Volvo Ocean Race Leg 5 start delayed further

Cyclone Pam caused another postponement for the Leg 5 departure of the Volvo Ocean Race as organisers announced on Friday that the fleet would not now leave Auckland for Itajaí, Brazil, until Tuesday at the earliest.

The cyclone has already racked up winds of 200km/hr causing a delay in the departure in the six-strong fleet which was originally due to embark on the 6,776-nautical mile (nm) journey on Sunday (March 15).

It was on a collision course with the fleet shortly after they were due to leave the New Zealand city.

Race CEO Knut Frostad told a press conference in Auckland on Friday that there was no choice but to hold up the start of a leg, which was already likely to be the toughest in the nine-month, 38,739nm marathon event.

He had previously announced on Thursday that it would not leave until Monday at the earliest.

"This weather is very rare for the race, and for New Zealand. We will not start the leg until Tuesday and will probably look at an afternoon start or in the evening. That's our current plan," he said before adding that organisers would give a final decision by 1800 local time on Sunday.

The fleet's skippers in the press conference backed the decision to keep the fleet in port for at least an extra two days.

"It's obvious," said Team Brunel's Dutch skipper, Bouwe Bekking. "All the skippers in our meeting said straight away, 'you've got to delay it'. A very good decision."

The race emphasised that the New Zealand Herald In-Port Race was still scheduled to go ahead on Saturday (March 14) at 1400 and they hoped that a sizeable audience of Auckland's sailing-loving residents would attend.

The In-Port series is a tie-breaker for the overall trophy and is currently splitting first and second Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) and Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA), and fourth and fifth (Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) and MAPFRE (Iker Martínez/ESP). See panel above.

Additionally, they plan a similar length, in-port race for charity on Sunday at 1400 local time, when the winners will be awarded NZ$10,000 by the event, which they can donate to a cause of their choice.

Frostad emphasised that with Cyclone Pam bearing down on Auckland, that event was subject to cancellation, but was an attempt to give the city's sailing fans and sponsors an extra dose of action. A final decision will be made no later than 1800 on Saturday.

"It's on the borderline of what we think is safe and prudent to do but we'll continue to monitor the situation."

The skippers, meanwhile, are relishing finally taking on the most challenging stage of the race, which will take them through the Southern Ocean, past Cape Horn and then the Atlantic to Itajaí in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.

"It's the best sailing we can get – the waves, the nature. They will be moments when you hate to your guts being out there but it's the highlight for most of the sailors in the race," said Bekking.

Enright of Team Alvimedica added: "The race itself is a personal proving ground and this is what the Southern Ocean represents."

Ian Walker's Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing crew could be forgiven for feeling more trepidation than most after finding themselves one of several boats in the leg in the last edition in 2011-12 to enquire about emergency assistance.

"We got a message back saying that the nearest ship was 1,000 miles away. That kind of focuses the mind. If you run into trouble in the Southern Ocean, the chances are that help would come from one of the other boats in the race," he said.

He is one of several skippers who have been forced into changes for the leg. The race's only Emirati sailor, Adil Khalid, has been advised by race doctors that he is not fit to sail with the overall race leaders after suffering from a virus.

Antiguan newcomer, Louis Sinclair, 24, will take his place.

Bekking has lost his experienced bowman Laurent Pagès (FRA) for the leg after he tripped over some steps and broke two ribs on a trip home. "He wasn't going to tell us but he could hardly walk," said the Team Brunel skipper.

Team Alvimedica are using one of their experienced pre-race mentors, Stu Bannatyne (NZ), who has six Volvo Ocean Races under his belt, while Dongfeng Race Team's Caudrelier has called upon the services of Irishman Damian Foxall.

The latter pair helped Groupama win the last edition in 2011-12.

Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR), meanwhile, are able to recall their talented bowman/driver Sophie Ciszek (AUS) who returns after missing the last two legs following a Christmas Day operation on a back injury.

MAPFRE may well be the team to beat. They won the last leg from Sanya, China to Auckland, without their usual skipper Martínez who has been preparing his bid for a second Olympic gold in Rio next year.

Their stand-in, Xabi Fernández, delivered a fourth place and a win in his absence, but Martínez assured the press conference that he was fully focused and raring to go on his return.

"I was still working very hard for the boat even when I wasn't sailing," he said. Missing the two legs had, he said, given him a useful perspective for reviewing his crewmates' performance from afar.

Davies said her all-female crew had a particular incentive for reaching Itajaí in one piece and as quickly as possible.

"Several of the crew are looking for husbands and feel that Brazil is a good opportunity for them," she smiled. "We'll be going as fast as we can."

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Team Alvimedica look ahead to leg 5

"When you think of the Volvo Ocean Race, you think of this leg," said Team Alvimedica skipper Charlie Enright, who's about to embark on his first attempt at rounding Cape Horn. "The race itself is a personal proving ground and this is what the Southern Ocean represents."

"This is the Volvo Ocean Race, not the Volvo Ocean survival contest," said Enright. "Everyone's thinking about this reasonably. I'm confident this is the right decision."

Team Alvimedica navigator Will Oxley knows the loneliness of the leg all too well. During the 2011-'12 race as navigator aboard the New Zealand entry, Oxley and mates were forced to sail to Chile when their boat broke during heavy pounding.

