MAPFRE leads the Volvo Ocean Race fleet out of Itajaí to Newport, Rhode Island
by Volvo Ocean Race 22 Apr 2018 12:53 PDT
22 April 2018
Volvo Ocean Race Leg 8 from Itajaí to Newport starts © Ainhoa Sanchez / Volvo Ocean Race
It was a familiar sight on Sunday afternoon in Itajaí, where the two red boats at the top of the Volvo Ocean Race leaderboard set the pace at the start of Leg 8 to Newport, Rhode Island on the east coast of the United States.
MAPFRE, in second place overall, led throughout the inshore portion of the leg start, with overall race leader Dongfeng Race Team giving chase just boatlengths behind.
Team Brunel and Turn the Tide on Plastic were up amongst the leaders as well, pushing the frontrunners as they headed out to sea for the 5,700 nautical mile leg north.
Team AkzoNobel held down fifth place out of Itajaí while Team SHK/Scallywag and Vestas 11th Hour Racing were close to 3-minutes behind the leader at the final inshore gate.
The Scallywag team was sporting a new logo on both boat and uniform honouring their lost teammate John Fisher.
The forecast is for generally light winds, making for tricky conditions to start Leg 8. The fleet is likely to push out to the east to get further offshore before making a turn to the north.
After falling behind Dongfeng Race Team by one point on the leaderboard, MAPFRE skipper Xabi Fernández says his team needs to battle hard to regain the lead.
"We need to step up again and use all our strength to try to win this leg," he said.
His counterpart on Dongfeng Race Team, Charles Caudrelier says the leg is complicated with tradewind sailing as well as a fourth and final doldrums crossing for the race.
"It's a nice leg. We have to cross the doldrums again, but it should be in the easy part, further to the west, which is good," said Caudrelier.
Then, it's the Newport stopover, which is popular with the sailors, as the town is renowned as a sailing mecca.
"I love Newport," said Team Brunel's Bouwe Bekking. "It's a sailing destination, with so much heritage with the America's Cup there for so many years and of course all the locals know what our race is about. It's one of the best stopovers."
As the teams left Itajaí, Brazil, they were seen off by a large, enthusiastic crowd dockside as well as a generous spectator fleet on the water for the leg start.
Over the course of the Itajaí stopover nearly 450,000 fans visited the Race Village.
Fans can follow the race via www.volvooceanrace.com where there is a Race Tracker featuring live position updates for the first 48 hours of the leg followed by 6-hourly updates, as well as the latest news, features, photos, and videos.
Leg 8 Positions as at 1800 UTC on Sunday 22 April:
1. MAPFRE (Xabi Fernández)
2. Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier)
3. Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking)
4. Team AkzoNobel (Simeon Tienpont)
5. Turn The Tide on Plastic (Dee Caffari)
6. Sun Hung Kai Scallywag (David Witt)
7. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (Charlie Enright)
Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 --- Overall Leaderboard after Leg 7:
1. Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier), 46 points
2. MAPFRE (Xabi Fernández), 45 points
3. Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking), 36 points
4. Team AkzoNobel (Simeon Tienpont), 33 points
5. Sun Hung Kai Scallywag (David Witt), 26 points
6. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (Charlie Enright), 23 points
7. Turn The Tide on Plastic (Dee Caffari), 20 points
www.VolvoOceanRace.com
MAPFRE leads the start of Leg 8 to Newport (from MAPFRE)
An extremely punctual start, and winds of 10 to 12 knots in Itajaí for the start of the next leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, the eighth of the total 11 legs in this 2017-18 edition, which takes the fleet from southern Brazil to Newport, on the eastern coast of the United States.
As was the case for the in-port race on Friday, which saw victory for the Spanish team, MAPFRE were once again the key players at the start line, with wonderful work from Pablo Arrarte at the helm, and Joan Vila and Rob Greenhalgh on tactics. On the left side of the line, and tight into the pin, Xabi Fernàndez and his team began leg eight in clean wind enabling them to lead the fleet from the very first few seconds.
MAPFRE were first around the top mark, closely followed by Dongfeng, and as the live aerial TV images showed throughout the second lap the two boats were incredibly close. Xabi Fernández and his crew led the fleet, with Caudrelier's team less than half a boat-length behind them, but despite attempts from Dongfeng to pass the Spanish team, MAPFRE held their ground perfectly.
