Volvo Ocean Race Leg 1 - Alicante to Cape Town - Start
by Volvo Ocean Race media 5 Nov 2011 18:22 GMT
5 November 2011
Camper shine as teams head out towards trouble
CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand enjoyed the best of a fast and furious inshore course today before the most evenly matched fleet in Volvo Ocean Race history blasted out towards brutal sea conditions at the start of Leg 1.
A crowd of 60,000 watched as Spain’s Crown Prince Felipe fired the gun to set the six boats on their way at 1300 GMT (1400 CET). French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane joined Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing on the inshore course, making it a gala start to the first ocean leg, which will take the fleet over 6,500 nautical miles to Cape Town, South Africa.
Chris Nicholson’s CAMPER were the slickest of the six away, as winds gusting up to 30 knots greeted the fleet. CAMPER increased their lead over PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG to 1 minute 39 seconds at the Alicante leaving mark at the end of the eight-nm course, with Team Telefónica another 36 seconds behind.
Abu Dhabi came next, followed by Groupama sailing team, who took a voluntary two-turn penalty after a collision with PUMA’s Mar Mostro just before the start, and Team Sanya.
“Our skills are offshore for sure,” said Cammas, skipper of the first French team to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race in 18 years. “We are in this race for the first time so we need to learn a few things. It’s important to finish the first 24 hours in good shape because the race is very long and we don’t want to break anything early on. The first night could be the hardest of the whole leg.”
Emotions were running high on the dockside prior to the departure ceremony as the sailors said tearful goodbyes to their loved ones, who they won’t see until they reach Cape Town around three weeks later.
A huge crowd turned out to enjoy the excitement pulsing through the docks. Even the most hardened competitors were caught up in the moment as the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, the 11th edition of the race, took up a journey that will take the fleet over 39,000nm around the world, finishing in Galway, Ireland in July.
For Sanya’s Mike Sanderson, the race’s most experienced skipper and winner of the 2005-06 edition, it is the first time he has competed in this race as a father – and there was no hiding the emotion for the New Zealander.
“Today feels different to any race I have done,” said Sanderson, whose wife Emma competed in the 2001-02 edition on Amer Sports Two. “There are more emotions when you leave for a Volvo Ocean Race and even more so when you have to say goodbye to kids. I’d be lying if I said it was just business as usual. It means so much more.”
Following the traditional “kiss and cry” moment the teams were introduced to Prince Felipe. The Prince, a keen sailor, visited the Volvo Ocean Race with his wife Letizia when the Princess of Asturias was named godmother to Telefónica last month.
Zidane heralded the race as “beautiful” before joining the Abu Dhabi team. He might have added that it was extremely wet, after he jumped backwards off the boat at the end of the inshore course.
Professional big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton, who was on board PUMA´s Mar Mostro, was doubtless more accustomed to leaping off. He said he had “incredible respect” for the crews.
With the boats departing to their team songs blasting out across the Race Village, the spotlight turned to the racecourse where hundreds of spectator boats had gathered to get up-close and personal with the six Volvo Open 70s.
Ian Walker’s Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing had drawn first blood in the event’s curtain-raiser, the Iberdrola In-Port Race, sailing to a 14-minute victory to claim six points and the top spot on the leaderboard heading out to Cape Town.
Leg 1 sees the teams take on the unpredictable Mediterranean, the tidal bottleneck of the Straits of Gibraltar and the strong northeasterly trade winds of the North Atlantic before facing the Doldrums, a constantly-moving area of high pressure found a few hundred miles either side of the equator, notorious for being one of the toughest regions on the planet to sail through.
Once through the Doldrums the teams will search out the southeasterly trade winds close to the Brazilian shore, hoping to pick up the meteorological slingshot effect that will fire them through the South Atlantic to Cape Town.
The teams will have to face a baptism of fire in the first 24 hours of the race, with head-on winds of more than 25 knots forecast and choppy seas – potentially boat-breaking conditions.
“The conditions at first will be ideal for these boats – fast sailing in fresh breeze,” said Gonzalo Infante, the Volvo Ocean Race’s chief meteorologist. “But within about 12 hours, as the boats race into the night, they will have to punch upwind into winds around 25 knots and confused seas. These boats will be slamming around and it will be very wet on deck.”
