Azzam breaks monohull record in the Rolex Fastnet Race
by Volvo Ocean Race media 16 Aug 2011 14:55 BST
14-16 August 2011
Groupama 4 in second, Sanya third in race run at blistering pace
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing's Azzam held off a relentless challenge from Groupama 4 to lead home the three Volvo Ocean Race boats and set a monohull record for the Rolex Fastnet Race.
Skippered by Britain's double Olympic silver medallist Ian Walker, the first Arab entry won the “race within a race” between three teams set to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 starting in Alicante in October.
Groupama 4 and skipper Franck Cammas finished four minutes behind Azzam in the 608-nautical mile sprint from Cowes to Plymouth via the Fastnet Rock off the southern tip of Ireland.
Team Sanya, skippered by New Zealand's Mike Sanderson and racing in the refitted Telefónica Blue from the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09, could not quite compete with the other two teams' heavy air speed and finished just short of an hour behind.
All three times were inside the record monohull time of one day 20 hours 18 minutes set by ICAP Leopard in 2007. Leopard also competed in the current race and was in with a chance of a record time when her crew came to the assistance of Rambler 100 after she capsized. All 21 crew members were rescued in an operation co-ordinated by the Irish coastguard.
The blistering pace of all three of the Volvo Open 70s, and particularly the new boats, will have been of great interest to the other teams preparing for the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race starting in Alicante on October 29. Racing conditions were optimum for these boats -- strong winds, big seas and very wet on deck.
Three other new boats will be competing -- CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG Propulsion and Team Telefónica.
Walker, speaking as he sipped a Coca-Cola after stepping from the boat in Plymouth, savoured both the victory in the "race within a race" and the record, though he was even more satisfied to see confirmed that Azzam, designed by Farr Yacht Design, is competitive with the Groupama 4 boat from the board of Argentina’s Juan Kouyoumdjian. Juan K, as he is known in the sailing world, was responsible for the last two Volvo Ocean Race winners and also designed PUMA's Mar Mostro and Telefónica for the forthcoming race.
"It's cool because I've never done any record-type stuff before," said Walker. "it always seems to be the 100-footers getting the records.
"But overall it's a relief to know that we're competitive. We didn't blow Groupama out of the water but it's a relief to know that we're at the party."
Groupama's navigator Jean-Luc Nélias, spelled out just how close the finish had been.
"We rounded the Fastnet Rock together but at night we couldn't see Abu Dhabi any more,” he said. “The night was violent and the route was straight and when the dawn broke, they were half a mile ahead of us. We could see the colour of their weather gear on deck when we crossed the finish line so it was pretty close."
Team Sanya only announced their Volvo Ocean Race entry seven weeks ago and skipper Sanderson was pleased to have given the refitted boat a good work-out.
"We were glad the conditions were fairly extreme for this race because it has served as a reminder to all of us that on Volvo Open 70s and in the Volvo Ocean Race itself the big gains are won in the windy conditions," he said.
"These boats want to go at 16 knots all the time. To get them to go 20 knots plus you really need to wring their necks. We had some issues at various points which prevented us from really wringing our boat’s neck but overall it was a good experience that we can be pleased with it as a team."
The battle for overall supremacy between the Volvo Ocean Race teams was closely fought throughout the race. Groupama 4 shrugged off an early problem with their keel mechanism and were vying for the lead as the boats exited the confines of the Solent. After racing in close formation all the way along the English south coast, Team Sanya took the lead at Land’s End with a crafty tactical short cut which saved them eight miles on their rivals.
As the breeze steadily increased on the long leg out towards the southeast tip of Ireland, the new boats eased inexorably into the lead, with Azzam trailing Groupama 4 by just five minutes as they rounded the Fastnet Rock. The boats set a ferocious pace on the return leg from the Fastnet Rock with 30 knot winds on the second night before Azzam and Groupama 4 blasted their way towards the finish in Plymouth at speeds of over 25 knots.
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing wins ROlex Fastnet Race Honours (from Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing)
Record-Breaking win strong boost to Volvo Ocean Race 2011/12 preparations
Plymouth, UK. 16 August 2011: Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and its state-of-the-art Volvo Open 70 racing yacht ‘Azzam’ (Determined) won its monohull class in the UK’s iconic 608-mile Rolex Fastnet Race, taking line honours and smashing the current record by more than an hour.
The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority-backed outfit, which was making its global competitive debut in the 86-year-old biennial competition ahead of the October’s Volvo Ocean Race, broke the current Rolex Fastnet Race monohull course record by 1 hour 39 mins – which was previously set by Mike Slade’s ICAP Leopard in 2007 (1 day 20hrs 18mins).
The win also gives Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing - skippered by British Olympic medallist, Ian Walker - a strong psychological boost after it held off challenges from fellow Volvo Ocean Race 2011/12 teams, French outfit Groupama and China’s Team Sanya, who were also making their competitive debuts in their newly-commissioned race yachts.
