For many sailing veterans in the Volvo Ocean Race, it was a familiar
feeling as they bid an emotional farewell to loved ones this morning,
before heading out into Table Bay for the start of the infamous Southern
Ocean leg. The start gun fired at 11:00 GMT and the teams headed out in
very light shifty winds; a stark contrast to the hostile conditions they
will encounter as they head further south.
Ericsson positioned herself in the middle of the pack in a superb line
up, just north of Grainger Bay. In just five knots of wind it was a very
tactical start with all boats searching for the nearest patch of breeze.
Ericsson opted to stay close to the shore as they headed upwind to an
"exit" mark off Green Point; the gateway to the Southern Ocean, located
approximately two miles after the start.
The situation became chaotic as the boats neared the mark. Due to the
lack of wind, the heavy chop and the current, it took more than one hour
before they could finally round it. ABN Amro Two was the first one to
succeed, followed by the six other teams, all tangled in a compact group.
What was going to happen happened: the boats got closer and closer, the
voices raised, and finally some boats couldn't avoid contact.
A first incident involved Pirates of the Caribbean, who got slowly but
surely dragged onto the mark and couldn't avoid touching it - which
resulted in a penalty 270 degree turn for Paul Cayard and his team. A few
minutes later, Ericsson was almost stopped a few meters from the mark
when Brasil 1 arrived from behind with speed. The Brazilian boat tried to
squeeze in between Ericsson and the mark, but didn't have enough space
and hit the Swedish entry on its starboard side.
A few seconds later, ABN Amro One - which was sailing leeward to Ericsson
and had to give way at the mark - hit Ericsson on her port side, bending
two stanchions and the pulpit, and giving Jason Carrington, boatbuilder
and crewmember, some extra work that he would rather have avoided. As a
result of the collisions, both Brasil 1 and ABN Amro One had to perform a
penalty turn.
After these incidents, Glenn Bourke, Volvo Ocean Race Chief Executive
commented: "There is always the option for the teams to seek redress but
we will not know that until they lodge a protest with the race committee.
At this stage we do not have any knowledge of any further protests."
All seven boats are now headed south for Cape Point, where rough seas and
strong winds are expected. "In the next few hours the wind will increase,
peaking at 25-30 knots as they round Cape of Good Hope," commented Chris
Tibbs, meteorologist for the Ericsson Racing Team. "Over the next few
days they will be sailing upwind, pushing into a ridge of high pressure.
They will see 25-30 knots at times and a pretty horrible sea state, with
a perpetual west-south west swell."
The boats are due to arrive into Melbourne, Australia, after about 17-18
days at sea. The fleet will pass two scoring gates at the longitude of
the Kerguelen Islands, about halfway to Australia, and again at Eclipse
Island on the south west tip of the continent. The winner of the leg will
be awarded 7 points, whilst the boat that crosses the scoring gates first
will receive 3.5 points for each.
Quotes:
Guillermo Altadill (ESP) on the dock: "You never
know quite what the Southern Ocean will throw at you. It is the pinnacle
of the Volvo Ocean Race and there is no greater feeling than driving a 15
tonne boat at 30 knots down big waves - it's very exciting. There are
times when you feel scared but certainly you feel like you are facing a
real challenge. It's a great adrenaline rush."
Magnus Olsson, Technical Director (SWE): "The start
of leg two was a real lottery all the way until the first mark of course.
The wind was very weak and irregular and the sea was choppy. I don't
think that this start was relevant for the rest of the leg. The boats are
now sailing into 20 knots of wind and it is already a completely
different race. Basically, this start resulted in a big effort from the
crews, for a very limited result. They sailed approximately two miles in
three hours. Soon they will be doing 25 miles in one hour."