Volvo Ocean Race: Goodbye to Stealth Mode

Leg 6 to Auckland, day 18 on board Sun hung Kai / Scallywag. We're in stealth mode for the next 24 hours, watch this space! 25 February, © Jeremie Lecaudey / Volvo Ocean Rac

A welcome feature of Leg 7 and hopefully the remainder of the race is the removal of the ability of the boats to go into so-called "Stealth Mode".

The option allowed the boats elect to sail in an "invisible mode for the up to three six-hour reporting periods, where their position was concealed from fans and other boats.

The feature reached the zenith of stupidity going into Hong Kong when multiple boats dropped into Stealth mode, making it an impossibility to follow the last few hundred miles of an exciting leg.

One skipper told Sail-World in Auckland that there was no particular purpose in going into Stealth Mode, and they just did it to get other boats to believe they were about to pull a tricky move - and picked a time when it looked like they had options. But in reality they never changed course or strategy at all.

The change has been confirmed by Volvo Ocean Race:

The teams will take on the challenge of this Southern Ocean leg without the ability to 'hide' from the opposition.

Stealth Mode, whereby teams could elect to have their positions concealed from the rest of the fleet for three consecutive position reports has been dropped following the skippers' briefing on Friday.

A concern was raised that Stealth Mode was primarily being used at the end of legs when fans most wanted to see the positions and follow the action.

When it was recommended to increase the limit on using Stealth Mode from 200 to 500 miles from the finish, the teams indicated they would prefer not to use it at all, and it has now been eliminated as an option via the Sailing Instructions.