Cammas Takes Volvo Trophy for Groupama

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Franck Cammas became the first skipper to hold aloft the new Volvo Ocean Race Trophy as thousands of fans joined his Groupama sailing team for a raucous Race Village reception.

There was a party atmosphere all day in Galway as people lined the docks and packed the viewing areas to see the final action of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 -- the Discover Ireland In-Port Race.

After completing the race, Groupama -- who had already clinched overall victory after coming into Galway to an equally warm reception on Tuesday -- took to the main stage to blasts of the team's theme tune Highway to Hell.

The entire team, including shore crew, came up on stage to spray champagne and celebrate an extraordinary triumph for a team who were making their debut in the race and started as outsiders.

This is the 11th edition of the Race and an inscription on the 11th wave-shaped ring on the trophy is the only prize for victory.

It is a simple honour but one that means so much, with Cammas now indelibly linked with sailing legends like Peter Blake, Paul Cayard, Mike Sanderson and Torben Grael.

The Discover Ireland In-Port Race honours went to PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, whose triumph on Saturday was enough to give them victory in the In-Port Race Series.

PUMA Secure Galway In-shore Series

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A PUMA team decked out in Irish rugby shirts rounded off the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 in style on Saturday, securing victory in the in-shore series with a win on the waters of Galway watched by tens of thousands of race-mad fans.

Ken Read’s team scored a commanding first place in the Discover Ireland In-Port Race, their ninth podium finish of the 10-race inshore series and a first victory.

An electrifying scrap for second between CAMPER and Groupama saw the two teams virtually inseparable right to the end of the 8.2-nautical mile course with Chris Nicholson's team stealing the runners-up prize on the day, and in the series as a whole.

A last-minute comeback from Telefónica saw them steal the final podium position from Groupama on Saturday, but fourth was enough to give the French team third overall in the inshore series.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing finished fifth ahead of Team Sanya.

“It tastes very sweet,” said PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG skipper Ken Read who punched the air in delight as he steered Mar Mostro over the finish line.

“To race against the best sailors in the world and come out on top is all we can ask for.”

A third place in the inshore series rounded off a fantastic Volvo Ocean Race debut for Franck Cammas' crew on Groupama 4, cementing their reputation as one of the slickest teams in the race in whether racing offshore or around a short course.

“For sure it is a big dream – it's a great feeling for everyone,” Cammas said ahead of a special prize-giving which will see him hold up the newly designed Volvo Ocean Race Trophy. “We did not expect it so it's a big surprise, but it's a good one.

“I think the secret was that we were outsiders at the beginning and we were forced to learn all the time. We had to learn to race against the best crews in the world and eventually it got easier. We made mistakes at the start but all the time we tried to get better, right until the finish in Galway.”

The thousands of spectators who turned out in force to watch the grand finale were treated to a thrilling start, with CAMPER and Abu Dhabi leading through the downwind line as the fleet split towards the first mark in 12 to 16 knots from the north north-west.

Both teams picked the right-hand side along with Telefónica, but it was the boats in the other group – PUMA and overall race winners Groupama sailing team – who led round the first mark.

A penalty for obstructing Sanya saw Ian Walker's Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing crew relegated to sixth, as PUMA, Groupama and CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand fought it out at the head of the fleet.

By the fourth mark the PUMA crew had eked out a 26-second lead, challenging Groupama and CAMPER to pull out something special to catch them.

Meanwhile Sanya and Telefónica locked horns in pursuit of fourth while Abu Dhabi tried to reduce the huge deficit caused by their penalty.

Driven to score their first in-port win, there was no stopping PUMA as a flawless performance saw them extended their lead, holding on to take the win around the 8.2 nautical mile course by one minute and 19 seconds and secure the overall in-port title.

CAMPER's second in the inshore series rounded off a successful Volvo Ocean Race campaign which also saw them take second in the overall rankings.

