Volvo Ocean Race - Portsmouth Inshore Race

Shifty winds gusting 25 knots for the Portsmouth Inshore leg of the Volvo Ocean Race © Oskar Kihlborg / Volvo Ocean Race

Shifty winds gusting 25 knots for the Portsmouth Inshore leg of the Volvo Ocean Race © Oskar Kihlborg / Volvo Ocean Race

Shifty winds gusting 25 knots for the Portsmouth Inshore leg of the Volvo Ocean Race © Oskar Kihlborg / Volvo Ocean Race

ABN AMRO ONE excels to win fourth in-port victory out of six

Mike Sanderson’s (NZ) ABN AMRO ONE, powered through Pirates of the Caribbean skippered by Paul Cayard (USA) to win the sixth in-port race, held in Portsmouth today, making it their fourth in-port race victory of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06.

In shifty conditions, gusting to 25 knots at times, both ABN AMRO ONE and Paul Cayard’s (USA) Pirates of the Caribbean were quick out of the starting blocks, but had two very different theories on the first leg. ABN AMRO ONE headed right up the race course, whilst The Pirates went hard left.

The left hand side of the course was the favoured side and Pirates of the Caribbean came strongly into the first mark with a good lead, rounding ahead of ABN AMRO ONE. Third round was five times Olympic medallist Torben Grael (BRA) on Brasil 1 followed by Ericsson (Neal McDonald/GB), ABN AMRO TWO (Sebastien Josse/FRA) and Brunel (Grant Wharington/AUS).

With the wind building, the boats powered downwind, reaching speeds of the 18-20 knots. The positions in the fleet remained unchanged and, although there was a 20 degree wind shift, The Pirates managed to stay out in front and rounded the next mark a minute ahead of ABN AMRO ONE.

Drama came halfway through the race when local sailor Neal McDonald’s Ericsson ripped their spinnaker, trawling the broken pieces behind them for a few much needed minutes and causing them to forfeit a position to Grant Wharington’s Brunel.

Pirates of the Caribbean also fell foul of the same problem and ripped their spinnaker during a gybe. Sanderson and the ABN AMRO ONE crew took advantage and nipped past the Pirates as they struggled to regain control of the boat and the Dutch boat took the lead.

After two and quarter hours, ABN AMRO ONE sailed across the finish line to win their fourth in-port race win out of six races. Pirates of the Caribbean followed, finishing second overall, with Brasil 1 taking the final podium position.

Overall ABN AMRO ONE maintains first place overall, with Pirates of the Caribbean second and Brasil 1 moving up to third place overall.

Portsmouth In-Port Race Results:

1st ABN AMRO ONE, 02hrs 14 mins 16 secs
2nd Pirates of the Caribbean, 02 hrs 18 mins 30 secs
3rd Brasil 1, 02 hrs 22 mins 00 secs
4th ABN AMRO TWO, 02 hrs 24 mins 56 secs
5th Ericsson Racing Team, 02 hrs 26 mins 55 secs
6th Brunel , 02 hrs 27 mins 44 secs

Current Leaderboard: (points not ratified)

1st ABN AMRO ONE, Mike Sanderson (NZL) 84.5 pts
2nd Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard (USA) 59.5 pts
3rd Brasil 1, Torben Grael (BRA) 52.0 pts
4th ABN AMRO TWO, Sebastien Josse (FRA) 48.5 pts
5th movistar, Bouwe Bekking (NED) 48.0 pts
6th Ericsson Racing Team, Neal McDonald (GBR) 45.0 pts
7th Brunel, Grant Wharington (AUS) 8.0 pts

Quotes from the dockside:

Mike Sanderson (NZ), Skipper – ABN AMRO ONE

“It certainly doesn’t get any better than this. It was a wonderful day and the end to a wonderful week after getting married on Friday.”

“The boys gave me a fantastic birthday present and I think this one really belongs to the boys – they did a great job today. We had a couple of fantastic gybes which really gave us a chance to get back in the lead.”

Dee Caffari, Record breaking round the world yachtswomen – guest on ABN AMRO ONE

“These boats are amazing and I had a fantastic time. I just can’t believe the speed of the boats. They are just awesome and I want one!”

“After sailing for so long on my own, it was amazing to see the teamwork onboard. The crew work was just so slick, the volume onboard was really low and I just can not get over the speed. It was an amazing experience.”

