Volvo Ocean Race Leg 4 Day 13
by Volvo Ocean Race media 2 Mar 2012 15:29 GMT
2 March 2012
Squalls and thunder clouds tax teams as Doldrums test looms large
Groupama Sailing Team led the fleet across the equator into the Southern Hemisphere on Friday but menacing thunder clouds and sudden squalls on the approach to the Doldrums could create opportunities for the chasing pack.
At 1300 UTC Groupama had a lead of 70.2 nautical miles (nm), over second placed PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in third a further 40 nm off the lead.
Meanwhile, in the west, overall race leaders Team Telefónica were pushing Abu Dhabi hard, less than one nautical mile further off the lead.
Another 21 nm back CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand lay in fifth, 62 nm ahead of sixth placed Team Sanya.
Groupama crossed the equator at 0710 UTC with some trepidation having been caught out badly twice before in the Doldrums on previous legs.
On Leg 1 they lost touch with the leading pack when they were trapped for three days in the Atlantic Doldrums, and on Leg 2 suffered another Doldrums body blow in the Indian Ocean when they were dumped from first to fourth in windless conditions.
Today, helmsman Phil Harmer said the Groupama crew were hopeful of a smoother passage this time despite currently banging and crashing through squalls ranging up to 35 knots.
“It’s a different part of the world, it’s a different ocean and it looks more stable than it did in Leg 1 and Leg 2,’’ Harmer said.
“We just have to see in 30 hours time what happens and hope that everything is shining on us. Maybe we can get through and then the gate will close and the other guys can take some pain for a change.”
On Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, skipper Ian Walker has been keeping close watch on radar for squalls that could cost tens of miles if played wrong and jeopardise their push for a podium finish.
“We are getting tested regularly by huge clouds and rain squalls that try their best to push us off course,’’ Walker said. “Some squalls have been up to 38 knots and have resulted in us having to sail 60 degrees off course to weather them.
“It is a real test for the crew who need to rapidly reduce sail as fast as they can and hang on tight until the rain squall passes. It is then a race to get back to full sail as the wind drops away behind the cloud.”
Telefónica skipper Iker Martínez said there was potential for big gains and losses in the Doldrums and was ready to pounce on any chance to close their more than 100 nm gap to the leaders.
“The forecast is changing and the weather is unstable,’’ Martínez said. “We can have a chance at any moment. You have to be thinking positive. Opportunities can come out of the blue, even when we don’t expect.”
Race meteorologist Gonzalo Infante said the teams were unlikely to encounter the totally windless zones of previous Doldrums crossings, but the squall and storm activity could still pose problems over the next 24 hours.
Infante said the wind would ease to eight to 12 knots and shift to the east tomorrow, potentially favouring Groupama, PUMA and Abu Dhabi, while Telefónica, CAMPER and Sanya were likely to slow as their westerly positioning required them to sail tighter angles on the approach to the south east tip of the Solomon Islands.
The fleet has more than 2200 nm to go to the finish in Auckland and are currently expected to arrive on or around March 9.
Position Report at 13:02:57 UTC:
| Pos | Team | DTL | Boat Speed | DTF |
|---|
| 1 | GPMA | 0 | 13.3 | 2256.5 |
| 2 | PUMA | 70.1 | 16.1 | 2326.7 |
| 3 | ADOR | 110.2 | 12.7 | 2366.7 |
| 4 | TELE | 110.9 | 13 | 2367.5 |
| 5 | CMPR | 131.9 | 12.8 | 2388.5 |
| 6 | SNYA | 193.8 | 10.9 | 2450.3 |
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Blog from the Seas (by Amory Ross, MCM, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG)
“It’s time to pick up the ruins [after the rough conditions]; we’re getting tidier and tidier.” – Tony Mutter
LOCATION: 375-miles W of Nauru Island
BOATSPEED: 12.7
WINDSPEED: 13.3
HEADING: 164-degrees
SAILS: Big jib, full main
WEATHER: Hot & squally
It took almost 10 days of sailing to get south of Sanya, our starting location, but ever since then we’ve been ticking away the miles to Auckland in a hurry. Even with today’s expected slow-down, we’ll likely cross the Equator again – the third time this race – sometime in the afternoon. Things will change from there as we approach the more technical stage of Leg 4, rife with islands, currents, and rapidly changing weather.
