| Opportunities on the
horizon, leaders halfway. |
| By Volvo Ocean
Race Media. |
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| Photos by Amory Ross,
Diego Fructuoso, Hamish Hooper and Yann Riou for Volvo Ocean Race.
Edited By Peter Andrews. |
| Leg 1 Day 13, 15:00 UTC,
November 17, 2011. |
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| The playing field could be about to open up as the first leg passes the halfway mark and the teams, led by PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG and tireless rivals Team Telefónica, take on the complex weather systems of the South Atlantic. |
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Ken Read looks back at some weather forming near the exit of the Doldrums.
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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It was a drag race to Fernando de Noronha that was only interrupted by a short spell in the Doldrums; and initiation ceremonies for sailors crossing the Equator for the first time. Now the crews must now face the St Helena High, a huge continually morphing area of high pressure sitting between them and finish line in Cape Town.
With more than 3,200 nautical miles still to go in the 6,500 nautical mile first leg from Alicante, Volvo Ocean Race weather expert Gonzalo Infante said tactics during the next stage of the leg could be the deciding factor in the sprint to the finish. |
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Xabi Fernandez onboard Team Telefonica during leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean
Race 2011-12, from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa.
Photo © Diego Fructuoso / Team Telefonica / Volvo Ocean Race.
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“The latest forecasts show a big high pressure system blocking the way into Cape Town. The teams will have to navigate close to the centre of the St Helena High and this could provide opportunities for a reshuffle of the leaderboard.”
PUMA’s Mar Mostro, skippered by Ken Read, held the lead at 13:00 UTC, 12 nautical miles ahead of Team Telefónica who have clung like a shadow to their rivals since the race start in Alicante, Spain, on November 5. The American team were first across the Equator and also led the fleet around Fernando de Noronha, the only turning mark in Leg 1. |
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Skipper Ken Read writing emails down below. 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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PUMA navigator Tom Addis said their plan was to continue to dive south in search of winds that could catapult them towards the finish line.
“The general plan here is to go south round the St Helena High. It’s looking fairly conventional now, which is good. The worst fear in this part of the world is having to go upwind into Cape Town, but luckily it doesn’t look like that.” |
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Navigator Tom Addis stands on the boom for a better view of the weather
after exiting the Doldrums. 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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The crossing of the Equator prompted traditional ceremonies during which first-timers must go before King Neptune and his court to be punished for former sins. On PUMA, the race’s youngest sailor Rome Kirby, 22, was in the firing line alongside media crew member Amory Ross, 27.
“There were a few sacrifices made to Neptune but none greater than my loss of hair,” Ross said following PUMA’s Equator crossing at 10:55 UTC yesterday. |
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King Neptune (Tony Mutter) and Codfish (Ryan Godfrey) make a guest appearance
on PUMA's "Mar Mostro" at the Equator to greet crew members
Rome Kirby and Amory Ross at their first crossing.
Photo © Amory Ross / PUMA Ocean Racing / Volvo Ocean Race.
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| “Neptune and his humble servant, played by Tony Mutter and Ryan Godfrey, took a huge stripe down the middle with a pair of scissors so naturally everything else had to follow. Rome suffered a similar consequence. Then there was the obvious component of eating sludge; leftover breakfast, lunch, etc. with a few flying fish. We were both sail-tied to the back of the boat for a while.” |
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Team Telefonica during leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Alicante,
Spain to Cape Town, South Africa.
Photo © Ian Roman / Paul Todd / Volvo Ocean Race.
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Third-placed CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand pulled back 13 miles on their rivals in the three hours leading up to the latest report. Skipper Chris Nicholson said his team were waiting to pounce on any opportunity that comes their way.
“We are just hanging in there, looking to gain any miles where we can, not taking unnecessary risks, but being patient for any opportunity to get back up with the leaders when one presents itself,” he said. “There is still another half of the leg to go, still a lot to happen yet.” |
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Navigator Will Oxley in the Nav Station 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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After being snared by the Doldrums, Groupama 4’s grasp on the leaders slipped to 422 nautical miles. But they too had pulled ground back at the 13:00 UTC report gaining 12 nautical miles.
Navigator Jean Luc Nélias said that after 300 nautical miles of painfully slow progress through the Doldrums, the crew were relieved to have finally found steady breeze. |
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Phil Harmer onboard Groupama Sailing Team 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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“We are happy to find the south-east trade winds and are heading to the Equator and Fernando. We will sail reaching along the Brazilian coast and will then have to round the St Helena High, but it’s still unclear.”
For More information about the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 can be found at www.volvooceanrace.com.
Leg 1 Report: 17/11/2011 13:02:34 UTC.
Pos - Boat - DTL - DTLC - BS - DTF
1. - PUMA - 0.00 - 0.0 - 14.9 - 3255.4
2. - Telefónica - 11.80 - 2.0 - 15.3 - 3267.2
3. - CAMPER - 123.00 - 13.0 - 15.6 - 3378.4
4. - Groupama 4 - 422.80 - 12.0 - 15.6 - 3678.2
#. - Abu Dhabi - Retired from Leg 1.
#. - Sanya - Retired from Leg 1. |
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