The second mark rounding made for magnificent racing with MAPFRE and Brunel each attacking from a different side, and after fabulous work from Bouwe Bekking and his team on the second lap, the Dutch team were able to pass in second place, 29 seconds behind MAPFRE, with Dongfeng, just a second after the Dutch team.
After the 6 initial laps, 42 minutes into the leg, MAPFRE rounded the last mark of the course once again leading the fleet, having demonstrated clean, focussed and fast sailing. Dongfeng followed the Spanish team 41 seconds behind; followed by Brunel at 1:05, at 1:18 Turn The Tide On Plastic, at 1:46 AkzoNobel, and 2:59 Scallywag, with Vestas 11th Hour Racing 3:19 minutes after MAPFRE.
5,700 nm to go
Following the initial round-the-cans, the fleet now head out upwind towards Cabo Frío, located a short distance from Río de Janeiro.
The leg will last approximately 18 days, and will be one of the trickiest for the fleet tactically, involving the trade winds, the Doldrums, crossing the equator, the Gulf current, and the cold, and foggy conditions into Newport.
"Sailing up to the equator, there will be a lot of transitions, so we have to play our cards well, and read the wind correctly to stay ahead. It is important to stay with the fleet, and not fall behind or get stuck," explained Pablo Arrarte just before leaving the dock.
"This is a long and tricky leg. Conditions will be lighter, but we have to pass the equator and will see a little bit of everything, with squalls, and clouds. It is complicated sailing, and then there is the area from Recife up until the Caribbean, where there is a lot of sea algae, and it is obviously a problem for all of us. Experience helps when it comes to facing the sea algae, at least in the knowing when to stop, whether to clean the boat or not. Finally there is the Gulf current, and it will be cold and windy too. So all in all, we will have a little bit of everything," concluded skipper Xabi Fernández.
"We are thinking more and more about how to achieve our dream" - Caudrelier as Dongfeng Race Team sets sail from Brazil (from Dongfeng Race Team)
Charles Caudrelier, the skipper of Dongfeng Race Team, was keen to get going on Leg 8 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 today as he prepared to set sail from Itajai in Brazil bound for Newport, Rhode Island in the USA.
This is the first time in this long race that Caudrelier and his crew, sponsored by the Chinese car and truck manufacturer Dongfeng Motor Corporation, have set sail as the overall leader – by one point from MAPFRE.
And the Frenchman admitted they have been thinking about how to make the dream of winning the race come true over the final four legs.
"It is a very important moment for Dongfeng Race Team because we are leaving Brazil and leading the race," said Caudrelier. "Of course we are thinking more and more about how to achieve our dream, but there is still a long way to go and there is still lots to fight for before the end of the race.
"We are very focused and motivated and happy to go. As soon as we ease the mooring lines we feel better," he added.
The 5,700-nautical mile leg to Newport started with a short inshore sprint around the buoys off Itajai in warm sunshine and a light sea-breeze, before the fleet headed off towards the north-east corner of Brazil and the long journey north that is expected to take around 17 days.
In the inshore contest, MAPFRE got the best start and almost immediately Xabi Fernandez's team and Dongfeng Race Team rejoined the battle which has dominated this race from the start. At times the boats were just metres apart as the helmsmen looked to squeeze every ounce of speed out of their boats watched by a sizeable spectator fleet.
As the fleet headed off out to sea after 40 minutes of racing and six mark roundings, MAPFRE held the advantage with Dongfeng in second place, 41 seconds behind. Then came Team Brunel which won the last leg through the Southern Ocean, at one minute and 5 seconds, and then Turn the Tide on Plastic (1.18), Team AkzoNobel (1.46), Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (2.59) and finally Vestas 11th Hour Racing (3.19).
This leg sees the return of Stu Bannatyne to Dongfeng's race crew. The Kiwi veteran of seven previous Volvo Ocean Race campaigns reckons the Chinese team just needs to keep sailing consistently and the results will keep coming.
"I'm looking forward to getting back into it. We have got to keep doing what we have been doing - just sail smart and avoid making mistakes and we will see how it pans out," said Bannatyne.
"It is a very tricky part of the race with only four legs left to go. There are still a lot of points up for grabs. We have just got to keep the consistency and not get too focused on the end but make sure we do every step along the way as well as we can," he added.
