Volvo Ocean Race- Noon finish predicted for Camper in Brazil + Video

by Sail-World on 17 Apr 2012

The Last Supper? Not quite. Rob Salthouse and Stuart Bannatyne eating breakfast onboard Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand during leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Auckland, New Zealand to Itajai, Brazil. Hamish Hooper/Camper ETNZ/Volvo Ocean Race

The end of Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race is finally in sight for Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand.

After almost a month of ocean racing the team are just 36 nm in a direct route or 40nm on a sailed course and are approximately 6hrs from the finish as of 2100hrs NZT. The New Zealand Spanish entry is predicted to finish in the early hours of Wednesday morning or around noon local time (1500hrs UTC) .

Latest projections show Camper hitting light winds on the final couple of hours which will slow her, unless there is a route around the hole.

For the past day speeds have been consistently high on Camper as they clock off the remaining few hundred miles with the boat easing along at between 14 and 20 knots of boat speed for much of the past 24 hours.

Camper trimmer/driver Tony Rae says the weather has been kind to the team as the marathon leg nears its end.

Some early preparations for reaching Itajai, change of clothes and checking charts onboard Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand during leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Auckland, New Zealand to Itajai, Brazil. © Hamish Hooper/Camper ETNZ/Volvo Ocean Race

'We’ve probably had the best conditions we could ask for getting up the coast here. It was pretty lumpy and bumpy around the Horn, but the last few days we have been sailing downwind at speeds of up to 20 knots.

'We’ve been making good time and it has been pretty nice sailing actually, so we’re pretty lucky. It means that we’ve got valuable hours onshore to get the boat ready to go, and hopefully have a day off before loading the boat again and hitting the Pro-Am and the In-Port race.

'We haven’t just been cruising along, we’ve been pushing the boat as hard as possible in the conditions we’ve had without doing any damage. We need to get there (Itajai) as soon as possible and I know the shore crew are very keen to pull things apart and get the rig out – we need every hour we can get really.

'What’s comforting is we’ve sailed from Puerto Montt around the Horn and given the boat a pretty good battering again. It gives us a lot of confidence in the repairs that were made.'

Camper in the latest position report at 2100 17 April NZT is sailing at 10.5 knots in a 10.5 knot NE breeze according to the latest update from the Volvo Ocean Race Tracker.