Volvo Ocean Race- Ice Gate laid in Southern Ocean on Leg 1
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com on 29 Oct 2014
October 27, 2014. Leg 1 onboard Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. Ian Walker and Simon Fisher at the Navigation Station working out the strategy for the coming days. Matt Knighton/Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing
Volvo Ocean Race have specified an Ice Gate in the Southern Ocean of which all competitors must stay to the North, or pass on their starboard side.
The gate has been set along the line of 42degrees South and runs for 10 degrees of longitude.
The effect of the gate is to stop some of the more extreme course options as competitors try to close the gap on the race leaders, Team Brunel and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, who are now just over a week away from the finish in Cape Town.
For those astern of the lead group the gate is slightly restrictive, but at this stage, according to the routing function of Predictwind makes little difference to the times or courses of the boats, at this stage.
Had the Gate been introduced later, then that may not have been the case, and there should be no complaints from the competitors on the basis that they were committed to a course and had to alter course to observe the new gate, which has been 'laid' two weeks after the start of Leg 1.
The positions - based on routing rather than Great Circle distance - show little difference from the report 12 hours. However the weather feeds are now producing significantly different course options - with one being more direct and shorter in terms time and distance. However that has only just come into play as a high pressure zone moves east and the boats do not have to skirt it, to the same extent as previously.
The boats in third to fifth places are still close with less than an hour separating them according to the course routing method of ranking.
The latest Reports from Volvo Ocean Race Control follow:
Latest position report: October 28, 2014 1700 UTC
Leader: Team Brunel
Spread of fleet: 294 nautical miles
True wind speed: 10-18 knots
Boat speed SOG (15mins): 12 to 19 knots
True wind direction: 12° - 49º
Lowest boat speed: 12 knots (Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing)
Highest boat speed: 19 knots (MAPFRE)
Lowest wind speed: 10 knots (Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing)
Highest wind speed: 18 knots (MAPFRE)
Well, it's certainly been an interesting afternoon out there on the watery track. Spanish boat MAPFRE maintained their westerly position, and since about 1200UTC, have been sailing parallel to Team Brunel, the boat currently leading the fleet.
The Dutch boat has wrestled the lead from Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, but the pair are the most easterly of the fleet, therefore sacrificing wind for the benefit of sailing less distance.
'The next 3 days are crucial,' said Ian Walker, on the Emirati boat this morning. 'Whoever can get around this area of light winds and into the stronger ones can potentially stretch away.'
Behind Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Team Alvimedica and Dongfeng Race Team are duking it out, and are currently neck and neck.
'We’ve noticed in the last coupla days we’re going faster, better against the other giuys than what we were at the start,' says Dave Swete, on the orange boat.
'We’ve had a lot of boats around us, so we’ve learned from them, and we’re improving with every sched.'
Team SCA sit at the back of the fleet, currently sailing in a light wind area - and are searching for the optimal course.
The question is, when will the boats hit the Roaring Forties, and get into the westerly winds which will sweep them into Cape Town? With the fleet heading south, and some even away from the destination, this is turning all the gains and losses data into almost irrelevant confusion.
Ice exclusion zone
To avoid the risk of running into icebergs or growlers, this exclusion zone is formed by the line of longitude 20ºW south of 42ºS, the great circle line between positions 42ºS - 20ºW and 42ºS - 10ºW. These lines are the obstruction that the boats shall leave to starboard.
Navigational expert Mark Chisnell reports on the second week of Leg 1 from the perspective of the navigators, as the fleet hits the Doldrums - don't miss his B&G blog here.
Latest position report: October 28, 2014 0730 UTC
Leader: Team Brunel
Spread of fleet: 294 nautical miles
True wind speed: 4 to 17 knots
Boat speed SOG (15mins): 3 to 19 knots
Course over ground: 162º to 243º
True wind direction: 035 - 359º
Lowest boat speed: 3 knots (Team SCA)
Highest boat speed: 19 knots (Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing)
Lowest wind speed: 4 knots (Team SCA)
Highest wind speed: 17 knots (Abu Dhabi & MAPFRE)
On the hunt for the Roaring Forties winds, all seven boats are sailing south when the finish is to the east of them. This is turning all the gains and losses data into almost irrelevant confusion – see our in-house expert article on that theme here.
It also explains why we see a lead change this morning: Team Brunel are now in first position, 59nm ahead of Abu Dhabi. That’s because the Dutchies are in an eastern position, closer to the finish in Cape Town.
Team Vestas Wind made a bold move against the two leaders to the west – but that is looking like being a lost opportunity. They are in quite less breeze now.
'Right now it’s almost as if we’re in a three-way tie for the lead with each boat making bets as to where the breeze is going to be strongest as we make our way around the western edge of the St Helena High,' explains Abu Dhabi's Onboard Reporter Matt Knighton.
'Vestas is way out west. We gybed westward a couple times during the day to try and find more wind. Brunel opted to continue on our original southerly route and not gybe west.
'Three boats, spanning a hundred miles of ocean, each with a chance of working around the other two to get around the high fastest. We’ve been routing all of our positions and if you were to trust the computer, we’d all be finishing within an hour of each other with Abu Dhabi in the lead.
'Time will tell, but whoever gets to the westerlies first will make big gains over the other two. It doesn’t look like there will be a massive park up after all.'
At the back of the fleet, MAPFRE broke free too, heading 230nm west of Brunel. The most western boat of the fleet, they also had the strongest breeze - could that be a winning call propelling them towards the Southern Ocean conveyor belt?
As the fleet is sailing towards the Southern Ocean, getting closer to the St Helena High, conditions are changing too.
Sea and air temperatures go down. Thermals go on for the first time onboard Abu Dhabi. Fleece-layered hats are out onboard SCA.
Wind comes and goes. At midnight last night Vestas had a true wind speed of 23 knots at 339º. 100nm away Dongfeng only had 15 knots at 039º.
At 0400 UTC SCA only had 4 knots of wind and was sailing just 3 knots of boat speed. In a cruel twist, just 50 nm to the southwest MAPFRE were sailing in a steady 17 knots of wind at 15 knots of boat speed.
It’s obvious that there are plenty of opportunities to find a trap door and get sent in a positive or negative direction. But teams are also reporting that the normal racing tactic of covering (staying in between their competitor and the finish) is proving to be very hard.
Ice exclusion zone
To avoid the risk of running into icebergs or growlers, this exclusion zone is formed by the line of longitude 20ºW south of 42ºS, the great circle line between positions 42ºS - 20ºW and 42ºS - 10ºW. These lines are the obstruction that the boats shall leave to starboard.
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