“It was a fast, tough race and to cross the line with the record and the honours is a big relief and shows that we are really competitive. It is a great boost for the team, both the shore and race crews, to help them feel that they are part of a winning outfit. Winning can become a habit and it is certainly a habit we want to get into,” said Walker.
“Azaam also performed well and it is reassuring that she can withstand a race of that pace and intensity. There were some key learning points to take away from the whole experience and we’ve managed to pull together a lot of data which will be extremely helpful as we make the final push to be Volvo Ocean Race ready.”
With winds whipping up off the Isle of Wight coastline, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing had a dream Fastnet start, initially tearing away from the chasing pack. Under the watchful command of Walker - and navigator Jules Salter, who won the 2008/09 Volvo Ocean Race - the team initially opened up a two-mile lead over Franck Cammas’ Groupama Sailing Team and Mike Sanderson’s Team Sanya.
With choppy conditions and strong wind making for a tough and energy-sapping opening stage, teams focussed on rounding the Fastnet Rock halfway point off the southern tip of Ireland, before gearing up for the final leg towards the Plymouth finish line.
Making the most of the weather, Groupama Sailing Team were first past the Fastnet Rock, four minutes ahead of rivals Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, setting up a thrilling Rolex Fastnet Race finish amid fierce conditions and winds of 25-35 knots on the way back towards the Isles of Scilly.
Yet, living up to her namesake, Azzam and her crew determinedly overturned the deficit in the final 20 miles to rebuff the challenge of Groupama to secure the Volvo Open 70 bragging rights, with just two-months left to the Volvo Ocean Race start in Alicante, Spain.
“Congratulations to the crew and all those involved in Azzam’s victory. This is a clear indication that all of the efforts made since launching this project have paid off and we are on-course to make good on our promise of fielding a title-contending outfit for the Volvo Ocean Race,” said His Excellency Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General, ADTA.
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing - which boasts the most intercontinental crew ever assembled for the gruelling 39,000 nautical mile round-the-world Everest of Sailing, including Emirati Olympian, Adil Khalid - will now head back to its training base in Cascais, Portugal to complete heavy weather training in the crashing waves off Western Europe.
Meanwhile, ADTA is well progressed with its Volvo Ocean Race stopover plans and the purpose-built Destination Village, the size of eight football pitches, which is being developed on the UAE capital’s sweeping Corniche to host the race fleet this New Year.
ADTA has committed to staging a fortnight-long, emirate-wide celebration to mark the Volvo Ocean Race arrival – from concerts and interactive race villages for the whole family, to great holiday packages across Abu Dhabi’s plethora of 4- and 5-star resorts.
The ‘Destination Village’ will open free-of-charge to the public daily from December 31 this year to January 14, next year. ADTA anticipates welcoming more than 100,000 visitors through the gates.
Still some work ahead! (from Groupama 4)
On crossing the finish of the Rolex Fastnet Race in second position at 0800 GMT this Tuesday morning, just four minutes astern of the winner, Abu Dhabi, Franck Cammas and his crew rounded off two days of racing, which was as extreme as it was satisfying, with less than three months till the start of the Volvo Ocean Race.
“We sailed a fine race and we put up a good fight. Unfortunately we finished just behind Abu Dhabi. Obviously I prefer to be in front, but we sailed well”, admitted the skipper of Groupama 4, just minutes after crossing the finish in Plymouth.
“It was extremely interesting to be face to face with our future rivals from the Volvo, and Abu Dhabi in particular. Our performances are very similar and it bodes well for some almighty battles in the round the world. Abu Dhabi appears to be a well-designed and well-considered boat in a fair number of ways. That was all very interesting and meantime Team Sanya (former Telefonica) seemed to be struggling, particularly on a reach. This proves that there's been quite a bit of progress made with the latest generation boats,” explained Franck Cammas.
During the return trip across the Irish Sea, the weather conditions were bracing and caused the gear to suffer: “As we approached the Fastnet, the wind filled to over thirty knots with heavy seas. We were really slamming and it was far from comfortable, but we pushed her as hard as we could. It's pretty extreme. Technically, our issue with the mechanism controlling the canting of the keel and other minor breakages caused us to take our eye off the ball a bit as far as pure performance was concerned. This is always a handicap, especially when the racing is so close.
We're going to have to focus on this over the next few weeks and it's thanks to the Rolex Fastnet Race that our attention has been drawn to this”.
Though there's still a lot of work to do to make Groupama 4 100% reliable, Franck only has positive things to say about his crew: “It's always enjoyable to have some really top class competitive objectives. The crew's attitude has changed a great deal in relation to the training sessions. There are still things to be improved on but with each manœuvre, we were gaining ground on our rivals. The results are very positive and the atmosphere is excellent”.
The first confrontation between the future competitors in the Volvo Ocean Race has come to an end then. As the crew of Groupama 4 head to Lorient, their port of registry, there will doubtless be some time for their first debriefing, which will help to ensure that they take the start of the round the world race in the best possible conditions!