Volvo Ocean Race- Big breeze for Practice Racing in Cape Town

by Bob Fisher on 15 Nov 2014
It’s only practice . . .

Whatever the teams of the Volvo Ocean Race do here in Cape Town is carefully watched by the natives as well as the teams’ backers and shore teams.

Everyone concerned immediately as well as the spectators (knowledgeable and otherwise) seeks every item of fact (and fiction) available. This is the big thing in town and they are determined to milk it for all their worth.

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront area visitors have doubled (at least) and the close followers of the race (media and Close associates of the crews) are gripped by every story that emanates from the teams, be it good or otherwise. Crumbs become loaves and cracks become serious breakages (if you listen to the naysayers), but eventually the truth emerges.

Whenever items of truth, that are hard to deny, are presented, they stop the mindless creation of rumour, bringing the creators back to earth (or sea). Today, there were 26 knots of wind from the north-west, enough to call a halt to the Pro-Am racing, but just the right amount for the seven teams to pit their wits in a 6.4 nautical mile treble triangle practice race.

They were obviously up for it from the start and none more so than the girls in SCA led by Sam Davies. She was pushing her luck and was OCS, but decided to plough on and see what she could do against the rest. As it was only a practice race, it was the right thing to do, and while SCA fell back down the ranks, it gave the all-girls team the opportunity to compare boat speed in these all-round conditions against the boys.

OK, they slipped back to sixth, but on the reach to the finish, aftter some smart boat handling, they sailed past Brunel and left Dongfeng trailing. Nevertheless they were OCS and scored only a single point, while Leg One winner, Ian Walker in Azzam finished 52 seconds ahead of Chris Nicholson in Vestas. Mapfre (last home on the first leg) was third just 18 seconds astern. Then the finishing order was Alvimedica, (SCA), Brunel and Dongfeng.

Make of this what you will but one senses that no one was sailing with true intensity, but it did give the Capetonians a taste of what these boats can do when they are further out at sea.

Earlier in the day when the seven skippers met the Media, they were relaxed but still refused to give anything away. Bouwe Bekking, the skipper of Brunel, confessed to an early morning Mass with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who had commended them to fair winds, and 'With that calibre of blessing, we should do well,' said the skipper of the Dutch boat.

Bekking later admitted: 'I don’t care much about the inshore races, but it would be nice to win in Cape Town.' There is little doubt that this stopover port does command respect from everyone involved.