Volvo Ocean Race - The fleet gybes and heads east again
by Volvo Ocean Race on 24 Mar 2015
Onboard Team SCA - The breeze has been building the whole afternoon - Leg five to Itajai - Volvo Ocean Race 2015 Anna-Lena Elled/Team SCA
Volvo Ocean Race - After a period of unstable conditions and differing opinions in angles to sail, all the fleet has gybed and is heading east again.
Some of the teams are reporting sudden squalls that sweep viciously past and are not to be taken lightly.
Dongfeng was a casualty of one of these squalls last night resulting in a knock down or as commonly termed, a Chinese Gybe.
[Sorry, this content could not be displayed]
For a full report of their ordeal, see here
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing gybed at 2125 UTC and has been pushing very hard to make the most of these conditions. Their hard work has paid off as they have pulled up to Team Brunel within 40 nautical miles. They have admitted sailing a little out of control with their top speed registering an impressive 37.1 knots. They’ve even admitted the off knock down in Matt Kingston’s latest blog.
Onboard Team Alvimedica, Amory Ross reports that they officially entered the elusive Southern Ocean. Will Oxley is a stickler for the correct definition when the Southern Ocean starts. He is happy to admit they are there at latitude 45ºS.
The temperature has also dropped to 8ºC (about 45º Fahrenheit), winds have steadied around 30 knots with sustained periods of 35-40, and the seas are getting wilder.
The biggest factor that has affected the fleet was a tail of two breezes. The northern pack could sail 140º and the southern 105º. This has given the northern pack an advantage. The whole fleet is now nicely lined up in a diagonal line with MAPFRE punched out ahead of their pack in the south.
It’s still fast, still cold and still full on.
Today's weather
1) For the leading yachts and eastern part of the fleet, SW winds will run 20-30 kts and there could be a few fast moving, squall showers with gusts to 35-40 kts
- the showers could also bring brief wind speed lulls
- typically the winds are quite unstable behind a cold front
2) The trailing yachts will have similar squally showers, but the average wind speeds and gusts could be five kts or so higher than the boats further E
3) Not much difference in wind speed from north to south across the fleet. Just a bit less wind speed east versus west
4) W-SW seas at least 16-22 feet, but they will start to ease overnight
Weather - Changeable skies with a scattering of fast moving, squally showers, which will diminish Tue night. W-SW seas 16-22 feet daytime and slowly diminishing overnight
Synopsis
1) Per usual in the Southern Oceans, the weather conditions and weather forecasts will change quickly
2) First strong cold front now influencing the fleet
- it is located from 50s/125w to 39s/143w. The front is currently moving quickly E, but will slow considerably during the next 24 hours
- this will allow a new low to form NE of the fleet near 40-44s/120w in about 24-30 hours
3) This new low will become a strong gale with pressure down to 985mbs by 1200utc Thu
- at 1200utc Thu, the low will be near 45-46s/110-114w
- the low will move slowly ESE Thu-Fri, but then accelerate to the SE, passing S of Cape Horn Sun
- if the fleet can catch the NW corner of the low, where the strong SW winds are located, they may be able to ride the low to Cape Horn
4) 1005mb low pressure near 31s/143-147w will stay trapped well NW of the fleet
5) 1025mb high pressure near 41-42s/167-169w will spread E
- the latest weather models, for the weekend time period, suggest this high will set up NW of Cape Horn and protect the fleet from any lows moving from NW to the SE towards Cape Horn
- low pressure moving SE towards Cape Horn this weekend was a concern yesterday, but much less of a concern today, thanks to this high pressure cell moving E towards Chile
6) Next strong cold front will reach 55s/139w to 48s/150w by 1200utc Wed
- this front will slow as it moves E Thu
- there could be an area of light SW-W-NW winds developing between the cold front and gale on Thu. This will be especially true near 48-50s/120-124w at 1200utc Thu
Leader: TBRU
Wind speed: 16-24 knots
Boat speed SOG (15 mins): 7-20 knots
Wind direction: 219º - 247º
Lowest boat speed: SCA (7 knots)
Highest boat speed: MAPF (20 knots)
Lowest wind speed: TBRU (16 knots)
Highest wind speed: MAPF (23 knots)
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/132737