Volvo Ocean Race: MAPFRE wins in Itajaí to extend In-Port Series lead
by Volvo Ocean Race 20 Apr 2018 21:11 BST
20 April 2018
In-Port Race during the Itajaí stopover in the Volvo Ocean Race © Pedro Martinez / Volvo Ocean Race
The Spanish team MAPFRE won the Itajaí In-Port Race on Friday in Brazil, after battling with team AkzoNobel for the lead on the first of three laps of the race course.
A large spectator fleet was on hand to watch the racing in a moderate 10 knot sea breeze and after taking the lead on the first downwind leg, MAPFRE protected well the rest of the way.
The win allows skipper Xabi Fernández and his team to extend their advantage in the In-Port Race Series over Dongfeng Race Team who finished in third place on Friday.
"It was a good race for us today, right from the start, but the key for us was being able to pass AkzoNobel on the first downwind," Fernández said. "From there we could stretch.
"Being the series leader is always good. We know how tight the overall race leaderboard is where we're just one point behind Dongfeng, so this could be important at the end of the race and for that we are happy today."
Team AkzoNobel was a close second place in Itajaí, which secures their third place position on the series leaderboard.
"When we looked at the conditions and the race course today we knew the start would be critical and we had a very good start with pace," skipper Simeon Tienpont said. "But MAPFRE did a really good job. We were waiting for them to make a mistake but they did the best race today and we're very happy with second place."
Dongfeng Race Team was also content with a podium result. "We didn't have a good start but we were able to use the mistakes of the others to get back near the leaders," skipper Charles Caudrelier said. "We sailed the rest of the race well but there was not so much opportunity."
Turn the Tide on Plastic scored their best finish of the series with a fourth place result and has moved off the bottom of the series leaderboard.
Team Brunel had a promising start on Friday but was undone by a sail handling error at the top mark, which dropped them from challenging for the lead to battling with Vestas 11th Hour Racing at the back of the fleet.
Team SHK/Scallywag didn't take the start on Friday, with the boat still out of the water being prepared to take the start of Leg 8 on Sunday. It's a race against the clock to get the boat ready in time.
Earlier, at the skippers' press conference, Scallywag's David Witt spoke poignantly about the loss of his friend and teammate John Fisher:
"We started together 12 years ago and he was always the first guy picked... the biggest compliment I could give John is that he was the best team player I've ever seen. He put everyone else first.
"For me, he was my best mate. Sunday will be a bit weird – it will be the first time I've gone to sea without him in 12 years...
"But we've had amazing support from within the Volvo Ocean Race family. The character of the people in this race has been exemplified by the way we've been supported by the other competitors in this race... I'm sure John would be very proud about that.
"The best thing we can do in John's memory is get on with the job on Sunday... If he was standing behind be right now he'd be telling me to harden up and get on with it and that's what we're going to do on Sunday."
Leg 8 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Itajaí, Brazil to Newport, Rhode Island, starts on Sunday 22 April.
www.volvooceanrace.com
Itajaí In-Port Race Results:
1. MAPFRE – 7 points
2. Team AkzoNobel – 6 points
3. Dongfeng Race Team – 5 points
4. Turn the Tide on Plastic – 4 points
5. Team Brunel – 3 points
6. Vestas 11th Hour Racing – 2 points
7. Team SHK/Scallywag – did not start
Current Volvo Ocean Race In-Port Race Series Leaderboard:
1. MAPFRE – 44 points
2. Dongfeng Race Team – 39 points
3. team AkzoNobel – 33 points
4. Team Brunel – 29 points
5. Vestas 11th Hour Racing – 18 points
6. Turn the Tide on Plastic – 15 points
7. Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag – 15 points
Quotes from MAPFRE
Xabi Fernández: "It was a really good race course and with very good wind. We had a great start and won the pin end of the line which is what we wanted. It was a very short distance and we couldn't get to the first mark ahead, but downwind we picked up good speed and when we gybed were able to overtake AkzoNobel. From that point it went really well. The crew, as always, were amazing, and we are really happy with the result. It is exactly what we wanted."
Joan Vila: "The upwind leg was short, with quite stable wind, so it was important to position ourselves well and get a good start, so we could sail in clean wind and not make any mistakes. We were gradually able to stretch out our lead, and were able to finish first. We took the first mark in second, but then on the downwind leg were able to pass the leading boat, and finally managed to minimise our mistakes and get the most out of each of the manoeuvres. It was real team work. We continue to sail our way, and that is what gives us a little more confidence ahead of the next leg."
