Sport-heute: Sailing - Abenteuer Abu Dhabi

11. Dezember 2011, 23:05

Abenteuer Abu Dhabi

Heute Sonntag Nachmittag sind die sechs Boote Richtung Abu Dhabi losgesegelt. Für die Yacht Azzim von Abu Dhabi Racing wird die Leg 2 zur besonderen Etappe, steuert man doch den Heimathafen in Abu Dhabi an. Und da will man ganz klar als Sieger eintreffen. So jedenfalls der ehemalige Olympiasieger und Skipper des Abu Dhabi Racing Teams, Ian Walker. Bild Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, skippered by Ian Walker from the UK at the start of leg 2 from Cape Town, South Africa to Abu Dhabi, UAE. (Photo Credit Must Read: PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race).

Zürich, 11.12.11 Red. (mk) 1900 UTC

In nur 4 Seemeilen Abstand von der Küste Südafrikas segeln die 6 Boote auf der zweiten Etappe Richtung Abu Dhabi in die Nacht hinein. Es wird die erste Nacht im Süden Afrikas auf See. Was jetzt schon sicher ist, ist, dass die Nacht und damit die nächsten Stunden kein Spaziergang werden. Die Winde sind lau und der Abstand zwischen den Booten beträgt Sichtweite.

5,430 nautical miles (6,249 miles, 10,056 kilometres,)

Leaving the sparkle of the Cape Town stopover behind them, Leg 2 sees the fleet make the transition from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean as they pass the Cape of Good Hope and round the southernmost tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas.

The threat of piracy in the Indian Ocean has become so severe that organisers have had to redraw the route for this leg and the boats will now make their way to a safe haven. They will then be transported closer to the finish line for a sprint into Abu Dhabi.

Stand 1900 UTC

Leg 2
Report: 11/12/2011 19:17:20 UTC
	DTL	DTLC	BS
1			TELE	0.00	0.0	1.1
2			GPMA	0.20	2.0	1.8
3			ADOR	0.20	0.0	1.4
4			SNYA	0.20	0.0	1.8
5			PUMA	0.20	0.0	1.2
6			CMPR	2.40	1.0	1.8

Englischer Teil:

Cape Town, South Africa – Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing blazed a comeback trail after speeding around the Cape Town inshore course and leading the fleet on the Leg 2 charge to their home base at Abu Dhabi just days after replacing the boat's broken mast.

After a slow motion start with a light breeze in the shadow of Table Mountain, Abu Dhabi gained pace and led to the top mark, followed by Groupama sailing team, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, Team Sanya and Team Telefónica, who stalled on the start line.

But as the westerly wind eased to five knots and the fleet made their way around the 11-mile inshore course Ian Walker’s Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team extended their lead at the Cape Town leaving mark.

Hundreds of spectators, fans, friends and families gathered at the Cape Town Race Village to give the 66 sailors warm, energetic and at times tearful farewells.

Telefónica supporters donned team colours and loudly blared their vuvuzelas in vocal support of the race leaders. Team Telefónica extended her lead by winning Saturday’s V&A Waterfront In-Port Race, scoring six points to take their overall score to 37.

Skipper Iker Martínez said his team had a solid strategy and would try their best to fend off the challengers. Hot on their heels are CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, intent on winning Leg 2 and stealing the lead. Also close behind are third-place Groupama, with an excited Franck Cammas keen to “get back to ocean racing.”

A defiant Ken Read has also set out his hopes of PUMA becoming the first team to win the Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race without completing all the legs, having retired from Leg 1 with a broken mast.

Team Sanya’s skipper Mike Sanderson said he was just happy to have his boat back in one piece and to be joining Leg 2 after a miraculous repair effort. Sanderson said following heart breaking results of Leg 1, when his team were back onshore within 24-hours that it was good to get going.

As the team songs faded out across the race village and the departure ceremony drew to a close, the focus soon turned to the race course, where hundreds of spectators had gathered on boats scattered across Table Bay.

By the start time, 1300 UTC, the morning’s rain had passed, with a sunny blue sky creating a picture perfect day, while a westerly breeze created dream conditions to charge up the fleet in the close-quarter inshore combat.

The fleet can expect yet another brutal leg start opening night, with the wind tipped to tend south as they make the 35-mile trek to the Cape of Good Hope.

Volvo meteorologist Gonzalo Infante said teams could expect the first night to be a good test for the three yachts ousted from Leg 1 with damage: Abu Dhabi, PUMA and Sanya.