“This race is the easiest race in the world to lose,” said skipper Nicholson, “so to be runner up when we've had quite a few troubles on the way is great. We've shown a lot of character along the way.”

The 2011-12 edition was always tipped to be the closest edition in 39 years of the event and it didn't disappoint.

Groupama, the first French team to compete since Eric Tabarly's La Poste crew in 1993-94, finally secured victory with a second-place finish in Leg 9 from Lorient to Galway.

Telefónica, led by Spanish Olympic gold medallist Iker Martínez, won the first three legs but a string of disappointing results saw them finish in fourth overall.

The next edition of the race will start in 2014 and will be raced in 65ft one-design boats from Farr Yacht Design.

Results of Discover Ireland In-Port Race, Galway:

1. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG 53 minutes 12 seconds 

2. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand + 1:19

3. Team Telefónica: + 1:56

4. Groupama sailing team: + 2:29

5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing: +4:00

6. Team Sanya: +4:32

CAMPER First to Reach Galway

CAMPER saved their best till last in their debut Volvo Ocean Race campaign, storming to the leg win they so desired in Galway in the early hours of Tuesday.

Chris Nicholson's team finished at 00:42:13 UTC scoring the maximum 30 points to take them to a total of 226 -- almost certainly enough to give them second place overall ahead of PUMA Ocean Racing Powered by BERG.

With just one more scoring opportunity to come, the final in-port race on Saturday, CAMPER just need to cross the finish line to get the point they need to be certain of the runners-up spot behind Groupama sailing team. 

A flotilla of hundreds of spectators made for a warm welcome when the red boat led the procession across the finish line under the cover of darkness, while more than 10,000 fans awaited their arrival on the dock.

"This place is awesome," said Nicholson. "It’s 2.30 in the morning and there’s a massive fleet of spectator boats. How cool?

“I’m more happy for the rest of the team to be honest with you. I look at what everyone does day in day out and I think this is the sailing team’s way of saying thank you."

Nicholson put the team's success, after several near misses, down to tactics and set-up for the final leg.

“We went quite light with our weight on board – we had everything geared up for port tack. There were a couple of tactical calls this afternoon which had a big part to play. We tried not to think about it but we knew the whole race depended on those decisions."

CAMPER along with PUMA, Telefónica and Groupama each held the lead at different stages of the 550 nautical mile race, but having fallen to fourth at the rounding of the iconic Fastnet Rock the team made a decisive move launching their “golden ticket”, their massive A4 spinnaker.

The team climbed through the top order before reclaiming the lead when the fleet faced a critical gybe east that set the course for the Galway finish that allowed them to edge ahead of former leg leader PUMA.

The team fought hard to fend off several challenges and claim their long awaited first leg victory.

"Some of the sail changes we did on the last night were in full-on conditions," said the Australian skipper. "Every team did them but we did them and nailed them.”

Telefonica Take Lead Out of Lorient

Photo: Ian Roman

Telefónica were back to their commanding best on Sunday to lead the fleet out of Lorient on the final offshore leg to Galway, Ireland as Groupama made a patient start to their bid for the top four place that would guarantee overall victory.

In a sign of what lies ahead, the fleet raced at speeds upwards of 20 knots around the 6.5 nautical mile inshore course in Lorient’s Port Foll, with Telefónica followed by PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Groupama sailing team and Team Sanya.

CAMPER made a terrible start and were forced to perform a penalty turn in the opening seconds of the race after infringing on Telefónica during the start sequence.

While the red boat did penance, the fleet broke away with blistering pace in the westerly wind that was gusting between 15 and 22 knots.

PUMA pushed Telefónica hard and looked threatening but were ultimately unable to catch Iker Martínez's team.

Groupama have a 25-point lead over nearest rivals PUMA and will make certain of overall victory if they finish in the top four.

“There will be some hard hours for everyone,’’ Groupama skipper Franck Cammas said. 

