Volvo Ocean Race - Leg 4 - inching south

by Rob Kothe and the Sail-World Team on 14 Feb 2015 Last night SCA was about 30 nm behind Team Brunel who lead the northern pack. The southern pack is led by Abu Dhabi Racing then Dongfeng, Mapfre and Alvimedica. This southern pack has managed to edge a little more south and away from the others. The gap is now 185nm and getting bigger.

The SpanishMapfre team dealt with a major equipment issue yesterday, after breaking the inboard base of the forward outrigger. The job was made even harder as tacking on to port to dry the starboard side off was not an option. So the whole fix was done in a constant spray hosing and wind tunnel conditions.

Team SCA and Team Brunel sit to the North at 19-20 knots boat speed, Team Brunel had a short time ago five knots more wind than the women’s crew, now 30 plus nautical miles (nm) behind them. Currently beam reaching, the forecast looks to be telling us that the persistent right shift will take the fleet south.

As they head south, it looks like they will work their way through the myriad of volcanic islands of the Northern Mariana group. Decisons here could cost precious miles.

Over the past 24 hours it looks like Team Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing have made a deliberate effort to position themselves furthest south of the fleet. This move gives them the controlling position on the group above them.

Any right shift in the wind will mean boats to the north or the outside will have further around the outside of the pack to go.

Twenty plus nautical miles separate the southern pack and a similar distance the two northern boats. These are tiny distances in a vast leg and could be swallowed up by anyone having a good day and averaging one knot more or sailing a marginally better VMG (velocity made good).

So the racing remains close and the outcome of the north versus south routings is yet to be determined, but the southern bunch are pleasantly surprised that SCA and Brunel are not further advanced east on them. All teams admit they will not know the result of this split for another five or six days..