Rounding positions and provisional times at the Alicante leaving mark:
1. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand 39 minutes 44 seconds
2. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG +1 min 39 sec
3. Team Telefónica + 2:15
4. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing + 2:55
5. Groupama sailing team + 3:57
6. Sanya +7:38
More information and updates on the Volvo Ocean Race website.
And they're off... (from CAMPER press)
CAMPER flew out of the starting blocks this afternoon as the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 began in spectacular conditions. Skipper Chris Nicholson and the crew were faultless during the short inshore course leading the fleet off the line and extending as they flew around the course covering eight nautical miles in under 40 minutes.
Speaking on the dock this morning Nicholson commented, “The conditions do suit us today but you know it can be so different when you are racing to when you are training. We just want to get out of Alicante and to Gibraltar in good shape, we don’t want to have any issues in this first 24 hours as it is forecast to be quite rough out there. I know everyone has said this but whoever gets to Gibraltar first is going to have an advantage so we’re going to go pretty hard to try and get to there in first place. I did my farewell on the phone earlier, which was hard, but as I look around I see a lot of emotion especially with our team. It’s a very close knit team between both the sailing and shore team and also with our sponsors Camper. So, it’s hard to leave but I can’t wait for the welcoming that they will give us in Cape Town It will be quite special.”
The forecast of 20 plus knots didn’t disappoint as the thousands of spectators lining the walls and beaches of Alicante were treated to spectacular sight of six Volvo 70‘s fully powered up. The fleet put the pedal down and accelerated around the eight mile course. CAMPER’s strategy over the short inshore course was simple as they chose to stick to just two headsails.
As CAMPER led the fleet out past the final mark to leave Alicante Bay co-skipper and watch captain Stu Bannatyne commented, “That was a bit of a frenzy, we just wanted to keep it simple, our plan to stick to two sails has worked out nicely for us. We’ve got a long way to go before we can relax and settle down. We’ve got to stack the boat, and run through some sail changes, it’s going to be pretty busy over the next 36 hrs. It’s a great start for us but it’s certainly not over yet! “
The fleet can expect a baptism of fire over the next 24 hours as they face winds in excess of 30 - 35 knots for the routing through the Mediterranean and towards Gibraltar.
The race is on to reach Cabo de Gata, after which the fleet will then turn the corner and head west to Gibraltar.
The battle over the next 6,500 miles has just begun but as CAMPER’s navigator Will Oxley put it,“that is the equivalent of 10.3 Sydney Hobart's races, it doesn’t seem as long when you put it like that."
Fast send-off to Cape Town (from PUMA Ocean Racing)
Race gets underway with Laird Hamilton leap off PUMA’s Mar Mostro
Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012 is underway, and the PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG team was picking up speed as they headed out from Alicante, Spain, on Saturday afternoon. The team rounded the in-port loop in the second position behind CAMPER and was quickly on their way to the second port of Cape Town, South Africa.
“We’re as ready as we’ll ever be,” said skipper Ken Read prior to departure. “Of course Mother Nature is going to give us a little whack on the way out, but that’s to be expected.”
The PUMA crew got off to a solid start and passed the first two marks in the third position before moving up to second. At the leaving mark, PUMA’s Mar Mostro and crew was 1 minute, 39 seconds behind CAMPER.
Laird Hamilton, honorary 12th crew member, left the dock onboard with the PUMA crew. Shortly before the team set out across the Mediterranean, Hamilton dove off the back of the boat and was quickly picked up by the shore team.
“What an opportunity to be on the boat at the start of the race with these winds,” Hamilton said. “To see those guys in their element, see how they operate and how the whole system works is pretty inspiring. And, the jump off was easy – it came quick. I wanted to be on the boat longer.”
While in Alicante, Hamilton spent time with the team and also led paddleboarding demonstrations on the new PUMA/Laird Board, a limited-edition carbon fiber stand-up paddleboard.
Volvo Ocean Race announcer Hannah White also jumped from PUMA’s Mar Mostro after broadcasting live from onboard back to the Race Village.
Now, the 6,500 nautical mile journey to Cape Town is underway for the PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG team. As expected, the winds were blowing near 30 knots after the start. At the first position report, PUMA was second behind Team Telefónica.
“The boys have been working hard getting the stack on the high side,” said watch captain Brad Jackson from onboard as they passed the leaving mark. “Now, we’ll get settled down and get into it.”
