Volvo Ocean Race - Team Alvimedica heads south

by Amory Ross, Team Alvimedica on 31 Oct 2014 OBR Amory Ross reports on Team Alvimedica’s progress in the Volvo Ocean Race.

After a good week of waiting we’ve finally jibed south. It’s wild that after six days of sailing down the coast of South America we finally found ourselves pointed directly at Cape Town (going 16 knots) but all the routing indicates we’re not far enough to the south so down we go!

Not a lot has changed in our positioning: we are still aiming for a middle-of-the-pack approach that gives us leverage over our closest competition but removes the substantial risk of being to the edges of the fleet. Our bed is made and at this point it’s just a matter of lying in it. Time to go and execute.

The most obvious changes have been in the weather, and it’s a matter of some significance given where we’re soon headed. Life is getting cold in a hurry and because the water’s still warm we’re seeing a lot of fog; fog is damp, and for the first time in a long time things are wet. At this point its just condensation, but it’s an early reminder that we’re going south, somewhere much colder and much wetter: to the notorious latitudes of the roaring forties. While the sailing is still easy—and it is by comparison to what it will soon be—everyone has been prepping their respective areas--building worklists, checking the rig, the winches, digging out boots, waterproofing etc.. We want to be sure that when the winds begin to build we’re as ready as possible, and more ready than the rest. We could see sustained winds of 35 knots so preparation is going to be crucial.

It’s Another 500 miles or so of southing, of getting away from the center of the High, before a fast sprint east to the finish. Seems straightforward enough. The boys are excited for some quick sailing, everyone’s happy to have a stake in the fight and spirits are Team Alvimedica