“For us it’s about sailing simply and not taking too much risk during the night. Then for the finish it will be a little bit lighter, and we have to be fast on this part after Fastnet Rock.”

It won’t be smooth sailing for the teams. Rather than heading straight to Ireland, the fleet must first sail south 25 miles round the island of Belle Ile, which promises to be a quick run in 15-18 knots of westerly wind.

Once round Belle Ile the fleet will get a chance to stretch their legs in south-westerly breeze blowing between 20 and 30 knots – perfect conditions for Volvo Open 70s to hit top speeds.

Although just 550 nautical miles long, the leg will throw up some challenges for the fleet and the first will come this evening in the form of an exclusion zone off the north-west tip of France.

The teams will most likely pass the zone to the south, having to dodge shipping traffic in big winds and total darkness.

A cold front between France and Ireland could make things even more interesting with squalls and small storms to negotiate.

Several metres of swell blown across the continental shelf by a powerful low pressure system in the North Atlantic will be yet another challenge for the teams.

By late morning on Monday the fleet should be rounding Fastnet Rock, the most southerly tip of Ireland.

From there it’s a straight run up to the Aran Islands, a set of three islands marking the entrance to Galway bay that boast 200-metre tall cliffs, making the most of the strong currents that accelerate round the many headlands.

Eiragh lighthouse, at the western end of the Aran Islands, must be left to starboard before the fleet turn east and head for the finish line in Galway Bay.

Galway Speed is Key for Groupama

Photo: Ian Roman

Man of the moment Franck Cammas says outright speed will hold the key to success in the final offshore leg of the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race starting on Sunday -- and his Groupama crew will approach the 550-mile stage as a long in-port race.

Groupama are firm favourites for victory in Leg 9 from Lorient to Galway having won Leg 8 and the Bretagne In-Port Race on the team’s home waters of Lorient.

So focused on speed are the French team that they have subbed navigator Jean-Luc Nélias for trimming expert Laurent Pagès.

“I think the last leg is more of a longer inshore than a shorter offshore,” Cammas said.

“The track and the routing is very simple so I think Jean-Luc can give us all his skill before the start, we can prepare the navigation very well, but then I think we need a trimmer so we can be very fast. 

“The routing is for now simple, except maybe the final three or four hours, otherwise we just need to be very fast.”

With Leg 9 forecast to take less than 48 hours, a good result for Groupama, currently 25 points ahead of second-placed PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG in the overall rankings, could see them crowned overall winners prior to the Galway In-Port Race.

But the leg will be anything but easy, with rough conditions set to test the fleet right up to the finish line in Galway Bay.

“The problem in offshore racing is anything can happen on the sea, and tomorrow night it will be windy, so we have to be careful with the boat and the structure,” Cammas added.

“But for sure, I prefer to start the leg with a 25-point lead -- there is less pressure.”

Leg 9 starts at 1102 UTC.

Tough Lorient Leg 8

The Leg 8 race from Lisbon to Lorient was short, but it was anything but sweet. From drifting in the Azores to racing into the eye of a storm where searing speeds and heartbreaking boat damage resulted, the shortest leg of the race yet didn't come up short on drama.

Just shy of 2,000 miles, the penultimate leg first lured the teams in with a false sense of security with drifting conditions in the Azores High at the São Miguel Island turning mark.

The six-boat fleet compressed to within just 10 nautical miles as they tacked around the island, completing the first real manoeuvre of what had otherwise been a moderate-paced reaching race that favoured the three Juan K boats: Telefónica, Groupama and PUMA.

The calm before the storm soon passed as the teams raced into an unavoidable gale-force low pressure system in the North Atlantic that made even the most experienced skipper an anxiety ridden insomniac.

"It's hard as skipper sailing into a low pressure system that you know is going to be brutal from a safety standpoint,'' PUMA skipper Ken Read said.

"I think it was the anticipation of that storm that wears me out. Once you're in it you can deal with it, but it's that anticipation that's not much fun."

