Volvo Ocean Race – A hard days night

by Volvo Ocean Race on 2 Apr 2015

Onboard Team Alvimedica - Fast upwind conditions mean a lot of spray over the deck and there's no escaping it,even from the back of the boat - Leg five to Itajai - Volvo Ocean Race 2015 Amory Ross / Team Alvimedica

Volvo Ocean Race – Tonight the front squad has broken through the 1000nm barrier to the finish of this leg in Itajaí. This milestone has probably passed unnoticed among the fleet in a night where pretty much everything has consisted of survival, seamanship and staying safe and sound in the racetrack.

It’s been a night to fear the seas and respect nature, as the top gunners are currently transiting an area north of a low pressure, where the wind is blowing 40 knots of madness and the seas encounter both north and south currents creating chaos.

Whoever thought this leg was just about the Southern Ocean got it wrong. The South Atlantic is proving to be just as furious.

Amory Ross describes the scenario onboard Team Alvimedica: “Survive the Southern Ocean and Cape Horn only to get absolutely destroyed off the coast of South America. This will be the most uncomfortable, difficult, and dangerous 24 hours of the leg without question while we hammer ourselves upwind into 35-40 knots (41 right now) in a completely confused and unpredictable sea.

'Eight hours,' Will says, 'Eight miserable hours until the front passes over and everything begins to moderate. Eight hours until we can go about repairing bruised bodies and a tired vessel, both of which having already travelled 6,200 miles since Auckland.”

Back in the field, as the peloton makes their way north, around 1100 UTC MAPFRE and Team Brunel started to sail farther west of the leaders Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Team Alvimedica.

The Spaniards and the Dutch team have been sailing slightly higher. Both teams have made good gains on Azzam. Around 0215 UTC you can see the Emiratis starting to curve higher as well.

The wind has started to drop away as the front passes over the fleet. Potentially dropping below 10 knots briefly later today. These conditions will open opportunities for those wanting to steal the lead.

90 miles southwest of the Falkland Islands is Team SCA who seemed to have had some problems with one of their sails during their pass through the Strait of Le Maire.

	DTL (NM)	GAIN/LOSS (NM)	DTF (NM)	Speed (kt)
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing	0	0	960.1	19
Team Alvimedica	9.5	1	969.7	19
MAPFRE	12.2	5	972.3	20
Team Brunel	25.6	9	985.8	21
Team SCA	737.1	18	1697.3	13
Dongfeng Race Team	RETIRED
Team Vestas Wind	DID NOT START