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12th October 2014
LATEST at 1830 CET:
Dongfeng in to 2nd place as they follow Mapfre
DOCKSIDE EMOTION TURNS IN TO ONBOARD ACTION AND FOCUS
LATEST at 1830 CET: Dongfeng in to 2nd place as they follow Mapfre with a tack south away from the land. Vestas following them, but the other 4 for now sticking further north in what looks like a complicated wind transition.
For most people, leaving your loved ones for three to four weeks isn’t that much of a big deal. People do it all the time. But when you’re leaving your loved ones to sail over 6,500 nautical miles across both North and South Atlantic in one of the world’s real sporting adventures, it’s safe to say emotions can run high.
Leg 1, day 1 and it’s been a sleepless night for both sailors and family.
Image cr?edit: Ma?rc Bow /? Volvo O?cean Rac?e
We all know this race comes with risks, but as Kevin Escoffier’s mother said – “You see how much they love it and your job as a mother, as a brother, as a lover and as a friend, is to support them." The family of Chen Jin Hao (Horace) couldn’t make it for the departure: “I carry a photo of my family with me, that way if I need strength I look at it,” said Horace. Although the departure was emotional, it was not long before the Dongfeng crew had their head in the game. “It’s part of what we do,” says Swede Martin Strömberg. “You wave goodbye and seconds later you’re excited to be leaving and already thinking about the challenges ahead.”
Image cr?edit: Ya?nn Riou ?/ Dongfe?ng Race ?Team
From onboard Dongfeng 0400 UTC 12.10.14:
There has been a lot of action at the start of leg 1 of this Volvo Ocean Race. First the coastal race and then hugging the coast of Spain in the night in highly variable winds followed by dark skies and the addition of even greater wind rotations brought on by thunderstorms. We have had countless transitions and sail changes.
So apart from a quite palpable emotion leaving the pontoon, we are now in race mode. No time to ask more questions. For Wolf, it looks like just another workout. Nevertheless, he confesses to be proud of what he is doing. Kevin, he regrets that we have not managed to maximise the coastal race to reflect what we had managed to do in our training. As for Charles, he quickly removed the stress of starting to get stuck into the race. "The boats are identical, and it shows! It’ll be exciting!” Exciting, yes, but also tiring. It’s four UTC, that’s fourteen hours since we left, and the crew have only started their watch system to get their first rest.
Image cr?edit: Ma?rc Bow /? Volvo O?cean Rac?e
What next?
The one-design concept is proving its worth already – the identical seven-boat fleet are separated by just a few miles since the start and Dongfeng is within sight of her closest rivals. “It’s been a hard night but a good night,” said Kevin in the onboard video. Racing upwind, the latest poll at 15:50 UTC shows the fleet are separated by less than 5.5 nautical miles from the lead boat Mapfre with Dongfeng positioned 1.7nm behind in second. But when it’s this close the positions don’t count for much – they could be turned on their head in the next poll! The fleet is expected to pass the Gibraltar Straits tonight around 2100 UTC as the westerly breeze kicks in at around 15 knots
Want to understand the tactics onboard?
What’s the wind going to do next? Expected to strengthen from the west, as the boat tacks back and forth against the westerly direction to get into the Atlantic.
What does this mean for tactics? The navigator has to choose when to tack (turn bow of boat through the wind), and this is all about choosing the ‘tack’ which is the closest angle to where they want to go, and being in the right place for each wind shift.
Big question? Is it more favourable to stay nearer the coast as the sun sets or further offshore – this can effect the direction and strength of the wind. There is never a simple answer to this one!
All being well, Dongfeng will be in the Atlantic and then a long-term key tactical decision needs to be taken. Charles Caudrelier and navigator, Pascal Bidegorry, will have to choose their lane (further west easier Doldrums crossing, further east shorter route) to make their way towards the waypoint of Fernando de Noronha off Brazil. This first big decision depends on if the trade winds that blow in to the Equator region are well established or not.
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