The Volvo Open 70s ramped up to speeds in the 20s and talk of an IWC Schaffhausen 24-hour Speed Record soon began.

In pole position it was Telefónica who first notched a record, overtaking the 2011-12 race best of 553 nm set by CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand on the Leg 1 race from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa.

Soon enough, Chris Nicholson's team were back on top with what would prove an unbeatable result of 565.84 nm.

CAMPER trimmer/helmsman Rob Salthouse, competing in his third Volvo, said racing at such hair-raising speeds was exhilarating stuff, but crazy too.

"I'm told you don't have to be mad but it helps, and if anyone thought that was fun they're mad,'' he said.

"It was dreadful. We were pushing man and boat to the limit for 48 hours. It was a great battle though, and that's why we do this race.

"It's why we keep coming back to this race – for the battle.

"We had four boats out there going for it, hammer down and on the edge. But doing it for more than two days is pretty stressful!"

The question on everyone's lips was one of risk versus reward -- or just how hard could the teams push boat and sailor before something had to give in the violent conditions?

"The last day and a half was really full on," said Abu Dhabi skipper Ian Walker. "it was mentally hard knowing how hard to push. It's so hard to back off in these boats.

"There's just such a huge difference between backing off a little and going flat out.

"I'm more amazed that these boats don't break, than when they do break to be honest. We're coming off waves so hard that bunks are breaking down below from the weight of the people landing in them. So you can imagine the loads on everything else."

No one paid a higher price in the high-stakes penultimate leg than former overall race leader Team Telefónica.

The Spanish team first struck trouble on June 14 when the team broke their starboard rudder in 25 knots of wind, losing 11 nautical miles on the fleet and dropping from first to fourth.

The ever defiant crew surged back to the lead within hours before a second round of problems broke their replacement rudder and damaged the port rudder.

As the team dropped off the pace while stabilising their damaged boat the reality sank in. "We have just seen any chance of us winning this round the world regatta slip away," a heartbroken Martínez said just hours after the incident.

It hadn't been smooth sailing for Groupama either. Just 48 hours from the finish, Groupama faced a potentially dangerous situation as they tried to reduce sail area in preparation for gale-force winds.

The team's mainsail got jammed at the top of the mast leaving bowman Brad Marsh to carry out some mid-sea heroics, climbing to the top of the 31-metre mast three times in winds of well over 20 knots and rough seas.

After two hours of repairs, Marsh's skills kept the French team in the race and they only lost out 20 miles to the fleet.

With Telefónica now in survival mode and no threat to the lead, Groupama had the break they needed, completing a heroic comeback that firmed their grip on the overall standings and realising a dream homecoming to their base in Lorient.

"It's a very good feeling for sure," Groupama skipper Franck Cammas said. "It's a dream we had 10 months ago and now we have made it reality."

CAMPER were second, followed by PUMA in third and Abu Dhabi fourth -- all within the space of thee hours.

Groupama earned 30 points to move on to a total of 219 points, 23 points clear of their nearest rivals PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, who moved into second place with 196. CAMPER are five points further back, level with Telefónica after they held off a late challenge from Team Sanya to take fifth.

Sanya gave it everything on that final day, just as they have done from the start, but once again they had to settle for sixth in a race where they have been overpowered by five newer and quicker designs.

"Our budget is about half of the other teams, and that has a place," Sanderson said. "We’ve given 10 blokes the chance to have a race, and we’re out there mixing it up. Do I think it’s a good thing? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Probably not."

With just one short leg to Galway and two in-port races remaining Groupama are in a strong position to claim overall victory in their debut Volvo Ocean Race.

PUMA skipper Ken Read even admitted that while his team certainly could come back and win, it would be tough.

"I hope I'm wrong but I have a feeling we've seen the opportunity to win this race slipping away,'' Read said.

"That's a big 10 points that they (Groupama) just amassed over us. Good for them, they keep sailing fast and smart and that's a deadly combination."

