Sport-heute: Sailing - TELEFÓNICA FEND OFF CHALLENGERS IN TIGHTEST OF RACES

28. Januar 2012, 11:36

TELEFÓNICA FEND OFF CHALLENGERS IN TIGHTEST OF RACES

GOING FOR EVERY INCH

Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) leads from PUMA’s Mar Mostro (Ken Read/USA), CAMPER (Chris Nicholson/AUS) and Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas/FRA) in a fight that will last at least 25 nautical miles to Statue Point situated on the northern tip of Pulau We, the island the fleet must leave to starboard before entering the Malacca Strait. Team Sanya during during leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Abu Dhabi, UAE to Sanya, China. (Credit: Andrés Soriano/Team Sanya/Volvo Ocean Race).

Zürich, 28.1.2012 Red. (mk) Overnight the weather played a big part in juggling the leaderboard. At 0700 UTC this morning, Team Telefónica were clinging onto a lead of 1.5 nm ahead of CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand. PUMA’s Mar Mostro (Ken Read/USA) had regained third place after a cloud captured Groupama 4 and brought her to a standstill.

By 1000 UTC this morning, it was all change again as PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG deposed CAMPER to take up second, just 1.10 nm astern of the leg leader. In the closest of races, CAMPER is still just .4 of a mile behind PUMA’s Mar Mostro and Groupama 4 is less than 5 nm further back.

The wind in lee of Sumatra only shifted 30 degrees to the right overnight, which let Telefónica retain her leading position and, while the top four fight it out, the split in the fleet has extended to over 60 nm to Team Sanya in sixth position.

“The racing is still locked tight so there is no room for error,” commented CAMPER’s co-skipper Stu Bannatyne. "You have to be on your game, but it’s hard going. It’s more puffy out here than a 1970s perm, and things aren’t going to get any easier once we reach the Malacca Strait."

Groupama had a tough night, losing third place after spending 45 minutes trapped by a cloud. Cammas was pragmatic. “It’s annoying, but it’s just starting," he said. "We have to expect lots of unstable areas in the next days."

Meanwhile, the sheets on the winches of Groupama are burning bright red as the crew attempt to capitalise on any gains they can make and minimalise any losses. “Much like a salesman on commission,” remarked bowman Brad Marsh today.

The leading boats now face a 25-mile beat to Statue Point on the north tip of the island of Palau We in 10-15 knots of breeze before they can contemplate what lies ahead in the Malacca Strait. This stretch of water will present some complex navigational and tactical challenges, which will cause many lead changes.

“The Strait promises to be a minefield of opportunities and losses,” Marsh explained. "Like a game of snakes and ladders, one wrong move will drop you a long way back and one lucky move will make you look famous."

In the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09, the eventual overall winner, Torben Grael’s Ericsson 4 entered the Strait in first place, but ultimately finished the leg in Singapore in fourth. Leg 3 this time finishes in Sanya, allowing a longer runway to make up lost miles.

Already the hazard of fishing boats is making itself known. Most of the fleet have seen the small craft trailing long nets, but as yet no one has become ensnared, although ground is lost while altering course to avoid them.

For Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) and Team Sanya (Mike Sanderson/NZL), it has been tough going, with huge changes in wind direction and pressure. Both teams now trail the leaders significantly, but in the minefield of the Malacca Strait, anything can happen and often does.

Leg 3
Report: 27/01/2012 10:06:04 UTC
	DTL	DTLC	BS	DTF
1			TELE	0.00	0	10.8	1706.4
2			PUMA	1.10	3	10.9	1707.5
3			CMPR	1.50	0	10.6	1707.9
4			GPMA	6.40	6	11.5	1712.8
5			ADOR	24.70	9	11.8	1731.1
6			SNYA	60.90	7	11.3	1767.3

Update: 29.1.12

GOING FOR EVERY INCH

Tonight at 2200 UTC, all six boats racing in Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race are negotiating the Malacca Strait with their eyes wide open. At 1900, CAMPER (Chris Nicholson/AUS) became the new leader, Sanya (Mike Sanderson/NZL) had moved up a place to fifth, but by 2200 UTC, it was all change.

Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) was back in the leader’s position, a fraction over three nautical miles (nm) ahead of CAMPER, with PUMA’s Mar Mostro (Ken Read/USA) 6.30 nm behind in third. All three were heading towards the mainland shore on port tack. The second half of the fleet however all lost miles to the leaders. Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas/FRA) lost seven nm, but retained fourth position, while the worse casualty, Sanya, still on starboard, slipped back to sixth, trading places with Ian Walker’s Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.

Onboard CAMPER, navigator Will Oxley is planning to keep away from the coast of Sumatra. “We don’t think there will be much wind there tonight,” he said.

The weather models are predicting the wind to come aft and decrease, which will slow the front-runners and could play into the hands of Team Sanya and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) who are playing catch up. At least, that is what Jules Salter, navigator of Azzam is hoping. “That’s where the advantage of being behind is, if there ever is one,” he said.

As the Strait narrows and constricts, it becomes harder to pass and according to Salter, there are plenty of potholes to be avoided. “We will try to work out where the clouds are from our satellite pictures,” he explains. “Every three hours we also receive the wind information form the other boats and piece together what’s going on. Hopefully we can pick a better path for ourselves,” he said.

Along with the rest of the fleet, the crew of Groupama 4 are working extra hard in all areas to catch up 15 nm. “We’re going to have our work cut out refining the trim so that we can make the most of the little wind there will be and will have to be on top of things. Groupama 4 isn’t necessarily the most at ease in these conditions, but for the time being we are on the pace and the atmosphere on board is very good,” Franck Cammas reported.

Now that the fleet races in darkness, it is a question of feeling the way through the tidal rips and congested commercial shipping. All boats in the fleet are equipped with an AIS system, which is mandatory for racing in the Malacca Strait. This device sends the name, direction and speed of each racing yacht to all commercial shipping within a 20 nm radius of each yacht, each one appearing on the ship’s screen as a blip marked ‘racing yacht, limited manoeuvrability’.

Added to the Malacca Strait challenge are the small fishing boats with long nets and tree trunks and other debris floating unseen in the water requiring a crewmember on deck to keep a permanent watch for unseen hazards. Daylight will bring a welcome relief.

Leg 3
Report: 27/01/2012 22:03:35 UTC
	DTL	DTLC	BS	DTF
1			TELE	0.00	0	11.6	1639.6
2			CMPR	3.10	3	10.9	1642.6
3			PUMA	6.30	0	11.3	1645.9
4			GPMA	15.40	7	10.4	1655.0
5			ADOR	29.50	5	10.3	1669.0
6			SNYA	46.60	25	10.3	1686.1

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Pepe Ribes eating onboard Team Telefonica during leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Abu Dhabi, UAE to Sanya, China. (Credit: Diego Fructuoso/Team Telefonica/Volvo Ocean Race)

Franck Cammas helming Groupama Sailing Team approaching Indonesia during leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Abu Dhabi, UAE to Sanya, China. (Credit: Yann Riou/Groupama Sailing Team/Volvo Ocean Race)

Moving the sail stack across the deck before a tack. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG during leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Abu Dhabi, UAE to Sanya, China. (Credit: Amory Ross/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race)

Marmo taking a fan for himself to keep cool. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG during leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Abu Dhabi, UAE to Sanya, China. (Credit: Amory Ross/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race)

Casey Smith on the rail during the final day in the Sea of Bengal. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG during leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Abu Dhabi, UAE to Sanya, China. (Credit: Amory Ross/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race)

Tom Addis and Ken Read share a laugh over the chart. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG during leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Abu Dhabi, UAE to Sanya, China. (Credit: Amory Ross/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race)