A start is born (from Groupama)
In a good fifteen knots or so of Westerly breeze, increasing to over twenty-five at the end of the fifteen mile coastal course, the start of the first leg between Alicante and Cape Town took place at 1400 hours local time. Groupama 4, delayed on the very first tack by having to perform a penalty, managed to get back into the thick of the action to position herself in fifth place, just astern of Abu Dhabi. On this afternoon's menu: fifty miles of reaching as far as the Palos headland...
Today's kick-off was synonymous with the first Volvo Ocean Race start for Franck Cammas and his men in this nine leg circumnavigation of the globe. Nearly 40,000 miles will be covered via the Atlantic, the Indian, the China Sea and the Pacific. It is a marathon at the pace of a sprint. It's a whole new beginning for the French, as they have been absent from this round the world race since Éric Tabarly's participation in 1993... From the outset, Camper very quickly powered up to windward of the fleet under Code 0 alongside Telefonica, whilst Groupama 4 opted for a position downwind of the fleet near the committee boat. The fleet homed in on the first mark at nearly twenty knots, furling in their massive headsails as they prepared to make the rounding.
The New Zealanders (Camper), under staysail and full mainsail, were first to tack, following by the Spaniards (Telefonica) and the Americans (Puma), who opted for the No.2 genoa. Franck Cammas was in hot pursuit with Sanya, whilst the Americans had a few issues with dumping their Code 0... The offshore breeze proved to be very fluky with some big gusts dropping down off the mountainsides. Beneath the cliffs this breeze teamed up with some light airs and some short, albeit surprising gusts, which weren't easy to negotiate. At this point Groupama 4 had to perform a double turn (720°) following a protest from the Americans for a minor collision between the two boats, where Groupama 4's bowsprit touched Puma's stern without causing damage.
At the heart of the action
At the following mark, Camper asserted its position as leader, as the crew furled in their large Code 0 after the gybe, Telefonica and Puma hot on their heels. Despite being delayed by her two-turn penalty, Groupama 4 was just astern of Abu Dhabi and Sanya, the former having problems furling in their Code 0 and the wind continuing to yo-yo both in terms of strength and direction! The New Zealanders were still leading the fleet and were first to gybe in a wind picking up to over fifteen knots. At that point, the fleet passed off the port of Alicante for the first time with varying degrees of success in terms of manoeuvring... Franck Cammas and his men made the most of the opportunity to make the mark rounding ahead of the Chinese yacht and was closing on the leaders as the breeze increased still further to reach 20-25 knots!
The final beat, followed by a long stretch of reaching towards the final course mark, was already proving very boisterous. After just one hour, Chris Nicholson (Camper) was able to head offshore towards the Palos headland, beam onto a 25 knot westerly wind. Ken Read (Puma) was 1'34 minutes shy of the leader, followed by Iker Martinez (Télefonica), Ian Walker (Abu Dhabi) and Franck Cammas (Groupama 4) as the fleet rounded the final course mark.
Emotions and tensions
On the pontoons as the six boats cast off from port to make for the start line amidst a deluge of decibels, a firework display and a religious blessing, beneath the gaze of Prince Felipe de Bourbon and French footballer Zinedine Zidane, the emotion was palpable among all the crew members as they finally left terra firma on their first major Volvo adventure.
Families, loved ones, supports, Groupama's management team and staff, all exchanged their final farewells, embraced and looked on with pride as Groupama 4 set sail on this eleventh edition of the crewed round the world race. In some ways the crew were relieved to finally be about to take the race start and the beginning of a new planetary adventure. They could not disguise their sentiments, nor a slight apprehension prior to this first round of racing and the rather aggressive forecast for the first night at sea... However, the pressure should drop as they pass Gibraltar on Sunday afternoon and begin to focus on their strategy for tackling the Atlantic.
Franck Cammas prior to the start:
"You're always a bit nervous prior to a start such as this, where the dangers lie in the other competitors' boats and the spectator craft, as the start zone is so restricted: it's the trickiest section and you have to put in a lot of manoeuvres. Following that there will be some strong headwinds as far as Gibraltar, which is never easy or comfortable! Roll on the Atlantic where we'll fall into the more familiar configuration of offshore sailing... I'm proud to have made it this far and to be ready in Alicante. We have done what we set out to do over the past two years, with a whole series of different phases according to the schedule, resulting in a yacht, Groupama 4, which is at her best. It promises to be a top level battle which is on a whole different scale to what we've been used to in multihull racing."