La Rochelle, France, May 22nd, 2002

Illbruck Looks to Wrap It Up – A look ahead to Volvo Ocean Race leg eight


Germany’s Illbruck Challenge, at the top of the Volvo Ocean Race points
table, has an opportunity to win the race on leg eight from La Rochelle to
Gothenburg, Sweden. Skipper John Kostecki’s team currently leads Assa
Abloy by eight points with two legs reindexing. With eight points available
for a leg win, Illbruck needs to gain one more point over Assa Abloy to
ensure overall victory.

But it won’t be easy. Leg eight, nominally a 1075-mile short course sprint
up the North Sea, has plenty of challenges of the sort that cause
skipper’s and navigator’s nightmares. Indeed, the list of potential
pitfalls makes the leg look like one of the Indiana Jones’ movies. No
sooner is one obstacle navigated than a new one appears. From the immense
spring tides, and the currents they cause, along both the French and
English coasts, to the hundreds of oil rigs dotting the North Sea; from a
race course that takes the fleet through one of the busiest commercial
shipping areas in the world, to the thousands of tiny rocks, islands and
outcrops that mark the Scandinavian coast, this will be a worrying leg for
all of the teams.

The restart is scheduled for Saturday, 25th May, when the starting gun
will be fired at 17:00, local time (15:00 UTC). The early stage of the
race will see a real dogfight for position, as the first third of the leg
won’t provide much in the way of passing lanes, so each crew will be
anxious to earn a strong position immediately. Some of the largest tides,
and their associated currents, to be found anywhere in the world are along
the Brest Peninsula, making it a particularly hard place to sail. In
addition, the land jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean produces large,
local variations in wind that are notoriously difficult to predict.

Volvo Ocean Race officials have set waypoints that will then take the
fleet along the English coast, north of the Dover Straits traffic
separation scheme in the English Channel. This is an area where there are
likely to be few passing opportunities, although strong currents could be
a factor, and allow some of the teams to distinguish themselves.

Turning the corner, the entrance to the North Sea could provide conditions
amongst the most challenging yet seen in the race. The Goodwin Sands,
north of Dover is a stretch of water characterised by big tides, shallow
water, and numerous drying sand banks. With spring tides scheduled for
Monday the Volvo sailors can expect massive currents, and, if the winds
are opposing the current, some short, steep seas.

The North Sea itself will likely provide the most options for the fleet,
as it’s the biggest stretch of open water the teams will see during the
leg. A waypoint in the middle of the North Sea that the boats must leave
to starboard, and another waypoint off the southeast coast of Norway will
ensure the fleet doesn’t make a straight line for the northern tip of
Denmark, and keep the tactical options open longer.

The fleet must round Torungen Island, immediately south of Arendal,
Norway, to starboard. This coastline is dotted with literally thousands of
little islands and rocks and there are an infinite number of approaches to
the island, giving already tired navigators another burden late in the
leg.

Finally, it’s a 100-mile dash across the Skaggerack, leaving Skagen on the
northern tip of Denmark to starboard, to give any real passing lane
options before entering the Swedish west coast archipelago and the
Southern shipping channel into Gothenburg. The finishing line is just
three miles from the race village where the weary sailors will be greeted
by a throng of family and well-wishers in Volvo’s hometown.

Although Illbruck has distinguished itself as the class of the fleet to
this point, the German team is by no means unbeatable yet, and further
back just eight points separate Assa Abloy in second place from Kevin
Shoebridge’s Team Tyco in fifth. Grant Dalton’s Amer Sports One is
clinging to third place despite a poor showing on the trans-Atlantic leg.
Similarly, Team News Corp, fourth, has distinguished itself on the short
leg from Miami to Baltimore, and will be looking to move up after a
disappointing sixth-place run into La Rochelle.

Before dismasting on the last leg, Lisa McDonald’s Amer Sports Too had
thrown a scare into Knut Frostad’s djuice on two consecutive races, into
Miami and Baltimore. The girls will be anxious to make good on the promise
shown on those occasions on these last two legs, but equally, djuice as a
Norwegian entry will be loathe to trail the fleet into Scandinavia. In
fact, that motivation will apply equally to Sweden’s Team SEB and Assa
Abloy, both returning to their home ports.

But don’t discount the efforts illbruck will make to wrap up the Volvo
Ocean Race before the last leg into Kiel. Many of the sailors from each of
the teams are worried about the final sprint in early June to finish the
race. The last leg, just 250-miles, could shake up the final standings
dramatically, and everyone associated with the German team would be happy
to celebrate in Gothenburg instead. If they manage to perform on this
obstacle-filled race, they are truly deserving of the Volvo Ocean Race
crown.

Contact in La Rochelle / Media Centre:
Mark Howell, Media Director, tel: +44 7818 408 568
Lizzie Green, Race Press Officer tel: +44 7801 185 320