Our final week on the water will be a different scenario than the last one, more dependent on volatile and changing weather typically associated with the middle-regions of the planet. Equatorial conditions generate unpredictable squalls and areas of no wind – something we know too much about – and there will be a small “doldrums” to cross later down the road to New Zealand.
When did we last encounter a doldrum? End of Leg 2, and nobody has forgotten. Groupama was leading, we were in second, Telefónica and CAMPER behind in third and fourth. That one didn’t work out so well… We exited in fourth, and Telefónica went around everyone to win the leg, nipping CAMPER by a minute. I think it’s safe to say we’re all looking forward to a little redemption this time around, especially given the eerie resemblance!
We’re in a good place, though. Tom is happy with our easterly position and the time has come to see it pay its dividends. The guys to our west will either have to stay low and fast, a risky route taking them through the Solomon Islands, or they’ll need to sheet in and sail far slower angles back up to our line, safely to the east of any geographic interference. Whatever they decide, our relative progress is less reliant on straight-line boatspeed and more on sail management and boat handling, especially in the varied conditions. There are many miles to be gained and lost in each maneuver, and those are miles on Groupama we desperately want to take.
- Amory
Ian Walker blog (from Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing)
Finally we are really seeing the benefit of being in the east and today we have passed both Camper and Telefonica to hold third place. The positioning of the boats doesn’t really tell the full story though as we are getting tested regularly by huge clouds and rain squalls which try their best to push us off course. Some squalls have been up to 38 knots and have resulted in us having to sail 60 degrees off course to weather them.
It is a real test for the crews who need to rapidly reduce sail as fast as they can and hang on tight until the rain squall passes. It is then a race to get back to full sail as the wind drops away behind the cloud. In the day time this is not too bad as you can see the clouds and plot your path through them, but at night it takes on a whole new dimension. The only tool we have to help us is our radar that can pick up the rain signaling the advancing squalls. It is safe to say new have been getting better at this with practice but there remains a slight element of luck as to which clouds hit you, how hard and when. One cloud can make or lose you tens of miles so as the sun goes down over the horizon we will be looking to ride the front edge of as many as we can in the darkness tonight.
The only frustration aboard has been the downtime we have had due to some minor breakages. When you are travelling at 20 knots, having to slow down for even 20 minutes results in many lost miles. I suspect we have lost about 20 miles now but I also suspect we are not alone in this after a punishing few days at breakneck speed.
Looking forward we have some very interesting navigational challenges ahead. For now we are constrained by the Solomon Islands which we must pass to the east of but after that some big decisions will need to be made. Right now the fleet remains very tightly packed and I don’t think even Groupama can be sleeping easy as the fleet compresses into the back of them. Another person who will not be sleeping easy is Paul Willcox. He is 75 miles away from his first Equator crossing and King Neptune is growing very restless.
Firehose conditions onboard CAMPER (from CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand)
The fleet battle squall after squall as they make their way south towards Auckland.
"There’s a lot of thunderstorm activity predicted down the track, we’ve certainly been having a few good storms of a night time and early morning the last couple of nights. I think we will see some pretty big gains and losses, and hopefully we need to be on the good side of a few of these ones to get back into this.
You just filmed us getting whacked by one of the little thunderstorms. It gets up to 35 knots and you don’t have time to change a jib, they move down quite fast. What you’ve got to do is bear away, go with it. It’s a matter of hanging on, hoping everything stays in one piece. We’re probably averaging about 24 knots now, We’re a little off course course, not too bad, and that’s good," Skipper Chris Nicholson.