A Sort of Homecoming for Groupama

Photo: Paul Todd

France's Groupama completed a heroic comeback victory on Leg 8 of the Volvo Ocean Race on Friday, strengthening their grip on the overall standings and realising a dream homecoming to the port of Lorient.

Franck Cammas and his men were cheered by thousands of fans on the Brittany coast after crossing the Leg 8 finish line at their home port at 13:31:04 local, 11:31:04 UTC to claim the maximum 30 points, with an elapsed time of four days, 23 hours, 31 minutes and four seconds.

CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand finished second at 14:30:09 local, 12:30:09 UTC, earning 25 points. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG finished at 12:43:04 UTC, scoring 20 points and moving into second place overall. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing finished fourth at 14:17:25 UTC.

Groupama's win extended their lead at the top of the standings to 23 points, with PUMA moving up to second and Telefónica left level on points with CAMPER a further five points back after seeing their victory hopes were dashed when they broke a second rudder while leading overnight.

Telefonica eventually came in fifth at 20:40:26 UTC for 10 points, with Sanya finishing within 20 minutes at 20:59:41 after scrapping all the way on a blistering leg they never had a chance of winning in their older generation boat.

“It was a short leg, but it was a hard leg,” skipper Franck Cammas said while surrounded by thousands of fans on the docks at Lorient. “It is a very good feeling for sure, it is a dream we had 10 months ago and we arrive with a win now.”

It is an impressive comeback for Groupama who dropped to fourth place just two days ago when their mainsail jammed and the team spent a costly two hours with bowman Brad Marsh at the top of the 31-metre mast effecting repairs in storm conditions.

But the never-say-die crew fought back to reclaim the lead less than 12-hours before the finish with blistering pace in the North Atlantic low pressure system that packed 45 knots winds and four metre waves.

The French team’s victory hopes were bolstered by the misfortune of their arch-rivals Telefónica as the Spanish team were forced to slow to survival speeds after breaking both their rudders on the furious run to the finish.

Telefónica skipper Iker Martínez said the damage had effectively ended their chances of overall victory, with Groupama now enjoying a significant lead with just one leg and two in-port races remaining.

As the crew of the top four teams celebrate with the French fans, the remaining two continue to race, with Team Telefónica currently in fifth place and Team Sanya sixth.

Volvo Bad Weather Maybe Key

Photo: Amory Ross

The overall result of the closest ever Volvo Ocean Race could hinge on a risky manoeuvre the teams will try to pull off in heavy weather, fading light and close to the eye of a violent storm later on Thursday.

With less than 500 nm to go before the teams reach Lorient, and just one more offshore leg to come, the 2011-12 race could all come down to how well the six crews, led by Groupama sailing team, carry out a daring gybe in winds of up to 40 knots in the last 24 hours of Leg 8.

Telefónica, the overnight leaders on Leg 8 and one of four teams still in the running for the overall prize, posted a 24-hour run of 564 nautical miles to set a new best mark in the IWC Schaffhausen Speed Record Challenge.

Iker Martínez’s team were then given a reminder of how everything could yet change, however, when they slipped from top spot on the leg to third at the 1300 UTC position report after briefly slowing down before picking up speed again.

Telefónica are in second place overall, eight points behind Groupama. PUMA are 13 points off the leaders, with CAMPER 10 points behind them.

With just five miles splitting the top four boats the manoeuvre all are now contemplating could prove pivotal and will put the skills of the teams to the ultimate test when they’re at their most exhausted.

“The gybe is going to be super crucial -- it will decide the winner,” said Andrew Cape, navigator on Telefónica.

“It’s a question of how far you want to push into the low -- do you want a bit more wind, is it too much wind, how much shift do you get up for the gybe?

“This is really crucial. It will come this evening some time as it gets dark, and you’ll certainly see different ideas. It won’t instantly be who has the better idea -- you won’t know till the end. When the breeze shifts a bit or picks up and you lay the finish, you’ll know.”