Quotes from Team Brunel
Team Brunel had a promising start at the Itajaí In-Port Race on Friday but they were undone by a sail handling error at the top mark, which took them from challenging for the lead to battling with Vestas 11th Hour Racing at the back of the fleet. The team, with skipper Bouwe Bekking (NED) and helmsmen Peter Burling (NZL), could not play a significant role today. Team Brunel finished in fifth place.
Bouwe Bekking: "We had a good start. I thought we would be the first to arrive at the upwind mark but then we had a problem with the gennaker. It is then you see that the differences in position are small, AkzoNobel and Mapfre shot in immediately. After that, the lap was also wrong and it was chaos on board for a while. Before you know it, you are at the back. You just can't afford to make mistakes in these kinds of short races. Of course, we knew that but today it just showed."
Quotes from Team AkzoNobel
Chris Nicholson: "We are steadily improving our consistency in the in port races. Strong in port races and good offshore performances often go hand-in-hand, so this result is hopefully a good indicator for the team."
For team AkzoNobel sailor Martine Grael the stopover has been all the more special after the Olympic gold medalist became the first ever Brazilian woman to race into her home country in the Volvo Ocean Race.
Grael – whose father Torben won the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race as skipper of Ericsson 4 – said her homecoming had been "an incredible, emotional experience".
"It's been wonderful to arrive in my home country and to experience the support of the local people here and see my friends and family for a little while. Today's result was nice, especially as I feel I am representing Brazil in front of everybody who has turned out to watch."
Grael was also was quick to praise the efforts of the team AkzoNobel shore crew.
"They are real heroes who work so hard to make sure we have a boat in prime condition – no matter how badly worn out it is when we hand it over. Their contribution to the campaign is immeasurable."
"It's a far from straightforward leg," said Jules Salter who is responsible for masterminding the team's constantly evolving strategic and tactical plans on the way to the USA.
"There are a multitude of factors that will come into play," he said. "Some are big picture features like the Doldrums, the Bermuda high pressure system and the Gulf Stream current, and others will be less predictable like the ocean currents off Brazil and the cloud lines and thunder storm cells on the way to the equator."
Salter breaks the leg down into three key sections, beginning with the first 10 days of racing north from Itajaí along the Brazilian coast to the north east corner of Brazil near Recife.
He expects the seven-boat fleet to stay compact up to this point with the teams keeping a close eye on each other and nobody likely to risk making a breakaway move as the fleet hunts for the strong and steady southern hemisphere south-easterly trade winds.
"It's going to be quite subtle sailing along the Brazilian coast," Salter said. "It might look like the boats are all just going the same way, but even a few degrees change in heading could make a huge difference to boat speeds across the fleet.
"There will be winners and losers in the speed race and then there is always the chance at any time that a big thunder cell rolling off the coast of Brazil could split the fleet up."
According to Salter the team AkzoNobel crew's focus will be on maximising straight-line speed on the way to the equator and on timing their sail changes to try to match the boat's setup optimally to variations in wind strength and sea state.
"There will be plenty going on and we also have to line ourselves up for the second key stage: making a smooth Doldrums crossing," Salter said. "The expectation is that the Doldrums in this part of the world will be relatively benign – but you can never take that for granted and we will need our wits about us."
Once the fleet is across the equator and into the northern hemisphere, the third section of the course takes the boats up through the North Atlantic Ocean in north-easterly trade winds towards Newport.
Along the way, depending on how far west or east their route takes them, the crews could have to skirt the light winds of the Bermuda high pressure zone or pick their way through the twists and turns of the warm water Gulf Stream current as it meanders aimlessly along the eastern seaboard of the United States.
"We will have to cross the Gulf Stream at some point to get to Newport," Salter explained.
"The warm water heats the air above it and can cause some quite volatile weather with thunderstorms and squalls. It shouldn't take long to cross but it can be fairly unpleasant at times and you have to make sure to protect the boat from damage."
A pair of commercial traffic exclusion zones form the final hurdle to negotiate on the way into Newport, creating a choice between a northern or southern approach for the navigators to ponder.
"After you have taken a pounding in the Gulf Stream the winds can often be light and tricky on the way into Newport," Salter said. "It's not an easy place to race into – with plenty of current and a few lobster pots to watch out we don't get hooked on."
Estimates based on historical data suggest the teams will take 18 – 20 days to complete Leg 8, meaning an estimated time of arrival for the Volvo Ocean Race fleet ranging from May 10 – 12.