Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012

[mpowlison]

April 5, 2012

CLOSING DOWN PUMA



Team Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) have the bit between their teeth tonight after making more gains on leaders PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (Ken Read/USA) and are pushing hard for the lead.

“We’re going for them,” said Telefónica’s helmsman Pablo Arrarte as the Spanish upped the pressure today on PUMA. Not exactly music to the ears for PUMA’s skipper Ken Read, but unsurprising nonetheless, given the intensity of the final section of Leg 5 from Auckland to Itajaí in Brazil.

For most of the morning, PUMA had the edge in boat speed and were able to keep the Spanish team at bay. However, since 1700 GMT Iker Martínez and his men, who have maintained their course just shy of 100 nm off the coast, have had better breeze with a faster angle and impressive boats speeds of around 23.3 knots have seen the miles clicking down fast as the team draws closer to PUMA.

At 1900 GMT, PUMA was 320 nm from the final waypoint on this leg at Florianópolis, some 30 miles south of Itajaí and 41.10 nm ahead of Telefónica. The leg winner is expected to cross the finish at 1600 GMT tomorrow.

Meanwhile, there are still 20 points on offer for third place and both Groupama (Franck Cammas/FRA) and CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) would like to claim them.

In a race against time, it looks likely that Groupama, who dismasted on Wednesday and limped to Punta del Este, Uruguay, to fashion a jury rig, will be the first of the two teams to resume racing. While Groupama are hampered by a much smaller sail area, they will have only 580 nm nautical miles to sail to the finish.

CAMPER however, face a much harsher passage from Chile, south around the fearsome Cape Horn and will have 2,800 nautical miles of sailing before they reach Itajaí

[mpowlison]

April 6, 2012

PUMA clinch epic victory as Telefónica fall just short

After more then 7,500 nautical miles of racing from Auckland, starting with a first-night battering as bad as any in the race’s history and on through brutal conditions in the Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn, PUMA’s Mar Mostro crossed the Itajaí finish in brilliant sunshine at 16:09:51 local time (19:09:51 UTC) to take their first victory of the 2011-12 edition.

It was an extraordinary finish to the battle for first place in a leg that saw five of the six boats forced to stop for repairs.

Telefónica were 400 nm behind the leaders when they resumed racing following a pit stop to work on structural damage to their boat. They quickly began to reduce that gap and when Groupama were forced out following a dismasting they were suddenly in a two-way battle for first.

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG score 30 points for their win, taking their total to 113 points. It means they are just 34 points behind overall leaders Team Telefónica, despite having been forced to retire from Leg 1 because of a broken mast.

A mix of emotions from elation and relief was evident on the faces of the 11 crew on board PUMA as they celebrated their victory.

[mpowlison]

April 6, 2012

PUMA HOLD OFF TELEFÓNICA FOR EPIC LEG 5 WIN



PUMA held firm in the face of a relentless attack from Telefónica to clinch an epic Leg 5 victory on Friday, crossing the finish line in Itajaí, Brazil with a winning margin of just 12 minutes after the Spanish team had threatened to complete one of the great sporting comebacks.

After more then 7,500 nautical miles of racing from Auckland, starting with a first-night battering as bad as any in the race’s history and on through brutal conditions in the Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn, PUMA’s Mar Mostro finished in brilliant sunshine at 19:09:51 UTC.

Telefónica, who had been a constant threat to them, followed her in at 19:22:29 UTC for a second place that strengthens their position as overall leaders with five of nine offshore legs now complete.

Both boats were roared home by dozens of spectator boats and thousands of fans lining every possible viewing position on the way in.

It was an extraordinary finish to the battle for first place in a leg that saw five of the six boats forced to stop for repairs.

Telefónica were 400 nm behind the leaders when they resumed racing following a pit stop to work on structural damage to their boat. They quickly began to reduce that gap and when Groupama sailing team were forced out following a dismasting they were suddenly in a two-way battle for first.

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG score 30 points for their win, taking their total to 113 points. It means they are just 34 points behind overall leaders Team Telefónica, despite having been forced to retire from Leg 1 because of a broken mast.

Groupama will reduce the Telefónica lead to 20 points if they complete the leg in third place under jury rig, as planned.

CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, currently carrying out repairs in Puerto Montt in Chile, can get back to within 28 points if they complete the leg in fourth.

As it became clear that PUMA were doing enough to hold off Telefónica, the team's Media Crew Member Amory Ross handed out chocolate treats to the crew, before skipper Ken Read took back the helm to take his team over the finish line.

"We've never seen such an amazing welcome," said an overwhelmed looking Read, who took time to sympathise with his five rivals and their problems over the course of the leg.

