Volvo Ocean Race – Team Brunel prepare to depart from Itajai

by Team Brunel - Robbert-Jan Metselaar on 16 Apr 2015 Volvo Ocean Race – On Sunday 19 April, Team Brunel will depart from Itajaí bound for Newport, Rhode Island. This will be the first time that the Volvo Ocean Race fleet has visited this picturesque port on the east coast of the United States. Newport is a mecca for American sailing and from 1930 to 1983 the city hosted the other world-famous sailing race: the America’s Cup. Team Brunel’s navigator Andrew Cape gives us a preview of the 5,010-mile leg from Itajaí to Newport.

“This leg is a bit less extreme than the leg to Itajaí,” says Andrew Cape. “The winds won’t be as strong and the temperature will be a bit higher. It’s not the first time that we’ve sailed from Brazil to America, so we more or less know what to expect. After the start, it’s a wise idea to catch the south-east trade wind as quickly as possible. As it looks at the moment, we’ll be sailing on a beam reach along the coast of Brazil towards the Equator. Along the way you meet the South Atlantic High, a permanent area of high pressure in the South Atlantic. Around the Equator, we’ll be sailing into the doldrums for the fourth time in this race.”

The doldrums, or Intertropical Convergence Zone, is the area around the equator where the north-east and south-east trade winds meet. The zone is known for its high temperatures, heavy rainstorms and calms. “After passing the doldrums, we’ll be sailing in the northern hemisphere again for the first time in six months and catching the stable north-east trade wind,” continues Andrew. “The risk of unstable weather will increase after the island of Bermuda and we’ll have to cope with strong ocean currents, low-pressure areas and the westerly winds.”

Gerd-Jan Poortman thinks that the leg to Newport will also be a bit less physically demanding than the last leg. “Living on board will be easier because the weather conditions will be that bit better than in the Southern Ocean. Higher temperatures mean that you don’t need to wear as many layers of clothing when you go on watch. And in calm weather it takes less effort to move around the boat. Only when we get close to Newport will it start to get cold.”

“We’re not going to allow ourselves to be put out of the running. We’re top athletes who always go for the best result possible. I just hope that luck will be on our side when we get close to Newport. Everyone makes mistakes but in our case those mistakes have had a big effect on the result.”