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Volvo Ocean Race 2011/2012 - VOR-Nachrichten 2011 - Start 29.Oktober 2011
www.volvooceanrace.com - Übersicht Leg1
Tagesvideo
November 9, 2011 - 1500 UTC Leg one, day 5
D-DAY FOR ABU DHABI AS THEY PREPARE TO SAIL
Leg 1 Report: 09/11/2011 13:04:19 UTC
DTL DTLC BS DTF
1 TELE 0.00 0.0 15.3 5734.0 2 PUMA 8.80 1.0 14.1 5742.9 3 GPMA 30.00 13.0 9.9 5764.0 4 CMPR 65.90 5.0 14.3 5799.9 - ADOR Suspended Racing - SNYA Retired from Leg 1
The next few hours will be make or break for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing as they race against time to get back into the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, with the fleet now well ahead of them but several days away from high-speed sailing in the Atlantic.Abu Dhabi, led by British double Olympic silver medallist Ian Walker, installed the replacement mast this morning and were on the verge of being ready to re-join the fleet, four days after their mast snapped in violent Mediterranean seas.
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Foto: Tim Stonton
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While the Mediterranean is calmer at the moment, the conditions once they are through the Strait of Gibraltar and into the Atlantic could be all too familiar.“It could give us the confidence we need to carry on the journey but it will be nerve-wracking too,” Walker said. “We’re not fighting for every inch like we would with other boats around so we might throttle back but on the other hand if we can go full steam and get through that’s exactly the kind of confidence boost we need.”On the racecourse a virtual game of chess was unfolding with the lead changing several times in the last 24 hours.
It was Spain’s Team Telefónica who led the fleet at the 1300 UTC position report after surrendering the top spot briefly to Franck Cammas’ Groupama sailing team, who were hugging the African coast after splitting from the fleet. By mid morning Telefónica were back out in front. For skipper Iker Martínez and trimmer Xabi Fernández it was another reason to celebrate after they were named ISAF Rolex Sailors of the Year last night in recognition of their glittering sailing career together which includes gold medals at the Athens Olympics in the 49er dinghy class, silver medals in Beijing and three world championship wins.“We’re very happy with this,” Martínez told Race headquarters by Inmarsat satellite phone today. “It’s something that is very important and makes us very proud.“We don’t have many ways to celebrate on board but we had a little bit of cheese and a little bit of ham which is the best thing for now. We are going to enjoy it much more when we arrive in Cape Town.”In any case, with Ken Read’s PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG snapping at their heals there was no time for prolonged festivity among the Spanish team.
“We can still see PUMA after five days of racing,” Martínez added. “That helps us a lot learning how to set up the boat and it pushes us a little bit more. It looks like we will be like this not only for this leg but for the whole race. “The next 24 hours looks like there will have plenty of things happening. We have another front coming and we need to manage the situation as best we can. It looks like there won’t be very much wind so we need to make sure we don’t stop. Every time we stop it’s difficult because we know Groupama are going to be putting miles on us.”Cammas and his team of offshore experts caused a stir when they split with their rivals two days ago, boldly opting to stay close to the Moroccan coast instead of heading west in search of the stronger trade winds.Groupama’s Media Crew Member Yann Riou, himself an experienced ocean racer, said the crew were on a “highway to hell” in a gamble to shave distance off their route to Cape Town.“The unbelievable scenario we felt could happen yesterday is now taking shape,” Riou said.
“Our three competitors went for the west, looking for a new weather system. Let’s say we won’t see them again soon!“As far as we are concerned, even though we have no competitor around us, we are running after a tradewind embryo moving with us towards the south. If we manage to catch it, we believe our option could pay. If not, we will have to reduce our consumption of diesel and food, because we could stay in the neighbourhood for quite a while.”Cammas’ decision to stay close to shore has caused controversy among his rivals. PUMA Ocean Racing skipper Ken Read said he was “surprised” by the Frenchman’s tactics – and that he had absolute trust in his own navigator Tom Addis.“We like where we’re at,” Read said. “Tom Addis is THE weather man. I have a lot of confidence in him and I like where we are. I wouldn’t change places with [Groupama] now, no way.”Team Sanya, led by 2005-06 race winner Mike Sanderson, were this afternoon finalising plans to ship their damaged boat to Cape Town where they will carry out repairs in time for the second leg of the race to Abu Dhabi. &xnbsp; &xnbsp;
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