Asked what words of advice the master navigator might give the largely greenhorn crew of Team Alvimedica – which has six of the eight race crew rounding for the first time – he offered an ominous yet sensible warning.

"Clip in because you might not get a second chance," said Oxley, who'll be rounding the Horn for the fourth time. "If you fall over, the chance of getting you back is low. So get your sleep while you can to remain alert. Life is very different in the cold. The conditions can be ever-changing and there'll be lots of sail changes, so you'll need your energy. Keep eating, keep your spirits up and look after each other.

"I think the fact we have a strong team is important. That'll show up during the leg," Oxley said.

Thirty-year-old skipper Enright is one of the six – along with team co-founder and watch captain Mark Towill, American Nick Dana, Italian Alberto Bolzan, and Kiwis Dave Swete and Ryan Houston – who'll earn a gold earring and be entitled to dine with one foot on the table, the mythical rights earned for passing Cape Horn.

"Honestly, it will be nice to have it behind us," said Enright, sounding a skipper's concern. "Sounds like it will be one of these things that you enjoy in the moment but you get a sense of relief when it's over. We'll have to manage our enthusiasm: part of us will want to push all the time, but we know that might not be best, but we can't be conservative either. Finding the balance will be key."

The crew will be bolstered on Leg 5 with the addition of Stu Bannatyne, the veteran New Zealand sailor who served as a mentor and training coach for Team Alvimedica during a trans-Atlantic passage last year. A three-time winner, Bannatyne has competed in every edition of the Volvo Ocean Race since his first, in 1993-'94. He replaces Seb Marsset of France, who's expected to re-join the crew for Leg 6.

"This was a tough decision for us to make because Seb is one of our core crew," said Enright. "But we've discussed it since last summer and Stu brings a wealth of experience that'll be invaluable to us in the Southern Ocean."

Bannatyne, who sailed the 2011-'12 race with Oxley, brings a hardness that could well be needed in the early days of the leg. Weather forecasts are calling for Cyclone Pam to stall off the east coast of New Zealand, generating 40-50 knots of wind and 10-12 meters (30- 40-foot) waves. Even with a Tuesday departure, Oxley says conditions this leg will still be torrid.

"We have to look after the boat," said Oxley. "We have to sail fast but safe. Make sure we finish the leg and finish in good shape. The leg could well be decided on the South American coast, after Cape Horn. So we have to be in good shape at that point to stay in the game."

Leg 5 will assist with vital work growing ocean knowledge

Volvo Ocean Race's six-strong fleet will be more than simply racing on Leg 5 from Auckland to Itajaí after setting off next week – they will be assisting in an important environmental project to provide vital data from the Southern Ocean.

If you've ever sailed aboard a ship, or checked a weather report before going to the beach, then you are one of many millions of people who benefit from ocean observations.

The U.S.-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) collects ocean and weather data to provide mariners with accurate forecasts of seas, as well as coastal forecasts and regional climate predictions.

It takes a lot of effort to maintain these observations in all of the ocean basins to support these forecasts, and NOAA can't do it alone.

Partnerships are critical to maintaining a network of free-floating buoys, known as drifters, and NOAA have asked the Volvo Ocean Race fleet to assist them on the forthcoming leg.

The race greatly depends on accurate predictions of ocean currents and marine weather. Their sailors' lives can depend on it.

The fifth leg of the race will depart Auckland and travel through the treacherous waters of the Southern Ocean before rounding Cape Horn and ending in Itajaí after a 6,776-nautical mile journey.

All six of the Volvo Ocean Race teams will each deploy a drifter during the fifth leg of the race, in the Southern Ocean – a region oceanographers don't get to visit regularly, but one that is critically important to observe.

"The Southern Ocean is poorly sampled compared to other ocean basins because it is so remote from most shipping lanes where observations are collected," said Dr. Rick Lumpkin, Director of NOAA's Global Drifter Programme.

"However, it plays a critical climate role in the global conveyor belt circulation and links the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, so it is extremely important to observe currents and temperatures there."

The operations centre of the Global Drifter Programme, housed at NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, continuously seeks opportunities for deployments in remote.

Martin Kramp serves as the ship coordinator at JCOMMOPS, a support centre of the Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology of World Meteorological Organization, and UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

JCOMMOPS monitors observing networks and helps exploit synergies in the Global Ocean Observing System, such as deployment opportunities across different programmes. Kramp helped coordinate this unique opportunity and partnership.

"Organised ocean sailing events, such as races and rallies, are a new component of growing importance in volunteer ocean observation," explained Kramp.

"We have shown the feasibility and efficiency of such partnerships in the last months and we are very happy that the Volvo Ocean Race is collaborating with us as a part of the current race."

Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, said: "The oceans are our race tracks and we are delighted we can assist with the building of knowledge about them in this way.

"I look forward to following the data from the drifters that our fleet drops as they race through the Southern Ocean, passing some of the most remote locations on the planet."

Anyone can access the drifter data at www.aoml.noaa.gov/phod/dac.

Each of the six racing teams will deploy their drifter at the same predetermined coordinates.

As soon as they are in the water, they will drift with ocean surface currents and transmit data on surface pressure and ocean currents through a global satellite network.

A 'drifter' being launched - photo © NOAA