Volvo Ocean Race Leg 4 Day 4

A hard day of work onboard Groupama Sailing Team during leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race

Volvo Ocean Race Leg 4 Day 4

By Volvo Ocean Race media on 22 Feb22 February 2012A hard day of work onboard Groupama Sailing Team during leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race © Yann Riou/Groupama Sailing Team/Volvo Ocean Race

Ken Read navigates a lumpy seaway before leaving sight of land in the South China Sea during leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race

Tortuous progress in South China Sea

This morning at 1000 UTC CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) were still in the lead, but a change of waypoint* elevated Team Sanya (Mike Sanderson/NZL) into second place, and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) up to third place as the fleet began to feel the effects of the Kuroshio Current or ‘Black Tide’.

This local current, similar to the Gulf Steam in the north Atlantic, flows north east past Japan and is creating some very big waves and some even bigger crash landings for the boats. The crews are unanimous in their loathing for the torturous conditions.

Currently the fleet is heading due east, against the wind in around 22 knots of breeze, heading for a northern crossing of the Luzon Strait to exit the South China Sea.

“We just can’t get out of here fast enough,” said PUMA’s skipper Ken Read/USA today. “We are sick of going up wind,” he said as he and his team tried to work out the best way to get east in a weather system that is falling apart.

The breeze is forecast to die as the fleet approaches the southern tip of Taiwan at the northern end of the Luzon Strait and it’s a question of playing the fleet but keeping an eye on the global picture.

According to Chris Nicholson, the waves have no backs and the landings are severe. “Not too much of a problem in the daylight as we can steer around them, softening the impact on the boat, but a big issue at night time,” he said.

Ian Walker, skipper of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Azzam was barely audible in his call to Race HQ this morning as the conversation was punctuated with loud crashes every few seconds as Azzam’s landed heavily in the bottom of a trough.

“We are literally having to steer around every wave,” Walker said. “Right now we have to get out of the South China Seas. It is a God-awful place, certainly no place you want to be sailing up wind at least. Hopefully, in another 100 miles or so, we will poke our nose out and get free of this place.

“I am just glad we are not coming through here in 40 knots, which we easily could have been,” he added.

The constant crashing is tiring the crews. Sleep is difficult as the motion of the boat makes it hard for the off watch crews just to stay in their bunks.

The fleet now is divided by just 19.4 nautical miles from CAMPER in first and PUMA in sixth position and there is no prospect of a let up in the mounting pressure.

“Everyone is trekking out towards the southern tip of Taiwan, where the wind is expected to become very fickle. I hope the waves drop before the wind does, or it will make for tortuous progress,” concluded Ian Walker.

* To ensure the accuracy of the race tracker three waypoints are used to calculate the fleet’s distance to finish (DTF) data during the second stage of Leg 4.

At 0800 UTC this morning the first waypoint just off the north east tip of the Philippines was replaced by the second waypoint located near the Poor Knights Islands north of Auckland.

Waypoint 3 is located just close to Tiritiri Matangi Island and will come into play as the fleet closes in on Auckland at the end of the leg.

This morning’s waypoint change elevated Team Sanya to second place and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing to third at the 1000 UTC position report. Groupama dropped to fourth based on the new calculation.

Position Report at 10:04:37 UTC:

Pos	Team	DTL	Boat Speed	DTF
1	CMPR	0	11.3	4723.7
2	SNYA	5.6	11.7	4729.3
3	ADOR	7	11.8	4730.8
4	GPMA	8.6	11.8	4732.3
5	TELE	19.4	13.7	4743.1
6	PUMA	23.2	13.6	4747

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Update from the Helm (by Ken Read, Skipper, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG)

We are approaching Taiwan and it is unanimous on board, and I am sure across the fleet. GET US OUT OF THE CHINA SEA!!!!

We are so sick of going upwind and slamming on waves, and the hollow sound of living inside of a base drum. It wears on you.

As most know by now, this leg did not start with a bang for the fine yacht Mar Mostro. After the delay was announced and the plan put in place to sail the "Buddha course" in order to create the order of starting the next morning for Leg 4, we put together a strategy for the in-shore part of the leg. To be honest, I think we had it pretty sorted as shown by the fact that about two-thirds of the way through the course we had a big lead on the fleet. But, to no avail. As we sailed into a transitional light air zone, the fleet all jibed toward the shore and around us to absolutely clobber us as we sat in literally no wind. To say that was frustrating is the understatement of the century. But, we had to remind ourselves that we have 5,500 miles to make up for that gap, and off we went at 7:39 am Sanya time the next day. Didn't sleep much that night, I have to say. Thinking about every moment of our own little drifting party. I still haven't exactly figured it out.

The leg started the way we thought: crummy left over seas and up-and-down winds; a race to the east towards the Philippines for a right-hand shift. As the last boat out, the shift came through and we tacked to leeward of the fleet to start a drag race north. Unfortunately, the drag race really benefited the boats to the right and we really got creamed by all to the right of us.

This set up some of the harder decisions we have to make in these races. We all have to do it at times when the weather just doesn't go your way. The decision to take your medicine and go get in line. Which always means take a huge loss in order to prevent a catastrophic loss. Essentially, when you have given up all hope that your side is going to come good.

We actually got a 40-degree left shift that we were expecting, but fell out of it about 10 minutes after we got it. It turns out that left shift was very much geographical and it wasn't our salvation, so we had to suck it up and take the transoms of the fleet by lots of miles and start again. Not ideal and like I said, one of the toughest calls you have to make tactically. The fact is we should have made the call to suck it up about 10 hours earlier, but we didn't know that the left-hand shift was going to turn out to be a loser. Oh well, we have actually gotten a few nice lanes and closed back into the group and are a part of the race again. Believe it or not, the mood on board is quite optimistic right now.

The Kiwis on board are surely looking forward to going home. Auckland has always been such a traditional stopover for the Volvo Ocean Race that it will be great to go back. Personally, I have great memories of living there during the 2000 and 2003 America's Cups. An amazing city and an even better country. My entire family is coming back, including my dad, wife and daughter, to share in this experience. A host of friends is also making the trek and doing some sightseeing once we are gone. Rumor has it that Tony Mutter has a surprise waiting for the team. A part-time farmer, Tony has been talking for a couple years about a steak dinner "Mutter style." Which I am guessing may be bad news for one of his cows.

In the meantime, we have a lot of crappy weather to get through. Big waves. Lots of wind, and very little wind. Did I say big waves? Not real pleasurable, but in about a week’s time we should have some great trade winds sailing through the Pacific. It can't come soon enough.

Kenny