The critical gybe must happen following a record 24 hours for the fleet which saw CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand’s longstanding race record of 553 nautical miles, set on Leg 1 from Alicante to Cape Town, topple to Telefónica.

With plenty of runway still ahead, though, Telefónica are far from certain of winning the trophy and the IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition 'Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12' watches the race’s official timekeeper will give as prizes at the end of the race.

All six teams were pushing man and boat to the absolute limit in the knowledge that the results of Leg 8 could determine their overall finishing position.

“It’s pretty full on -- it’s a bit like playing chicken really,” said Tom Addis, navigator with second-placed PUMA, who at 1300 UTC trailed Groupama by less than four miles with a 0.1-mile buffer over Telefónica in third.

“We have this really intense low pressure system really close to the finish and there’s very little time to make up for being conservative, so everyone is pushing pretty hard.

“There is worse to come, so we just have to try and keep it all together. If you’re too conservative you’re chances of winning are pretty slim because you’ve got very little time to make up the extra distance, so we’ll see how we go.”

After slipping down the rankings yesterday when their mainsail became stuck up their mast, Groupama were back up in pole position and determined to protect their overall lead.

PUMA were in second, 3.7 nm behind, with Telefónica a fraction behind and CAMPER 5.1 nm off the lead.

“Fingers crossed everything works out and we can keep pushing as hard as we can and not say goodbye to the lead,” Groupama helmsman Phil Harmer said. “Everyone is pretty tired, but everyone wants this one really badly. Amazingly, everyone is still smiling.”

The first boats are expected to cross the Leg 8 finish line in Lorient, France, at 1000 UTC on Friday.

Volvo Suffer Light Winds in Azores

A hard night was in store for the six boat fleet as they suffer light headwinds surrounding the Azores island of São Miguel, which they must round before pointing their bows towards France.

At 1900 GMT Groupama were just 0.1 nautical miles (nm) ahead, having maintained their tenuous lead over hard-pushing Telefónica, while PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, 2.9 nm behind, complete the leading trio of sisterships. No one is giving an inch in what is turning into a battle of epic proportions.

The leaders should be free of the high pressure by Wednesday morning, but tonight the wind had eased considerably and speeds had dropped accordingly.

Groupama are the northernmost boat in the fleet, making 9.4 knots, with Telefónica on her starboard hip and PUMA just shy of two miles to leeward. 

The southerly group of CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, Abu Dhabi and Sanya are just as closely bunched -- just 12.9 nm separate Groupama in first place from Sanya in sixth position, with 1232 nm to go to the leg finish in Lorient. 

Read believes the leg will be won or lost after the turning mark where the fleet will meet an aggressive North Atlantic depression. 

“It’s a question of who can deal with the big breeze best and who can avoid breaking in the meantime,” he said. 

PUMA’s Mar Mostro has performed well on windy downwind stretches and Read said he would not bet against his team pulling off another leg win to make a hat trick of first places.

However, he also said, “I’m not sure I’d lay every dollar down for us either at the moment. There’s a bunch of good boats out there and it’s hard to pick them on any given day”.

The fleet are expected to round the Azores turning mark in the early hours of June 13 on thier way to a Lorient finish at the weekend.

Team Telefonica Make the Call

Photo: Paul Todd

Telefónica were pressing early leaders PUMA hard as the crews settled into their watch systems on the first night of the crucial eighth leg from Lisbon to Lorient on Sunday.

As they raced 120 nautical miles northwest of Cabo de São Vicente in 13-14 knots of north-northwesterly breeze, there was little to split the main pack of boats, with Telefónica neck and neck with Ken Read's in-form team at the front.

Telefónica are in need of a good result after losing their lead at the end of Leg 7 and then spilling another five points in the Oeiras In-Port Race to Groupama, who now have an eight-point advantage at the top.