"I've never done such a tough offshore leg in my life. It's been pretty intense. Our hearts go out to the crews who have suffered damage. We know what that's like and it's even worse when it's in a place like the Southern Ocean."

Telefónica had been written off after suspending racing for 17 hours for structural repairs inside the Cabo de Hornos National Park on March 31. The team resumed racing at 2133 that same day, more than 400 nm behind the leaders.

Nevertheless, a powerful South Atlantic front that rose from the south propelled Telefónica to within striking range of PUMA within days. Anxiety levels were rising on board PUMA, even after Groupama’s dismasting on April 4, but Read’s men were able to steel their nerves in a long match-race to the finish line for their first leg victory in this edition.

PUMA have had a steady rise since the devastating blow of their broken mast on Leg 1. In the past four scoring events PUMA have finished second three times and now first, with real momentum with the American-based team as they head towards Leg 6 to Miami in the United States.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing will ship their boat to Itajaí for Leg 6, while Sanya will rejoin the race in Miami after losing a rudder while leading earlier on Leg 5.

[mpowlison]

April 8, 2012

CAMPER HEAD FOR THE HORN



CAMPER were back in action and heading to Cape Horn on Sunday after resuming racing -- while Groupama closed in on third place in Leg 5.

Six days after they suspended racing and headed to Puerto Montt in Chile, Chris Nicholson’s men on CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand were back in racing mode for the more than 2,500 nautical miles they still have to sail to the finish line in Itajaí.

CAMPER officially resumed racing at 0441 UTC after motoring through Chile’s waterways for more than 26 hours to get back to the position at which they suspended.

To complete the leg they must take on the feared Cape Horn, the most southerly tip of South America, one of the most dangerous places to sail in the world.

“It already feels colder here than we remember, and unfortunately for us it is only going to get colder until we eventually round Cape Horn and head north again to more tropical waters,” said CAMPER Media Crew Member Hamish Hooper.

“From what I learn from the guys on board this is now very late in the year to be rounding Cape Horn so hopefully we get lucky and into a nice weather window to take us down, around and up safely over the next few days.

“Right now the wind is very light, the swells are such that the boat bangs down off each wave.

“I am slowly getting used to the banging bow again. It wasn’t an enjoyable sound when it was weakened for the 10 days before we stopped in for repairs.

“But with each bang the boat sure feels stronger than it did when vibrations would reverberate right through its bones last week.”

CAMPER were forced to divert to Chile after discovering structural problems.

They are guaranteed at least 15 points for completing the leg following the retirement of Team Sanya and Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, Groupama were within 325 nautical miles of the finish, having resumed racing with a temporary rig on Saturday.

Franck Cammas’ team, down to seven men for the final stretch, were hitting speeds of up to 19 knots despite sailing with a rig made from the broken pieces of their mast.

“We are always keeping in mind not to ask too much to our rig,” said MCM Yann Riou.

Groupama are on course to pick up 20 points for finishing Leg 5 in third place, a result that will take them back up to second place, 20 points behind Team Telefónica.

Telefónica finished the leg as runners-up to PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG on Friday.

[mpowlison]

April 9, 2012

GROUPAMA ON HOME STRAIT WHILE CAMPER TOUGHS IT OUT

As the French team on board Groupama (Franck Cammas/FRA) enter the home straight towards the finish line in Itajaí, Brazil, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand (Chris Nicholson/AUS) were preparing to do battle with Cape Horn in two days’ time. Both boats had to make unscheduled pit stops during Leg 5 from Auckland to Itajaí due to damage. Groupama was dismasted on April 4 and put in to Punta del Este, Uruguay to step a jury rig, while CAMPER headed to Puerto Montt in Chile to repair structural damage after suspending racing on April 3.

CAMPER are heading towards 50 degrees south and the temperature is dropping. Boosting morale is plenty of food and the thought that although there are no competitors on the water to sail against, there is a ship carrying ABU Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Azzam (Ian Walker/GBR,), which will be heading towards Itajaí with her precious cargo and two members of the team’s shore crew.

Conditions have so far been light and rather ordinary for the Southern Ocean and CAMPER have only been able to achieve an average speed of around eight knots. However, the crew reports a building breeze, which they are hoping will propel them quickly towards Cape Horn to round it ahead of a depression set to blast its way through the vicinity around that time.

Groupama meanwhile, have had perfect conditions to sail the last few hundred miles under jury rig and have been making 12.4 knots towards a certain third place finish position and 20 points. The crew are continually optimising their sail plan. They are flying a storm jib as a staysail and a staysail as a genoa along with a heavily reefed mainsail. At 1000 GMT today, they had 166 nautical miles to run and are expected to cross the finish at approximately 0900 GMT on Tuesday. CAMPER has tough days ahead with over 2391 nm to sail, alone.