Chinese sailor Chen Jinhao, also known as Horace, was ready for battle as always. "After Leg 7, of course every team was tired, including us, but we have had a good time for recovery and to be ready for Leg 8. Now Leg 8 is here and the team, the people and the boat are ready to fight for the last four legs," he said.
"The race is almost finished and it will be the end of the fight. This morning there was a touching moment as we all thought about the reasons why we are here and the mission that we have left to do. Now we are in a good position and the last four legs will be very, very tough and very tight but we are ready for this. We are ready to fight," he added.
Marcel van Triest, the Dongfeng Race Team meteorologist, has been in Itajai helping Caudrelier and his navigator Pascal Bidegorry prepare for a complex leg that requires the teams to tackle the St Helena High, two phases of trade wind sailing, the Doldrums and finally the effects of the Gulf Stream.
Van Triest says the start of the leg looks straightforward but it's going to get complicated pretty quickly as the boats head towards Recife. "The breeze will slowly build and by sunset it will be in the mid-teens and 20-21 knots by midnight, with the boats all on the wind," he said.
"I expect them to be on port tack until tomorrow sunset, so the first 24 hours are on port tack going offshore – which is great because it takes the fleet out of the way of all the oil rigs and commercial traffic. After that it is going to be a pretty complicated period as the boats try to get around the north-westerly corner of the high pressure system – and there are multiple ways to do that!"
Dongfeng Race Team is taking part in its second consecutive Volvo Ocean Race, having finished third overall in 2014-15. The team is committed to trying to win the race but also to helping to develop the sport of offshore racing in China.
Bekking's Brunel full force out of Brazil (from Team Brunel)
On Sunday afternoon Team Brunel left Itajai, Brazil, for Leg 8 of the Volvo Ocean Race. In the 5,700 nm Leg to Newport, the fleet will cross the equator for the last time in this edition of the race. Team Brunel aim to increase the pressure on overall leader Dongfeng Race Team and Mapfre, currently second overall.
Offensive start for Team Brunel
After the first upwind mark, which Team Brunel rounded in 5th position, Bekking and his crew immediately attacked. With Peter Burling at the helm, Brunel was the only boat to choose the other side of the course and that paid off at the bottom buoy directly. Team Brunel was the second boat to round after the Spanish Mapfre.
Team Brunel also chose to attack in the remaining part of the Brazilian coast. At the rounding of the last buoy, before leaving for open sea, the yellow boat was in third position behind Mapfre and the Chinese-French Dongfeng Race Team.
Ceiling not yet reached
Before the leg, Bekking, on his eighth race around the world, once again looked back on the win in the previous stage. Bekking: "It says something about the crew that we have won this heavy leg. We have a lot of young guys who are new in the race. When you see how much we have learned, it gives you a good feeling. But the best thing is that we are still seeing progress. As a team, we are not yet at our full potential, we are getting even better every day.
Regarding the ambitions of the team, Bekking, who has never won the race, is clear. Bekking: "We're on the podium now, but we've got types of winners on board and we're looking up. Of course, we want to be in the lead at the finish line in The Hague, just like the rest of the fleet."
Team AkzoNobel departs Brazil for the United States on Leg 8 of the Volvo Ocean Race (from Team AkzoNobel)
Team AkzoNobel has left Itajaí, Brazil on Leg 8 of the Volvo Ocean Race around the world, bound for the American city of Newport, Rhode Island on the east coast of the United States.
The fleet of seven international teams contesting the 2017-18 edition of the marathon eight-month, 11-leg competition crossed the Leg 8 start line at the mouth of the Itajaí-Açu river at 1400 Brasilia time (1700 UTC/1900 CEST).
Ahead lies a 10,500-kilometer open water passage through the Atlantic Ocean that will see the crews cross the equator and return to the northern hemisphere for the final time in the race.
Team AkzoNobel helmsman and sail trimmer Martine Grael – the first female Brazilian sailor to race into her home country on the Volvo Ocean Race – said the team was aiming for a good result on Leg 8.
"We have been steadily getting better over recent legs – always on the podium," Grael said. "We are sailing well at the moment, but we need to make sure we keep improving and get to Newport in the top group."
