Volvo Ocean Race Leg 7 - Day 2

Ryan Godfrey goes aloft to repair a ripped sail soon after leaving Miami during leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race © Amory Ross / PUMA Ocean Racing / Volvo Ocean Race

Teams hit screaming speeds as storm offers key to victory

Boat speeds rocketed on Monday as the Volvo Ocean Race fleet flirted with Tropical Storm Alberto, the weather system that could hold the key to a rapid, unorthodox transatlantic crossing.

Fleet-wide speeds were into the high 20s as the teams careered north-east towards the tropical storm, the first of the 2012 hurricane season, and the key to early success in the 3,590-mile sprint to Lisbon, Portugal.

At its centre, Alberto holds gale-force winds of 35 knots but the teams will likely try to exploit the lesser, more favourable breeze further from the eye of the storm that could catapult them across the Atlantic.

Groupama sailing team were leading the charge at 1300 UTC having gybed to the north-east first, with an eight-mile advantage of over PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG as less than 20 miles split the fleet.

"There have been a few key moments so far and we’ve been in a position to dictate where we wanted to go, and the fleet are doing a similar thing behind us," Groupama watch captain Damian Foxall said.

"It’s a good position to be in. We’re the first one to gybe and we’re the first to be going in the right direction towards Lisbon at speed. So long as this keeps up, things are looking good.”

Just 14 points separate leaders Team Telefónica from fourth-placed PUMA in the overall standings and with 30 points on offer to the winners of each of the remaining three offshore legs that lead could easily be swallowed up.

Telefónica finished off the podium for the first time in an offshore leg in the race into Miami and made matters worse by taking last place in Saturday’s PORTMIAMI In-Port Race.

Still, MCM Diego Fructuoso said team spirit was good as they bid to hold off Groupama, seven points behind them in second, as well as CAMPER with Emirates Tea New Zealand, a further six points back, and PUMA, just a point behind them.

“The atmosphere is really good, which is not easy after the recent results,” said Fructuoso. “We're going to give it everything in this leg, as we want to arrive in Lisbon in first place and show we haven't forgotten how to win."

After winning the PORTMIAMI In-Port Race and leading around the inshore section of the Leg 7 start, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing were looking strong until a large plastic bag wrapped around their keel hampered progress.

But skipper Ian Walker said they were well matched against PUMA and CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand and enjoying the tussle for third.

“They are both right next to us,” Walker said. “I was just on deck and we can see them clearly. “We dropped back into the pack in the upwind conditions soon after the start but now we are holding them as we get into down wind sailing.”

Volvo Ocean Race weather expert Gonzalo Infante said although the North Atlantic weather systems are unstable, the option to ‘cut the corner’ and sail a non-traditional route almost in a straight line to Lisbon could be opening up to the teams.

“A new low pressure system forming further north is set to swallow up Tropical Storm Alberto and force the huge high pressure system that blocks the path to Lisbon to the east,” he said.

“A cold front associated with the low pressure will bring wind, allowing the teams to sail a much more direct route. The door is definitely open – but timing is everything.”

Position Report at 13:02:49 UTC:

www.VolvoOceanRace.com

Carolina beat (from Groupama Sailing Team)

Offshore of Charleston, the fleet has entered a new weather system, after negotiating a transition zone of moderate headwinds. Since this Monday morning, Groupama 4 has fallen into step with a tropical disturbance, which is propelling the whole fleet towards the NNE at over twenty knots. This drastic change in tempo is set to last for several days...

Sailing to a new tune since this morning, the music has become a little funkier after the long languorous slow off the Florida coastline! What's more, the rhythm is set to switch to rock & roll, since the fleet are due to hook onto the tropical storm by the name of Alberto, which could accompany the fleet until at least as far as next weekend. It all began off Miami, with a slow tempo coloured by the Gulf Stream current two miles offshore, a chop with a number of spectator boats, squalls with an overcast, stormy sky and some very light and at times inexistent wind all the way to the end of the preliminary coastal course.

Tropical lilts...

After this melancholic waltz where Groupama 4 and Abu Dhabi were dancing cheek to cheek in a bid to leave Miami Beach in their wake, it was midway through the night that the fleet began to carve out a route due North. After 12 hours of close-contact racing, the ENE'ly breeze of around a dozen knots shifted round sharply to the South-West, as they approached a small depression forming offshore of South Carolina. With a breeze of around ten knots at the time, it very quickly filled to over 25 knots with gusts of 35 knots and more on seas which were already pretty built up by the Gulf Stream current. However, this mini disturbance wasn't what the navigators had their sights one. Their initial target is some 500 miles further to the North-East, in the shape of Tropical Storm Alberto, which is due to follow an extremely interesting curved trajectory which should enable them to hurtle across the Atlantic.