Abu Dhabi were seven miles to the north of the main bunch, which also includes CAMPER and Groupama, and were up with the leaders in terms of distance to the São Miguel waypoint. Team Sanya were at the rear of the fleet. 

The fleet is expected to compress in the approach to São Miguel island in the Azores, which they will round before heading to France on a leg that could last as little as six days.

Once round the island, they will feel the effects of a low pressure system which, as it moves east, could throw up westerly breeze of up to 40 knots and a huge sea state.

CAMPER -- 23 points behind the leaders and one of four teams still in with a chance of overall victory -- were pleased to get away from Lisbon with a small lead over Groupama, though the French team have every opportunity to make up lost ground in conditions that suit their boat ideally.

“It was a pretty nice start actually, and good to get out in good shape," said skipper Chris Nicholson.

"Probably in this jib reaching stuff the other guys will reel us in eventually. Groupama were probably two miles back and you just never know, that two miles might count at the finish."

Leg 8 Promises a Rough Ride

Avoiding the worst of the Azores High and making the best of a rough ride home will be the keys to Leg 8 for the four teams jostling for honours in the closest ever Volvo Ocean Race.

The penultimate offshore test, starting on Sunday from Lisbon, will see the fleet head out into the North Atlantic and back for a sub-2,000 nautical mile passage to Lorient on the coast of Brittany, France.

To avoid the boats being caught in the clutches of the light winds of the Azores High, race organisers could opt to route the fleet around a virtual waypoint rather than the original turning point of São Miguel island in the Azores. A final decision on the exact location of the waypoint will be made in the days leading up to the start.

Despite its relative shortness, Leg 8 is shaping up to test the crews in a variety of ways with key factors likely to be the location of the Azores High and the possibility of finding a volatile low pressure system on the way back.

“The location of the Azores high determines the wind strength and direction for the first section from Lisbon to the Azores waypoint,” explained race meteorologist, Gonzalo Infante.

“At this time of year the high is well established and generally climbs in latitude so that its centre is around 36-38 degrees north. We expect the high to move eastward in the opening days of the leg, which should turn the wind from westerly at the start, to northerly on the way to the waypoint.”

In order to maximise boat speeds on the first section, the fleet is expected to head south west rather than point directly at the waypoint.

“The fastest point of sail will be reaching,” he said. “So heading south west enables the boats to make the best speed, and as the wind rotates more to the north, they should be able to maintain this fast angle as they turn towards the waypoint.”

The first section should take around 48 hours, but to complicate matters the easterly track of the Azores High could mean that the approach to the waypoint will take place in light winds close to its centre.

“This is likely to mean some compression after the first 48 hours as the high slows the boats’ progress close to the waypoint turning mark,” Infante said.

“Also it puts a high premium on nailing the layline to the waypoint perfectly."

After rounding the Azores waypoint, Infante said the teams would hope to hook into strong winds emanating from one of the regular low pressure systems which rocket east towards land -- if they are there.

If not, instead of a fast downwind ride it could be tough upwind racing for the final 48 hours to the finish.

“Whether it's upwind or downwind on the way back it won't be easy," said Infante. "These are highly volatile weather systems."

Infante expects the fleet to complete the course in less than seven days and said the key to success will be in the details around maximising boat speed at all times.

“Raw boat speed is going to be essential,” he said. “This leg is going to be about making small gains by getting every aspect right; staying in phase with the wind as it shifts, having the optimum sail plan up all the time, and nailing the lay lines to the marks.

“On the final approach to Lorient, local, less predictable weather patterns will come into play, meaning the crews will have to be on full alert throughout the leg. It could be another thriller.”

Leg 8 from Lisbon to Lorient is scheduled to start at 1300 local time (1200 UTC) on Sunday, June 10, with the fleet expected into Lorient on or around June 17.

The top four teams are separated by just 21 points with two offshore legs and three in-port races to go.

Two Legs and 2,500 Miles Left

Photo: Paul Todd




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