Anti-climatic Volvo Start...Spark-up Sailing...Inflatable Fenders

by . on 18 Mar 2015 Welcome to Sail-World.com’s New Zealand e-magazine for March 18, 2015

Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race got underway to an anti-climatic start at 9.00am this morning in light airs.

There was enough wind to move the boats off the start line, but little more.

The conditions were a stark contrast to three days earlier, when winds reached a peak gust of 75kts at Channel Island.

Today they slid past the landmark, at the entrance to the Hauraki Gulf in 12-15kts winds and headed out into the Pacific Ocean.

Who knows what lies ahead? Routing projections show a relatively mild trip to Cape Horn, but Nature has always been a fickle mistress.

The delay of two/three days has been a surreal experience, with sailors sitting around waiting for the off. At the same time, their skippers and team advisers along with race organisers have been pondering forecasts and guessing at the sea state in the wake of ex-Cyclone Pam.

For all that is good about current technology, and generally it is quite accurate, there is nothing quite like a visual observation - which is just not possible in that part of the world.

That has been the dilemma, and organisers and the majority of the teams have erred on the conservative side. It would seem that they will pay a penalty at the next stopover in Brazil - with a late arrival by two or three days resulting in a shorter time to rest and also prepare the boats.

Maybe everyone was a little gun-shy after the start to the 2011-12 start from Auckland when the fleet were put out into a 40kt Easterly, causing Abu Dhabi to break a frame as they passed through the Colville Channel. Sanya had serious issues a few days later and had to return to New Zealand.

It was oft-quoted that in the last race only one of the six competitors made it to Brazil without suspending racing. However that was in the Volvo 70, a relatively lighter and certainly more powerful boat in terms of righting moment than the Volvo 65. The next few days will be watched with interest.

We have a couple of stories too on the lead up to the delay in the start, which is a first in the Volvo Ocean Race, although relatively commonplace in major short-handed races in Europe to allow competitors a safe passage to clear the coast.

in this edition we have images from the start today, along with a video replay of the Auckland Start.

The build up to the early morning start was subdued, with many of the crews in a very reflective mood. The effervescent Nic Douglass - Adventures of a Sailor Girl - compiled a zany 40 minute video of the dockside action. Nic found the odd willing victim to interview, but most of it is a walk-about with Nic chattering away, but it is great viewing and very entertaining.

Most of the competitors don't quite know how to take Nic, but every now and then she sees a familiar Australian face and then the chat flows.

It sits well beside a similar video cut aboard Team Alvimedica by OBR Amory Ross, as Peter Montgomery puts All Black legend Josh Kronfeld through his paces, during the Practice Race last week. Again it is very entertaining, and as it was commissioned by The Crowd Goes Wild, that is to be expected.

We also have another great video from the Bangin' The Corner team - this time from the recent Moth Worlds in Sorrento.

One of the things that marked the Auckland stopover was the off-the-wall events that took place involving the Volvo crews - adding a real spark to the Race which has been lacking to date - due largely to over-controlled PR by the teams. Not every story can be a 'good news' story - and you have to take a few risks and if it doesn't work them try something else. But the race desperately needs to build its characters, and all sport needs controversy to get the attention of media and new fans.

Many will have seen the supersize fenders used by the race boats. Although commonplace overseas, these are now available in New Zealand through Hauraki Fenders. In this edition, we have a feature on inflatable fenders, how they work and how they deflate for easy stowage.

If you watch Nic Douglass' video, she picks up one of the inflatable fenders on the dockside - it is almost taller than she is, but if you have a boat whose topsides you wish to protect, then inflatable fenders make are a very good solution.

Hauraki Fenders also make the covers that go with the fenders - read more about the whole package and how to order in this edition.

Follow all the racing and developments in major and local events on www.sail-world.com, scroll to the bottom of the site, select New Zealand, and get all the latest news and updates from the sailing world.

Good sailing!

Richard Gladwell
NZ Editor

sailworldnzl@gmail.com

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