Volvo Ocean Race - Team Brunel second in Cape Town In-Port Race
by Team Brunel on 16 Nov 2014
Practice Race in Cape Town: Team Brunel Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race
Team Brunel has finished in second place in the Volvo Ocean Race In-Port Race, which was staged this afternoon off the coast of Cape Town in South Africa. Skipper Bouwe Bekking had handed the wheel to his French team colleague Laurent Pagès for today. The Dutch skipper – who has been living in Denmark for many years – elected to play the role of tactician on board Team Brunel.
Conditions were perfect, with a 20-knot wind from the south, very manageable waves and lovely sunshine. It was to be an exciting race, thanks to the constant wind changes. Team Brunel began the race in third place and, on arrival at the gate in the first round, opted for the right-hand side of the course in their quest for more wind pressure. However, one of the many wind shifts consequently forced the entire fleet to the left-hand side of the course. Team Brunel reached the top buoy in third place, after which the Dutch boat momentarily lost steerage due to a hard gust of wind. The men of Team Brunel soon had the 65 foot long carbon racing boat back under control however.
In the final windward tack to the finish, Team Brunel chose the centre of the course, with Team SCA to their right and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing on the left-hand side. This proved to be the right choice, as it was here that Team Brunel stole second place from Team SCA.
'It was a strange race today,' Bouwe Bekking concluded at the finish. 'The wind unexpectedly shifted more than 70 degrees and we had wind speeds of between five and 25 knots. We got off to a really good start, but a wind shift meant that we were just slightly too late with our gennaker. And that's how Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing was able to take the lead. It was a good call to immediately start gybing, after which it was a question of consolidating and not doing anything stupid. We came close to catching Abu Dhabi at the end, but another wind shift spoilt that for us. It was good teamwork that ensured we came in second.'
On Wednesday, Team Brunel will begin the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 to Abu Dhabi, together with the other six competitors.
Team Brunel website
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