Volvo Ocean Race - Day 8 for Groupama 4

by Vincent Borde on 28 Feb 2012 Volvo Ocean Race - The crew of Groupama 4 took control of the fleet on Sunday evening, to the detriment of the New Zealanders, who now lament a 40-mile deficit early this Monday afternoon.

Furthermore, the Americans look well positioned to move up into second place behind Franck Cammas and his men. The northerly option has paid off then and the 18 to 23 knots of northerly wind is enabling them to gradually bend their trajectory around towards Vanuatu.

The rhythm has changed a little since the weekend with the passage of a front offshore of Japan, which has pushed back the easterly monsoon, as well as bringing along its share of winds and rains. Indeed a depression is stealing away to the East, leaving in its wake a steadier north-easterly air flow and brighter skies.

Most importantly though, it is favouring those who opted for a northerly route, as there is more pressure here; a pressure which is (finally)settling itself into position for a while, thus reviving the trade winds. Of course there is still a tricky passage to negotiate ahead of their bows, in the form of a zone of calms which are gradually contracting and are set to disappear on Tuesday afternoon. As such it's not yet time to make a direct course towards the equator.

In the early hours of Monday local time (around 2100 UTC), Franck Cammas and his men had the pleasure of traversing the Kazan archipelago, by passing between the islands of Kito-Io Shima and Haha Shima, just a stone's throw away from the underwater volcano of Kaitoku. Situated 103 metres down, it has been recorded since its eruption in 1543 and another little ‘eructation' in March and April 1984…

Basically, Groupama 4 passed through the Pacific Ring of Fire. It's also to the East of this string of volcanic and coral islands that we find the major ocean trenches of Ramapo, Fleming, Izu Bonin, Nefo and Challenger (10,924m). This translates as a sea bed that rises up from a depth of nearly 6,000m to just tens of metres in a matter of moments!

And it's at the end of this seismic episode that the hierarchy shook… Sixty miles further North than Camper, Groupama 4 extracted herself from the first of the 'rings of fire', followed by Puma 40 miles to her North. The northerly option confirmed its validity just hours later as the Americans were also on the point of overtaking the New Zealanders! Abu Dhabi fell into the wake of the French boat but was handicapped by a rudder issue which the crew has now partly resolved.

Further to the South, Camper had four knots less wind and nearly three knots less boat speed compared with the new French leader, whilst Telefonica and Sanya had a deficit of nearly 200 miles in their East-West separation in relation to Groupama 4.

In this way, after five days and nearly 1,500 miles covered since heading East from Taiwan, the fleet can begin to slowly bend their trajectories around to the South-East. The northerly wind will slowly shift round to the North-East, building to around twenty knots between now and noon on Tuesday.

This will open the gateway to the trade winds, which the frontrunners are set to reach tomorrow evening. The acceleration will be appreciable and enduring since the boats will be able to sail with sheets eased for nearly 2,000 miles, which equates to four or five days at sea. Back in the monsoon system at last, the skies are also likely to be as clear as the road ahead is straight. On the cards is a session of drag racing at around 70° to the wind, making an average of 17 knots of boat speed! Phew! The delay in the sailing programme due to this rather atypical detour should seemingly be largely recovered.

If everything pans out as it should, Groupama 4 will be able to really smoke along on this point of sail that she's so fond of, particularly compared with Camper and Abu Dhabi, for whom this isn't their strong point. The lateral separation to the East in relation to the Spanish is also a positive point for Franck Cammas and his crew, who will instead be able to focus on the trajectory of Puma, which is benefiting from its position further North. The decks will be transformed into a constant waterfall, in seas which will build progressively, in line with the humidity of the soon to be equatorial heat.

Comfort is not exactly synonymous with such conditions. However, there won't be a lot to do in terms of manœuvres, trimming or sail changes, but the crews will have to remain focused at the helm to make the most of these stable conditions, which will become increasingly feisty.

Position of the competitors in the Volvo Ocean Race on the fourth leg from Sanya - Auckland at 1600 UTC on 27/02/2012:

1. Groupama 4 some 3,955.5 miles from the finish
2. Camper - 44.7 miles astern of the leader
3. Puma - 62.1 miles astern of the leader
4. Telefonica - 74.3 miles astern of the leader
5. Team Sanya - 80.3 miles astern of the leader
6. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing - 93.9 miles astern of the leader

Groupama website

Volvo Ocean Race website