Sport-heute: Sailing - TORTUOUS TACKING TOWARDS FINISH

03. Februar 2012, 00:08

TORTUOUS TACKING TOWARDS FINISH

Abscheuliche Bedingungen

Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) continues to control the fleet as the leading four tack every hour around two miles off the coast of Vietnam in hideous conditions. They are not free of danger. Gales are still forecast for the track ahead and the fight between Telefónica and Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas/FRA) who has closed to 7.3 nm is set continue until the finish in Sanya. Abscheuliche Bedingungen entlang der Küste von Vietnam bedeuten im Moment grosse Gefahr für die Boote. So haben Telefonica und Groupama beschlossen, den Kampf gegeneinander vorerst auszusetzen. Wellen in unvorstellbarer Höhe, Wind und Regen setzen den beiden Teams schrecklich zu. Justin Slattery refreshes himself with some clean water onboard Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing during leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Abu Dhabi, UAE to Sanya, China. (Credit: Nick Dana/Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race)

Zürich, 2.2.2012 Red. (mk) With the finish line 443 nm ahead, less now than a Fastnet or Sydney Hobart Race, Telefónica is using a protective strategy and sailing smart to keep Groupama 4 at bay. The French can only hope that Team Telefónica racks up some wrong calls, while at the same time chipping away at the lead and also keeping a watching brief on CAMPER (Chris Nicholson/AUS) who has come steaming up the track showing blistering upwind speed overnight.

CAMPER’s crew have pushed the boat really hard overnight, closing to within 23 nm of the French. The team has trained seriously in the waters around New Zealand where 30 knots of breeze is a daily occurrence. They are sailing their own race, following their own strategy and are very confident in their boat.

Now 72 nm behind, PUMA’s Mar Mostro (Ken Read/USA) is slamming, smashing and thrashing her way towards Sanya, following a move that has misfired.

Read is despondent. He doesn’t think the split from the fleet made on Tuesday has worked and the mood onboard is very sombre. Read was expecting the wind to move to the right yesterday, but it was not as significant as he had hoped. His only course of action now is to cut his losses and try to reconnect with the rest of the fleet on the Vietnamese coast, which is taking the team straight across the strongest part of the adverse current.

While hopes of winning this leg have been dashed, there may still be a chance for Mar Mostro to pick off Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, currently in fourth, 23 miles behind CAMPER.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing is also relying on those ahead to make big mistakes. “It is still pretty windy and bumpy out here, so we will remain mindful that things could be tired after two weeks at sea, including the crew,” comments skipper Ian Walker.

Twenty-two hours and 249 nm behind the leaders, come Team Sanya. With still 691 nm to run to their homeport, the team faces yet more days on the wind.

Leg 3
Report: 02/02/2012 10:08:19 UTC
	DTL	DTLC	BS	DTF
1			TELE	0.00	0	12.1	442.3
2			GPMA	7.30	2	12.4	449.6
3			CMPR	23.40	3	11.9	465.7
4			ADOR	46.90	15	12.7	489.2
5			PUMA	72.20	13	13.3	514.5
6			SNYA	249.60	9	11	691.8

UPDATE

PUMA BACK IN TOUCH AS TELEFÓNICA PULLS AHEAD

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (Ken Read/USA) has re-joined the fleet after a brief, but miserable sojourn to the east, while leaders of the pack, Team Telefónica, have again extended their lead over second-placed Groupama sailing team (Franck Cammas/FRA). At 2200 UTC tonight, Telefónica led Groupama 4 by 19.4 nautical miles (nm).

At 1640 UTC today, the crew of PUMA’s Mar Mostro had reached the Vietnamese coast, crossing astern of Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Azzam (Ian Walker/GBR). During the next three hours, they exchanged tacks with Azzam and, averaging 12 knots and sailing faster than anyone else, the crew of PUMA’s Mar Mostro managed to nip across their bows and found themselves four and a half miles ahead of Walker and his team. They were back in touch and the leaders were just 27 nm ahead.

At 2200 UTC tonight, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand’s third place was under threat from Read and his men as their comeback gained momentum with just over 400 nm left to run until the finish in Sanya on Saturday. CAMPER led Mar Mostro by just over four and a half miles, while Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing were less than four miles astern.

Meanwhile, Team Sanya (Mike Sanderson/NZL) in sixth place, was still 76 nm south of the coast of Vietnam, and 187 nm adrift from Telefónica.

The fleet has now peeled away from the southeast coast of Vietnam and is heading out to sea before tacking and pointing towards Sanya. “It will be a bit like rounding a Cape,” said CAMPER’S Chris Nicholson earlier. “There’s going to be a fair bit going on. It will be windy and a potential for confused seas. We will have our wits about us for that bit”.

Leg 3
Report: 02/02/2012 22:04:00 UTC
	DTL	DTLC	BS	DTF
1			TELE	0.00	0	10.9	367.9
2			GPMA	19.40	3	12.3	387.3
3			CMPR	33.30	11	10.3	401.2
4			PUMA	38.10	11	11.7	406.0
5			ADOR	42.00	10	11.4	409.9
6			SNYA	187.40	12	11.8	555.2

Die Flotte ist wieder im grossen und ganzen zusammen. Groupama, GAMPER, PUMA AL MOSTRO UND ADOR liegen innerhalb 20 Meilen zurück. Einzig die Führenden der Telefonica scheinen auf und davon zu sein. An der vietnamesischen Küste herrscht immer noch Chaos, was nun die Boote hinter Telefonica ebenfalls zu spüren bekommen. Abgeschlagen steuert langsam SNYA auf die vietnamesische Küste zu. Die Ankunft der Leg 3 ist am Sonntag.

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Heads down on the grinders onboard Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing during leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Abu Dhabi, UAE to Sanya, China. (Credit: Nick Dana/Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race)

Chris Nicholson looking at navigation and weather information onboard CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand during leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Abu Dhabi, UAE to Sanya, China.

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, The Mar Mostro goes upwind in the South China Sea 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)

Groupama Sailing Team, Brad Marsh looking at the Vietnamese fishing boat 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)

Groupama Sailing Team, Brad Marsh and Thomas Coville 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)

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Justin Slattery waving to the fisherman during leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Abu Dhabi, UAE to Sanya, China. (Credit: Nick Dana/Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race)