Puma Closes on Volvo Leaders

Amory Ross

The wind and sea have eased but the race has never been so intense, leg leaders Groupama reported on Sunday as PUMA closed in to just two nautical miles of their lead.

Groupama sailing team Media Crew Member Yann Riou said that the distance meant PUMA were “close enough to be extremely dangerous, but far enough not to be seen, so out of our control,”.

At 0540 UTC Groupama held a more western position as they diverted ever so slightly towards the coast of Argentina. The French team were in four knots of north-northwest wind and managing just one-knot boat speed.

At the same time, PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG held a more easterly position, closer to the race’s current way point, and were mustering eight knots of speed in a seven knot north-northwest wind.

Riou reported that his team had entered the first of what was expected to be many fickle high-pressure zones that would leave the team open and exposed to PUMA’s challenges.

The crew are taking advantage of the conditions while they are conducive to sleep to help them recover from the Southern Ocean battering and aid their focus in the increasingly intense race, Riou reported.

“There will be loads of opportunities from here to Itajaí; upwind, downwind, reaching, soft breezes and two high-pressure systems to cross,’’ he said.

“So we take advantage of really good conditions for sleep, once on deck focus is required. The men are marked by the last two weeks of tough sailing, but the motivation is intact.”

In third position, Team Telefónica continue to mount their come back after hitting pause on racing to stop at a Chilean island for repairs to structural damage on Saturday.

The team suspended racing at 0640 UTC and were back on the racetrack officially pursuing the leading pair at 2133 UTC. At 0355 UTC the Spanish team were more than 400 nautical miles in the wake of Groupama.

Fourth placed CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand continue to trek towards Chile for repairs, while Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, in fifth, are still assessing their structural damage and considering all options.

Groupama Maintain Volvo Advantage

Leg leaders Groupama sailing team maintained their advantage over second placed PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG after the French team led the fleet into steady trade winds south of the Doldrums.

"I think in three or four days time there will be loads of tricky conditions going on and anything can happen" Andrew Cape - navigator, Team Telefónica

However, with over 1,500 nm of racing and an increasingly complex weather scenario ahead of them Franck Cammas’ crew are still very much feeling the heat from the chasing pack.

Groupama helmsman Damian Foxall said their Doldrums crossing had been brief but eventful as they picked their way carefully through, successfully dodging the wind holes which had scuppered them on the first and third legs.

“We had lots of squalls and clouds but no areas with no wind at all,” he said. “We avoided the lulls and made the most out of the gusts.”

Despite having stretched their lead Foxall said there was still nervousness on board, particularly about overall race leaders Team Telefónica who re-emerged as a potential threat after a fast run through the middle of the Solomon Islands.

“It was well done by Telefónica, they came back in to the match through the islands,’’ Foxall said. “They are back in the game.”

On third placed Telefónica, navigator Andrew Cape said he expected chances to open up on the way to New Zealand as the fleet faced a constantly evolving meteorological scenario.

“We still have opportunities,’’ he said. “The weather situation is very unclear. It’s six or seven days until we reach the top of New Zealand and the weather is changing rapidly.

“Outside of the three day forecast a lot of things can happen,” Cape said. “You can gain or lose, so you have to just keep on top of your game.

“We’re still going for the win. I think in three or four days time there will be loads of tricky conditions going on and anything can happen.”

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing navigator Jules Salter said Ian Walker’s fourth placed crew were happy to have maintained lateral separation with the boats in the west despite having lost miles when Telefónica, CAMPER and Team Sanya pulled off their successful Solomon Island sortie.

“If we were along side them (now) we wouldn’t be quite as fast as them. At least having this separation with them gives us a few options,” Salter said before re-affirming the Emirati team’s commitment to pull out a good leg result.

“We haven’t given up yet,” he said. “We’re still in the hunt. We won’t really know until the end. Even if you end up 40 miles behind the other boats, it’s so light heading into Auckland at the moment that there’s even potential in the last couple of hundred miles.”

Race meteorologist Gonzalo Infante says the fleet should enjoy consistent east-southeast trades of 10 to 15 knots in the Coral Sea before the winds freshen and turn southeast favouring Groupama and PUMA in the east.

The fleet should reach the island of New Caledonia by Monday afternoon, with latest predictions taking the fleet to the west of the 300 nm land mass.

From there the teams will have to sail against the wind to the finish in Auckland with the leaders expected to arrive on or around March 10.