Volvo Ocean Race- Onboard from the Roaring Forties - Leg 1 Day 20

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com on 2 Nov 2014 The On Board Reporters write, shoot and video about their experiences and view from Leg 1, Day 20 of the Volvo Ocean race as the boats get their first taste of the edge of the Roaring Forties.

November 1, 2014






On deck, the guys have been facing white-walled waves that crash over the cockpit as they surf down ocean swells four meters high. As the ride down one wave ends, the bow of Azzam will plow into the next sending freezing seawater crashing up the deck with a power strong enough to knock you over.

The best part: this is only an introduction to Southern Ocean sailing.

Matt Knighton, OBR
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing



ETA is 6 or 7 days, and I imagine getting to dock and tying up the boat, among a long lists of other things to do since the next leg is starting in less than 3 weeks. The first thing I am going to do is have a cold Coke, then have a burger and, after that, a nice hot shower. The things you miss the most on board, aside from the people you love, is good food and a shower. This is the price you pay to sail the world - and sail it fast!

Francisco Vignale, OBR
Mapfre



We take one day at a time; each day is different—each hour is different. 'The rich will get richer at this point,' Libby said yesterday afternoon. And we all felt like deflated balloons—the distance just kept growing! Yesterday afternoon we couldn’t hit our performance numbers either—we had the best sailors in the correct places and they all said the boat felt slow, but couldn’t figure out why

By late afternoon though, everything had changed. The wind picked up and decided to stick around a bit longer than expected, waves began crashing over the bow, and we were sailing fast. Everything felt a little better. Even the position report didn’t sting as much.

Corinna Halloran, OBR
Team SCA



We all woken as different men, well, three of our crew have. 40-degree virgins they are not! We have broken the 40° barrier this morning, diving south and east into the infamous 'Roaring 40’s'. This stretch of water is also technically now the Southern Ocean.

What delight for all of us to pick up this long awaited front. It seemed like Wouter was messing with us, just another day guys! We all feel like we have been off the coast of Rio for a life time.

20-26 knots of wind, a moderate swell pushes Vestas along in the right direction for Cape Town.

I can’t describe what it feels like for both the young guys and I. It’s the closest thing to Christmas morning onboard.

Brian Carlin, OBR
Team Vestas Wind



On the back of the boat is standing the Spaniard Arrarte. Hidden away behind his balaclava, he tries to recreate the temperature of his beloved Santander. But alas, even the stock of warm clothing that this Spanish sun worshipper carries with him is not resistant against the cold. It’s misty, water cold and the wind meter is showing 28 knots. A big wave rushes over the front deck and changes the cockpit into a bath tub of ice water. Arrarte takes again a little look into the navigation room: more often than usual today.

Stefan Coppers, OBR
Team Brunel


A first for Wolf, Horace, Thomas and Eric whose boots step for the first time in the Forties. Well, it’s not exactly like the tourism brochure said – yes, it’s grey, windy, and there are albatrosses…. We’ll have come back to experience the long west swell.

Instead, we’ve had a choppy sea state, stopping us from going as fast as we could with this wind. It does look like the English Channel in a southwest wind, minus the ships…

Yann Riou, OBR
Dongfeng Race Team



The goal is Cape Town and we’re making good progress in that direction. Our position to the south has its rewards, many of which will play out in the long run. So we have to be patient and not get flustered when a difficult weather scenario like this makes a mess of the position reports.

There are some significant hurdles left on the course and the general consensus is that there are big opportunities for gains from behind, all the way to the finish line. It’s a theory we plan on putting to the test.

Amory Ross, OBR
Team Alvimedica