 from Alicante, Spain to Cape
Town, South Africa.
Photo © Paul Todd / Volvo Ocean Race.
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| Looking forward to
the much stronger wind now expected, the team's media crew member
was more graphic. "It will be like turning off a slow country
road and onto an empty motorway; with no police to slow us down," said
Hamish Hooper. |
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Tony Rae and Daryl Wislang repair a torn sail 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 © Hamish Hooper / CAMPER ETNZ /
Volvo Ocean Race.
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That could not come
soon enough for PUMA, whose MCM Amory Ross described the growing
tension on board: "Some day soon (hopefully before we reach
Antigua) we'll be able to aim this darn boat towards Brazil and
eat up some miles. Of course nobody likes waiting, so anxiety builds.
But we're all feeling a little more rested after a good night's
sleep, and that helps."
While the four boats still at sea are playing a waiting game,
Abu Dhabi will now be racing against time yet again. After crossing
the start line twice, this time it is all about reaching Lisbon
in time to get everything loaded. |
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Jonathan Swain on the helm and Brad Jackson on the traveler. PUMA Ocean
Racing powered by BERG during leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12,
from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa.
Photo © Amory Ross / PUMA
Ocean Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
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| "Once we arrive
in Lisbon we have 36 hours for the sailing team to take the mast
out, load everything up and put the boat on a cradle," said
Walker. "Then we have to load it on to the deck of
a cargo ship which will leave on Monday afternoon. It's pretty
tight but it's an achievable timeframe which gets us to Cape
Town before the end of the month." |
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Skipper Ian Walker and the crew of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing retire from Leg
1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town,
South Africa.
Photo © Nick Dana / Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing / Volvo Ocean
Race.
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Leg 1 Report: 11/11/2011
13:01:45 UTC
Pos - Boat - DTL - DTLC - BS - DTF
1. - GPMA - 0.00 - 0.0 - 13.5 - 5215.2
2. - TELE - 237.20 - 4.0 - 13 - 5452.3
3. - PUMA - 245.60 - 5.0 - 13.4 - 5460.8
4. - CMPR - 334.90 - 6.0 - 9.8 - 5550.0
#. - ADOR - Retired from Leg 1.
#. - SNYA - Retired from Leg 1.
For More information about the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 can
be found at www.volvooceanrace.com. |
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| Outimage and Volvo
Ocean Race © 2011-2012. |