Much of the leg is likely to involve fast sailing in strong and steady trade wind conditions, but the team AkzoNobel sailors could also have to deal with a range of more unpredictable elements including ocean currents, thunder storms and sudden wind squalls before they make landfall in Rhode Island in a little under three weeks.
Team AkzoNobel passed the Itajaí leaving mark at the end of a 60-minute inshore course in fifth place.
Shortly afterwards guest leg jumper Kahena Kunze – Martine Grael's Olympic gold medal winning 49er class crew – made a spectacular back flip exit from the boat.
Safely retrieved by the team AkzoNobel chase boat Kunze said:
"What a privilege to get the chance to sail with Martine and her team AkzoNobel crew mates and to see how the boat and the team work – it was great fun.
"I hope my back flip was good enough and I wish them all luck for the rest of the leg to America."
At 1600 Brasilia time (1900 UTC/2100 CEST) this afternoon team AkzoNobel was in fourth place in the fleet, less than a kilometer off the lead.
Vestas 11th Hour Racing starts Leg 8 to Newport on Earth Day in Itajaí (from Vestas 11th Hour Racing)
Under sunny skies and a building sea breeze, Vestas 11th Hour Racing started the eighth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race from Itajaí, Brazil to Newport, RI, USA with all six of the other Volvo Ocean 65s. The 5,100 nautical mile leg is expected to take them through multiple challenging areas of the Atlantic Ocean and last around sixteen days.
"It is amazing that all the boats are lining up together on the start line today," said skipper, Charlie Enright. "It shows the resolve of this fleet, our team, and all the shore crew behind us."
After a grueling Southern Ocean leg that tragically saw the loss of the John Fisher from Sun Hung Kai Scallywag and the unfortunate dismasting of Vestas 11th Hour Racing, the entire fleet has been battling the clock in Itajaí to make all the necessary preparations for Leg 8.
Vestas 11th Hour Racing motor-sailed with a jury rig from the Falkland Islands arriving in Brazil on Monday, April 10th, and 72 hours later relaunched with a replacement mast. Scallywag reached the Race Village on Thursday in time for their haul-out service. The other five race boats also received planned maintenance.
"The fact of the matter is we haven't scored a point in 2018 - and while that is disappointing - it has not shaken our resolve," said Enright. "Now we are going to fight really hard for a good position into Newport."
Newport is the homecoming for the team as Enright is from the area, along with boat captain, Nick Dana. Enright and co-founder, Mark Towill, also attended Brown University together in Providence. Furthermore, a number of the shore crew and the team's co-title partner, 11th Hour Racing, are based in Newport.
"Rhode Island is like a second home to me," said Towill, who hails from Hawaii. "I am looking forward to the stopover because of the warm welcome we have always received from the community."
Stacey Jackson commented before departing that Itajaí is one of the most relaxing places to regroup after such a tough leg in the Southern Ocean. "I had the chance to visit a turtle sanctuary this week - and while it was so sad to learn about the amount of plastic turtles consume - it was inspiring to see people doing such important conservation work. I would hate that one day we would have to sail around the world and never see these amazing creatures."
It is fitting that the team should rejoin the race on Earth Day, the internationally recognized day for environmental awareness. "We are over halfway around the world and still as committed to our mission to be the leaders in sustainability in the Volvo Ocean Race," said sustainability manager, Damian Foxall. "By tracking our carbon footprint, we have learned a lot of different ways we can continue to lower our team's impact on the environment. In Newport, we will kick off our carbon offsetting project by restoring coastal wetlands to fulfill our goal of leading sustainability."
Also, in a touching way to end the Itajaí stopover, the shore crew and sailors carried the jury rig this morning down the road to a local community sailing organization, ANI, Itajaí Nautical Association, to repurposed as their flagpole.
"Obrigado, Itajaí," said Enright to the crowds before docking out - meaning thank you and farewell. He - along with all the sailors, shore teams, and Volvo Ocean Race staff - donned a black arm band marked "#ForeverFish" to commemorate the lost Scallywag sailor.
After starting in a 10-15 knot northeasterly, Vestas 11th Hour Racing follow close behind the fleet. The crew is expected to continue sailing up the coast of Brazil in similar conditions over the next 24 - 48 hours, at which time a decision will be made to either stay close to the coast to take advantage of land affected sea breezes or go offshore to get into the south easterly trade winds.