“Another thing that I can not believe is that they all share such a tiny living space. I am used to having the space to myself but it must be very cramped with ten guys onboard. They also have very little additional stuff on board. My boat weighs 42 tonnes and this is 14 tonnes, so they have to be so careful of any extra equipment they take onboard, but I didn’t realise to what extent.”

Rob Greenhalgh (GBR), crew member – ABN AMRO ONE

“I am really pleased that we won, especially in home waters. The conditions were so shifty. The key was not to make many mistakes and it was one of those days where you could watch the leader and see where they made the mistakes and then try not to do the same thing.”

Paul Cayard (USA), Skipper – Pirates of the Caribbean

“It looked like the result was going to be better but we just could not hold off ABN AMRO ONE.”

“We got a good jump at the start and went the right way up the first beat. On the whole we sailed a good race and we did what we have to do – we added some padding to our second place overall.”

“Unfortunately we just got a big puff of wind and the boat was set up for fairly light conditions. The keel is a bit slow and the boat just spun out and we broke the spinnaker, which was a set-back.”

“Three people said that we should have won, but I am not that greedy and second place will do me.”

Lady Gabriella Windsor – guest on Pirates of the Caribbean

“Today was absolutely amazing. It was a very good window into the sport of sailing. To be able to witness the teamwork of the crew was incredible and they all did an amazing job.”

“I have never done anything like this before and I would love to do it again.”

James Cracknell, double Olympic gold medallist – guest on Pirates of the Caribbean

“The start was the most exciting part of the race and I really enjoyed all of the jockeying around for position. I thought we would win the race, but it was a real shame when things went wrong.”

“I really enjoyed it although I am not sure if this is the sport for me as I am really untidy and these guys spend a lot of time tidying up the boat.”

MacKenzie Crook, Actor Pirates of the Caribbean – guest on Pirates of the Caribbean

“It was a great day – it was really hair-raising and I have never had an experience like it before. I didn’t have any expectations of what it was going to be like and it was better than I thought it would be. I was standing back and letting the guys get on with it but it was awe-inspiring watching them work.”

Torben Grael (BRA), Skipper – Brasil 1

“It was very shifty today and the wind pressure was up and down. We had a good start and I am quite happy with the final result. We still have a long way to go but I am happy with our position.”

Marcelo Ferreira (BRA), crew member – Brasil 1

“We had an okay day. It was a tough race and the conditions were really tricky – we had sun, rain, storms – everything!”

“I think the race course worked for the Brasil 1 team. If we manage to hang in to the top three overall – that would be good for us.”

“There is still a long way to go and I have a feeling that the next leg will be a hard one.”

Sebastien Josse (FRA), Skipper – ABN AMRO TWO

“It was a very tricky day and I didn’t expect it to be like that. It was a very difficult day.”

Simon Fisher (GBR), Navigator – ABN AMRO TWO

“Today was a bit of a mixed day. It was great to get back on the water after the events that have happened. We didn’t get too much training time before so we were really happy with the crew work.”

“We were a little unfortunate on the first beat but we managed to gain places as the race went on.”

“I think an overall podium finish is achievable. Brasil 1 goes a little bit better on the inshore races and we go better on the offshore legs particularly in reaching and running conditions.”

Grant Wharington (AUS), Skipper – Brunel

“We had a fantastic start but on the first leg we went to tack and put down our windward dagger-board and it slipped through the deck and sheared the stopper. It looked like at one point we wouldn’t be able to continue racing but we sorted it and started catching back up. It was an enjoyable race though but a bit disappointing. We’ve just got to get it together on the race course.”

Neal McDonald (GBR), Skipper - Ericsson Racing Team

"It was a tough day full of mixed fortunes. It didn't really go according to plan today and we were all a little bit disappointed. However, it is great to be back in the water and we're just really looking forward to the start of the next leg."

Andrew Cape (AUS), Navigator – Ericsson Racing Team

“I had a good day but obviously it could have been better. The Ericsson boys are a good bunch of lads. We are looking good for the next leg but we have a bit of work on the boat to do. The transition to Ericsson [from movistar] has been really good.”

Sir Matthew Pinsent, Quadruple Olympic Gold Medallist – guest on Ericsson Racing Team

“Obviously we were all a bit disappointed about the spinnaker but overall the race was a fantastic experience. The team worked really well together but I’m used to that with my rowing. Although I've sailed a little bit before at Cowes and on the Americas Cup boats, I've never been on anything so fast or out in so much wind."

“I wouldn’t want to sail on these Volvo Open 70’s for more than a day as I think sleeping on one would be too much for me. These guys have been sailing on this boat for months on end and that just doesn’t appeal to me.”