Volvo Ocean Race - Team Vestas Wind impress

by Rob Kothe Sail-World.com on 5 Jun 2015 The pointy end of the 2014-2015 Volvo Ocean race is here, there are five boats that could win this race, certainly that will need some bad results from the current leader Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, but with the fleet now back to seven boats and Team SCA likely to do better in the short ocean sprints anything could happen.

After six months out of the race, the rebuilt Team Vestas Wind showed in Thursday's practice race that Chris Nicholson and his experienced blue boat crew will be on the pace on Legs 8 and 9.

Experience counts and Nicholson, along with Camper crew Kiwis Tony Rae (Trae),Rob Salthouse and Watch Captain Argentine Marciel Cichitti have all of that. Australia navigator Tom Addis has significantly strengthened the team.

The new bowman Simeon Tienpont and the two Danes Peter Wibroe and Nicholai Sehested are all very talented sailors.

This team is strong, fresh, the sails are sadly hardly used and the boat is pretty much new so Team Vestas Wind could with easily take podium places, adding to the possible pain for the overall race leaders.

In the practice race today Vestas started on port at the committee boat end heading for the least current on the right hand Tagus river shore line, but there was more pressure on the left.

They were fifth at the top mark for the first time behind MAPFRE, Brunel, Alivimedica and Abu Dhabi racing but downwind the Vestas crew picked off Ian Walker and co, on the second beat, staying on the advantaged left they sailed through Brunel and Alvimedica.

They rounded second but then disaster struck. A dogbone on their downwind gennaker had slipped from the sheet and the blue boat stalled with the foot of large overlapping headsail heading skywards.

They had no choice but to gybe to the unfavoured right hand side of the course to recover sail control allowing Alvimedica and Brunel to sail through them

Over the next lap they closed up on these two boats but the damage was done.

Chris Nicholson was philosophical. 'It was only yesterday that we stopped doing basic sea trials on the boat and began to sail her. Today's practice race increased our time on the rebuilt boat by 20% so all in all we are very pleased.

‘If it had not been for the mechanical issue we would have most likely finished second against a fleet with more than 20,000 VOR-65 sea miles more than us.

'We set out today to learn and improve, the learning we did and the improving will certainly come.

'Very much looking forward to the inport races and the two legs from Lisbon to Lorient and Lorient to Gothenburg. ´

With Team Vestas Wind added to the mix, anything could certainly happen on the final two legs.

Interesting times ahead.