As such, the crews need to really get a move on over the coming hours to get around to the East of the first depression centre, which remains fairly static offshore of Charleston. After a syncopated swing in a boisterous south-westerly, the difficulty will be in getting across the racetrack in a cooler air so as to hook onto "Albert" and its `heavy metal' tempo! Indeed this system will be more synonymous with 35-40 knots in 36 hours' time, to the South of the banks of Newfoundland. And, as is often the case behind these tropical storms, the wind is sucked away leaving little more than `decibels' for the latecomers...

Harmonious clashes

At the back of the fleet, the Chinese already have a the blues ringing in their ears: they have conceded nearly twenty miles on the frontrunners and are unable to keep up with the rhythm set by the `rockers', which are racking up average speeds in excess of 23 knots! Already there is some discord among the navigators. After a sleepless night under a moonless sky, the crew of Groupama 4, which have been leading since midway through the night, have really distinguished themselves from their adversaries. Franck Cammas and his men didn't want to risk skirting close to the centre of this first depression and have shifted further over to the North-East, where the wind is a little steadier and above all more regular. As such, they have already pulled their first strategic move since the rest of the pack has remained tightly bunched...

Indeed the key thing right now seems to be to gain as much ground to the East as possible, so as to close on the Azores High, which will be compressed by "Alberto". However, this tropical storm is shifting along at over 25 knots to the NNE and the VO-70s aren't quick enough to follow its trajectory. As a result, they will have to catch hold of its tail, which translates as the associated front, which will bend round at an angle across the Atlantic. The next 24 hours will be crucial then, for positioning themselves favourably in relation to this speedy phenomenon, as the then leaders will have better sailing conditions: more stable breeze, more organised seas and less cloudy skies. In any case, after a day at sea, "DJ Francky" and his group have performed an excellent prelude in this battle royal!

Blog from the Seas (by Amory Ross, MCM, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG)

“Nothing like going upwind in the Gulf Stream.” (slamming into a big swell) – Tony Mutter

LOCATION: 50 miles E of Cape Canaveral, FL
HEADING: 030 degrees
WINDSPEED: 10. 4 knots
BOATSPEED: 10.7 knots

Leg 7, Day 1… There are not many Day 1’s left between here and Galway. But here we go again, one day closer to the end of this very long race. As we leave Miami for Portugal there are several things that come to mind:

1. Miami departure = awesome. The crowds arrived just in time to see us off, and they included some of the most engaging and interactive spectators we’ve seen to date. While it was always going to be tough to match the enthusiasm of Brazil and New Zealand, Miami’s light arrival attendance and general fanfare left a little to be desired. Fortunately, the numbers spiked this weekend and we left downtown Miami to a raucous send-off amidst a large armada. A huge thank you to all who came out – you did an incredible job closing what has been a really fun few weeks on a high note. All that was missing was a few more knots of wind and a better start on our part!

2. Lisbon. Great city and we’re all really excited to get there! They love sailing and it should be a great place to mark our return to Europe.

3. Who’s actually counting? Some of us :) There are only 18-20 days left at sea on this fine yacht; is it time to cherish or celebrate!? This leg is expected to take 10-13 days, our shortest yet, and it only gets shorter from there. Could we really be that close to finishing? It sometimes feels like this race will last forever, but in reality it will be over soon and with it so too the days of the venerable Volvo 70. We are a lucky few who get to sail the last breed of these crazy creations…

4. Points. There are tons of them out there and it would be an understatement to say that we are sailing to win. It’s doable and we feel confident in our team, our boat, and our chances. We have to. If you had told us that we would be 14 points back from the leader after losing our rig on leg 1 (and subsequent third and fourth-place finishes on the next two legs), we probably would have called you crazy, but that’s where we are and we have a huge opportunity to do something special here.

5. Acclimating to boat life following a stopover is getting easier with each one. Packing food, sorting personal gear (organizing camera equipment)… After six legs of doing it I think everyone is finally comfortable with whatever it is that needs doing before we leave, and it makes the early stages of a leg more relaxed and enjoyable. What used to be a very stressful 12 hours has become more routine than anything else, and I think we all in some ways look forward to leaving the dock, along with the distractions of land-life with it. Once that last line is tossed, it’s us and us alone. Our world gets very small, very quickly.

6. Six boats. Great to see Sanya back out here and the fleet together again for the first time in a few months!

Okay. Off to bed for some much needed rest. One thing is certain after some vacation time in Miami and South Beach: sleeping is not an endorsed activity!

- Amory