Volvo Ocean Race - Supreme sailing for Team Alvimedica

by Amory Ross, Team Alvimedica on 28 Oct 2014 Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15. OBR Amory Ross reports on day 16 for Team Alvimedica.

Day 16. Hollllly smokes. Where have the miles gone!? Time flies when you’re having fun I guess, and Housty nailed it today—'this sailing is supreme.'

We’re basking in the traditional SE tradewinds, serving up a gorgeous dosage of twenty-knot perfection squarely on the beam. An occasional cloud brings a bit of Brazilian fever, a quick reef and some warm water over the deck, but on the whole these days are exactly what you have in mind when you sign up for this race. Dare I suggest: downwind perfection. It is the collective opinion that you could just go on like this forever; irrelevant are the days!

Of course the easy miles must end, and there are some fairly imminent choices on the table--decisions that will play a heavy hand in how this leg will end for us. We’ve spent the last two days riding down the coast of South America but as the continent begins it’s gradual recession west, so we begin ours to the east. The fleet has split into three groups—those to the west, us in the middle, and a third to the east; three different approaches to the predominantly permanent South Atlantic High that dominates the weather down here.

In simple terms the goal is to get south. The sooner we get through the flukiness of the High the sooner we get into the strong westerly’s that circle the planet, propelling us to Cape Town at potentially record-setting speeds. But cut the corner too much and the lighter winds near the high can negate those saved miles. The western route offers a potentially quicker 'southing,' but you pay in the way of extra distance. We’ve opted for a conservative lane down the middle—maybe not so drastic of a decision—but the consensus is confident.

But Day 16, man. As Dave says—a short 'transatlantic' left (of which we’ve already completed two in training). Just ten days sailing around another Atlantic High, except this one we actually get to enjoy the better side of. So we’ve sort of made our bed here and only time will tell who gets it right. But rest assured, we’re pushing hard for the Team Alvimedica website