Oceanracing - Volvo Ocean Race - VOR 2005/2006

Volvo Ocean Race - VOR 2005/2006 - Leg 3
www.volvooceanrace.org - Übersicht Leg 3

14.02.2006
From: ABN AMRO ONE LEG THREE DAY 3
Subject: The Tasman
Ohh yes.. We are in the Tasman; my first offshore trip was across the Tasman. It was on a delivery of a 45 foot race yacht to Sydney, I was 19 years old and a pretty green dinghy sailor at the time. The one thing that I often remembered about that trip was being disappointed at how shifty it was and also how short and steep the waves are when sailing offshore, but now after all the miles I have done I now realise that is just what it's often like in the Tasman sea.....

ABN AMRO ONE wieder Erste
Foto: Team ABN AMRO

Running downwind in short steep waves doesn't suit our boat. We have a big powerful transom which gives us our good reaching speed, but it means downwind if the waves are steep, we can be a little bow down into them. This has meant that often the boat goes roaring down a wave and then plows straight into the back of the wave in front, shovelling tons of water over the boat at once, as well as putting a lot of load on the gear. All in all not ideal and pretty extreme sailing conditions, but that is a price that we knew we where going to pay for an edge power reaching, and so far in the first two legs, it has seemed pretty good. Just hope we can hang on to the pace in the next leg to Rio when we could get a lot of hard running, if the waves are their normal long and flowing Southern Ocean waves then we will be just fine, as I say too much, "time will tell".

Been a tough day in the office here today for Stan (Honey) and I. Basically the wind isn't doing what the forecasts keep telling us they should, that makes it pretty tough for us to come up with a solid game plan, as we have to try and work out why it's not doing what they think it should be in the Met offices around the World.

But Stan is the man, and he has been working tirelessly at trying to come up with a solution. We think we have nailed it, but will only be able to confirm that if we can get to the top of the South Island of New Zealand first.

The last 100 miles into Wellington is looking really tricky, with very light airs forecast in Cook Strait. Unfortunately once again, with the fleet not far behind us it is going to be anyone's race into Wellington. I know that my mate Stu Ballantyne on movistar, who is a good local Wellington boy, will be doing everything possible to beat the five Kiwis on ABN AMRO ONE into their home stop over.

Fingers crossed for Black Betty. Anyway, we need too get in quickly !!! Brad Jackson's ( AKA Skunk's) feet stink.. Talk soon Cheers Mike Sanderson - skipper For media information on the Volvo Ocean Race, please contact: Lizzie Green Press Officer at race headquarters: Tel: +44 1489 554 832, Mob: +44 7801 185 320 Email: lizzie.green@volvooceanrace.org Sophie Luther Press Assistant at race headquarters Mob: +44 7956 285548 email: sophie.luther@volvooceanrace.org