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Sail-World.com : Volvo Ocean Race - In-Port Race preview and crews announced
Volvo Ocean Race - In-Port Race preview and crews announced
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The Volvo Ocean Race is set to make a spectacular return to action.
Flat seas and a breeze of around 20 knots are forecast for Saturday's Sanya Haitang Bay In-Port Race.
These are ideal inshore racing conditions for Sanya Bay, which are in stark contrast to the battering that awaits the fleet in the early part of Leg 4 to Auckland, starting on Sunday.
The 50-minute inshore course will see the teams blast past the race village before turning and heading back towards the start line. They will then head north to another turning mark before racing back.
With a record of two wins in three in-port races, all eyes will be on Ian Walker’s Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing as the six teams enter battle at 1400 local time. But with little success offshore, the pressure is on Walker’s team to pick up much-needed points if they are to start to ascend the overall rankings from their current fifth position.
'We certainly had two good wins in the in-port races,' Walker said. 'I don’t know quite why that is, maybe it’s the boat or what. We definitely have good crew work and we’ve made some good starts. It looks like it will be flat water and quite shifty here, and hopefully that will suit us. Let’s see if we can make it three out of four.'
It’s the opposite story for current leaders Team Telefónica who have set the bar in the offshore legs winning all three so far but have posted inconsistent results inshore. Although they won in Cape Town, Iker Martínez’s team finished last in Alicante and fifth in Abu Dhabi.
Telefónica missed the Practice Race on Thursday and Friday’s Pro-Am Race after deciding to change their rigging.
'We couldn’t pin down exactly what the problem was with the old rigging,' said Martínez. 'We spent today settling it in to place and we’ll be ready for tomorrow.'
Telefónica lead the overall standings with 95 points, followed by Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand on 80 and Groupama sailing team on 71. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by Berg have 48, followed by Abu Dhabi on 39 and Team Sanya on 16.
The winners of the in-port race will take six points, with five for second place and so on down to one point for sixth place.
Camper skipper Chris Nicholson will look for clear improvement after enlisting the help of two coaches from the team’s America’s Cup programme to help with their technique in the in-port races.
'We’ve done a lot of starting practice and manoeuvres, but above that we’ve been focusing on communication,' said Nicholson.
 | CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, skippered by Chris Nicholson from Australia compete in the Pro-Am Race in Sanya, during the Volvo Ocean Race - Ian Roman-Volvo Ocean Race© |
Race director Jack Lloyd said he expected near perfect racing conditions for Saturday with about 20 knots of breeze and flat waters. The boats are expected to reach speeds of up to 25 knots downwind.
While conditions look set to be ideal for inshore racing, the teams will face terrible conditions early in Leg 4. A monsoon has developed in the South China Sea, which, combined with waves of up to 10 metres, could result in incredibly dangerous and challenging conditions.
'Are we racing or are we surviving?' said PUMA skipper Ken Read. 'That’s one of the big questions that a skipper of the boat has to answer. At one point or another you switch from racing to surviving -- that’s the big thing about sailing these boats. They are extremely high powered and they can get out of control pretty quick.'
Race organisers are monitoring weather forecasts closely and will make a late decision on whether they need to make any changes to the route to protect the fleet.
The 5,220 nautical mile Leg 4 from Sanya to Auckland will start at 1400 local time (0600 UTC) on Sunday.
 | Team Sanya, skippered by Mike Sanderson from New Zealand Chasing the fleet, in the Pro-Am Race in Sanya, during the Volvo Ocean Race - Ian Roman-Volvo Ocean Race© |
Crews:
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing:
Ian Walker, GBR - Helmsman
Justin Slattery, IRL - Bowman
Wade Morgan, AUS - Grinder / mid bow
Adil Khalid, UAE - Grinder / pit assist
Craig Satterthwaite, NZL - Pit
Justin Ferris, NZL - Trim 1
Simon Fisher, GBR - Trim 2
Paul Willcox, RSA - Mainsheet caddy (replaces Andrew Lewis)
Rob Greenhalgh, GBR - Mainsheet
Jules Salter, GBR - Navigator
Nick Dana, USA - MCM
CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand:
Chris Nicholson, AUS - Skipper
Tony Rae, NZL - Mainsheet trimmer
Will Oxley, AUS - Navigator
Robert Salthouse, NZL - Upwind trimmer
Roberto Bermudez, ESP - Runners
Stu Bannatyne, NZL - Tactician
Andrew McLean, NZL - Pitman
Daryl Wislang, NZL – Bowman
Mike Pammenter, RSA - Mid bow
Adam Minoprio, NZL - Downwind trimmer
Hamish Hooper, NZL - MCM
Groupama sailing team:
Franck Cammas, FRA - Skipper
Jean-Luc Nelias, FRA - Navigator
Charles Caudrelier, FRA
Martin Stromberg, SWE
Martin Krite, SWE
Brad Marsh, NZL
Erwan Israel, FRA
Damian Foxall, IRE
Thomas Coville, FRA
Phil Harmer, AUS
Yann Riou, FRA - MCM
PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG:
Ken Read, USA - Skipper/helm
Tom Addis, AUS - Navigator
Kelvin Harrap, NZL - Tactician
Brad Jackson, NZL - Mainsail
Tony Mutter, NZL - Trimmer
Ryan Godfrey, AUS - Pitman
Rome Kirby, USA - Main grind
Jono Swain, USA - Trimmer
Michi Mueller, GER - Mast
Casey Smith, AUS - Bow
Amory Ross, USA - MCM
Team Sanya:
Mike Sanderson, NZL - Skipper / Helm
Aksel Magdahl, NOR - Navigator
Cameron Dunn, NZL - Tactician
David Rolfe, NZL - Mainsheet Trimmer
Richard Mason, NZL - Pit
Ryan Houston, NZL - Trimmer
David Swete, NZL - Grinder
Bert Schandevyl, BEL - Mid bow
Teng Jiang He, CHN - Grinder
Jared Henderson, NZL - Bowman
Andres Soriano, ESP - MCM
Team Telefónica:
Iker Martínez, ESP - Skipper
Andrew Cape, AUS - Navigator
Jordi Calafat, ESP - Trimmer/helmsman
Pepe Ribes, ESP - Boat captain
Zane Gills, AUS - Bowman
Antonio Cuervas-Mons, ESP - Bowman
Xabi Fernández, ESP - Trimmer
Pablo Arrarte, ESP - Trimmer
Jaoa Signorini, BRA - Watch captain
Neal McDonald, UK - Watch captain
Diego Fructuoso, ESP - MCM
Volvo Ocean Race website
by Volvo Ocean Race
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7:24 PM Fri 17 Feb 2012 GMT
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