Aussie Cahalan steers Brasil 1 into Volvo lead

by Kirsty Nicholls on 15 Nov 2005 Surprise packet Brasil 1 is leading the Volvo Ocean Race under the watchful eye of its Australian navigator and the only female in the race, Adrienne Cahalan.

After a dramatic start in which the entire fleet was hit by 50 knot winds and huge swells on its first night out to sea, Cahalan has been responsible for guiding the boat through the worst of the storms, which have forced three boats to return to land for repairs – including Grant Wharington’s Australian entry, Brunel Sunergy.

On day three of the first leg from Vigo, Spain, to Cape Town, South Africa, Brasil 1 holds a narrow lead over Dutch yacht ABN AMRO 1 after leaping from third to first.

‘Things have just settled down here after a rough few days,’ Cahalan said.

‘The racing is close and only a few miles separates us in the lead even though we are all a little spread out over the course.

‘We are fighting for the lead but had a setback this morning when we ripped our masthead spinnaker which is used for winds below 20 knots. At the moment we have crew members Stu Williams and Andy Miekeljohn below piecing the spinnaker back to together so we can hoist it as soon as possible. It may take about eight hours as it was ripped badly and so as the wind decreases to 15 knots we sit nervously and hope that we will not lose too many miles.’

Wharington has vowed to continue racing after repairs in Madeira, Portugal, while Pirates of the Caribbean are in Cascais, also in Portugal, assessing the extent of the damage to their boat, The Black Pearl.

‘We are fully committed to returning to the Volvo Ocean Race as soon as possible,’ American skipper Paul Cayard said.

‘The shore team has arrived with our tools, clothes, containers and has set up an infrastructure so we are functional.

‘Following a full structural inspection, we will make a decision on what needs to be done and then create a schedule for repairs in order to rejoin the race. Options are to return to leg one should the repairs be quickly feasible, or ship the boat to Cape Town and then reincorporate in leg two.

‘This is probably just the first of many setbacks the competitors in this race will face. How well each rebounds will most likely have a determinant impact on the results. To that end, the Pirates are still racing even here at the dock.’

Meanwhile, Movistar, which has four Australians on board and was the pre-race favourite, has headed for Portimao, on the southern tip of Portugal, for extensive repairs.

‘It looks like we have at least saved the boat,’ said Dutch skipper Bouwe Bekking.

‘From Portimao there several options are open. Stick the boat on a truck and drive it to the nearest big port for shipping it to Cape Town. Or do the repairs locally, which will mean flying in a big building team, and with the danger of not making it in time to Cape Town.’

Swedish entry Ericsson has clawed it way back to third, while early leader ABN AMRO 2, with Australians Nick Bice and Luke Molloy on board, has dropped to fourth.