VOR- Blast off!—Sailing news from the U.S. and beyond

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 26 Mar 2012 Glory days. For those of us blessed with a fast internet connection, a warm, dry house and a love of ocean racing, it doesn’t get much better than this: five Volvo Open 70s, ripping towards Cape Horn at break-neck pace, their dedicated Media Crew Members (MCMs) pumping out amazing footage as the boats straddle the line between sailboat and submarine, powered along by massive low-pressure system.

A quick update.

As reported in the last newsletter, Team Sanya was forced to return to New Zealand after suffering a broken rudder and water ingress to the stern watertight compartment. This was a real heartbreaker as the team—the only sailing a previous-generation VO70—had been leading the hunt, the Southern Ocean-savvy (and former VOR-winner) Mike Sanderson calling the right shots since winning the leg’s start. Currently, the team is safe and hopes to rejoin the fleet later in the race.

Emirates Team New Zealand (ENTZ) also suffered hull damage over the weekend after taking up the lead-dog position from Team Sanya. The current plan calls for the team to sail Camper to Puerto Montt, Chile (west coast) to make repairs before carrying on to Itajaí, Brazil and the end of Leg Five. The team initially slowed Camper down to a relative crawl in order to make repairs, but the bonding didn’t take and the team was forced to make a very tough call. 'This is the only option that is satisfactory to us from a safety perspective, but also keeps us in the race,' said ENTZ skipper, Chris Nicholson. 'It’s a hard decision to make but we are all in good spirits. As we have said in the past the Southern Ocean throws up the best and worst days of your life - recent days certainly haven’t been the best days but we will get through this uninjured and ready to continue in the race.'

And aboard Puma Ocean Racing, the goal has become one of survival. 'I think at this stage we are all like-minded with our goals,' reports skipper Ken Read. 'We are pressing when we think we can press and slightly backing off when we think we have to back off. Everyone is on the same page. We are certainly making the best of what could be classified as a seriously full-on situation out here in the lovely Southern Ocean.'

Perhaps the most jaw-dropping onboard footage so far came courtesy of race-leader Telefonica, who sustained a magnificent double knockdown. Be absolutely sure to watch this footage several times, as it will dramatically increase your appreciation for the professionalism and skill required to race a VO70 in Southern Ocean conditions (not to mention a dry, stable horizon).

In Cup news, Oracle Racing suffered a serious bang-up between two of its AC45 catamarans during a training session on San Francisco Bay, resulting in a damaged port hull. 'We’re always trying to recreate the intensity of racing that rival challengers have with our own in-house racing,' said Cup-winning skipper Jimmy Spithill. 'Unfortunately, we get it wrong sometimes. If you push to the maximum, you accept there are going to be some bumps and crashes.'

Meanwhile, closer to shore and in decidedly better conditions, ace shooters Leighton O’Conner and Ingrid Abery have provided a great image gallery from the this weekend’s Rolex International Regatta, which was held at the St. Thomas Yacht Club. Get the full wrap-up report inside. The Equipment Evaluations for the 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition have wrapped up in Santander, Spain, and the Clipper Around the World Race fleet has tapped into some great downwind sailing. And finally, the Finn European Championships just concluded, with Ioannis Mitakis taking the senior title. Get the full scoop on all of these stories, in this issue.

May the four winds blow you safely home,