Volvo Ocean Race - Right hand shift arrives in style

by Volvo Ocean Race on 25 May 2015 Volvo Ocean Race - The eagerly awaited right-hand shift has come and it has arrived in style. Negotiating the high-pressure system in the fleet’s way has been the main mission for several days now. Teams were trading off extra distance sailed for more wind north against the flip side of that to the south.

In the last 24 hours, SCA has sailed an extra 80nm more than the leader, Dongfeng Race Team. They are enjoying stronger wind and that has resulted in a 6.7nm gain. Yesterday, they took an aggressive move to gybe north and it’s paying off nicely.

The French-Chinese leg leader was the first team to gybe, coming out on a beautiful lift of 310º from a previous 270º. They will be very pleased to be gybing through only 40º in such light conditions. Safe to say they nailed the shift!


MAPFRE and Team Brunel also performed well just on the hip of the Charles Caudrelier's boat. These two teams have been playing the new sport of synchronized sailing and don’t look like giving in just yet. They are matching each other’s moves perfectly and are only 0.7nms apart. I give them nine out of ten.

Meanwhile 25nm north, Team Alvimedica and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, who also made good gains in more wind, have failed to make the distance east to get in front of the pack. As I write this they are setting up to gybe and head east again. Their hope will be that the higher winds to the north will give them some extra boat speed to get their bows forward before converging with the leaders.

All of this maneuvering is set to speed up, as they sail towards much more wind off the west coast of Portugal, before a possible light finish closer to land.

Leader: DFRT
Wind speed: 6.9 -10.8 knots
Boat speed SOG (15 mins): 9.1 – 11.1 knots
Wind direction: 247º - 327º
Lowest boat speed: TBRU (9.1 knots)
Highest boat speed: SCA (11.1 knots)
Lowest wind speed: ADOR (6.9 knots)
Highest wind speed: DFRT (10.2 knots)