“Twenty-five to 30 knots coupled with a three to four metre sea is going to be a good test for the new rigs and bow,’’ Infante said.

Leg 2 sees the fleet head out from Cape Town and they will eventually arrive at Abu Dhabi around New Year's Day. Because of the threat of piracy in the Indian Ocean the boats will be shipped from an undisclosed Safe Haven Port through the worst affected area before completing the leg with a sprint into Abu Dhabi.

Provisional Leaderboard Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12
1. Team Telefónica: 37 points
2. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand: 34 points
3. Groupama sailing team: 24 points
4. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing: 9 points
5. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG: 9 points
6. Team Sanya: 4 points

2000 UTC
The six-strong fleet, which started Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race earlier today, is making painfully slow progress towards the Cape of Good Hope approximately 17 nautical miles (nm) south-southeast of the fleet. The first night at sea, after a hectic stopover in Cape Town, looks set to be spent inching along the coast, just four nm from the shoreline, in little or no breeze.

At 1900 UTC tonight, race leader Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) leads Franck Cammas/FRA (Groupama 4) and the chasing pack by 0.20 nm, the slimmest of margins and in the most difficult conditions, almost no wind at all and with boat speeds of less than two knots.

However, once clear of the Cape, the teams should be able to crack sheets and enjoy some quicker reaching conditions, although the Wind Gods will be testing the fleet with a complex set of weather and currents and Leg 2 will be no walk in the park.

The Agulhas current, which runs south down the eastern coast of South Africa, meets the cold water of the Beneguela current and turns back on itself about one kilometre east of the Cape of Good Hope. The result, the shallow area of the Agulhas Bank, is a notoriously rough piece of water to be negotiated. Here, the westerly winds along the African coast collide with the typical three - five knot easterly Agulhas current and can potentially produce boat-breaking conditions. By hugging the coast, the worse effects could be avoided.

Two of six teams in the fleet stepped new masts for this leg having dismasted on Leg 1 and both Ian Walker/GBR (Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Azzam) and Ken Read/USA (PUMA’s Mar Mostro) will be cautious of the conditions they expect to find here.

Speaking earlier today, skipper of Team Sanya, Mike Sanderson/NZL said, “It’s looking like the issue is going to be sea state rather than wind speed. Down by Cape Agulhas there are still three - four metre waves but only 20 knots of wind.

“One of the things about 20 knots of wind is that the boats are already going as fast as they can go upwind, so it’s almost worse because you want to sail upwind at 13 knots but if there’s a leftover sea state left over from the big low out there we could be launching off some beauties.

“Although we were cautious even when we ran into something [the boat was seriously damaged in the early part of Leg 1 and retired], I think the fleet is very conscious of getting through these first couple of days. I think you might even see a whole new level of people buttoning off,” Sanderson said.

http://www.volvooceanrace.com/static/assets/content/media/audios/m8091_111211_l2d01_pum_mutter.mp3

Leserkommentare (0) »

Groupama Sailing Team, skippered by Franck Cammas from France at the start of leg 2 from Cape Town, South Africa to Abu Dhabi, UAE. (Photo Credit Must Read: PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race)

Team Sanya, skippered by Mike Sanderson from New Zealand at the start of leg 2 from Cape Town, South Africa to Abu Dhabi, UAE. (Photo Credit Must Read: PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race)

Team Telefonica, skippered by Iker Martinez from Spain at the start of leg 2 from Cape Town, South Africa to Abu Dhabi, UAE. (Photo Credit Must Read: PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race)

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, skippered by Ken Read from the USA at the start of leg 2 from Cape Town, South Africa to Abu Dhabi, UAE. (Photo Credit Must Read: PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race)

Groupama Sailing Team, skippered by Franck Cammas from France at the start of leg 2 from Cape Town, South Africa to Abu Dhabi, UAE. (Photo Credit Must Read: PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race)

The start of leg 2 from Cape Town, South Africa to Abu Dhabi, UAE. (Photo Credit must read: IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race)

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, skippered by Ken Read from the USA at the start of leg 2 from Cape Town, South Africa to Abu Dhabi, UAE. (Photo Credit must read: IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race)

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, skippered by Ian Walker from the UK at the start of leg 2 from Cape Town, South Africa to Abu Dhabi, UAE. (Photo Credit must read: IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race)

CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, skippered by Chris Nicholson from Australia at the start of leg 2 from Cape Town, South Africa to Abu Dhabi, UAE. (Photo Credit must read: IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race)