Extreme Snooze for Volvo Ocean Race

(October 11, 2017; Day 4) – A prologue is that introductory scene to call attention to the main event, but for the Volvo Ocean Race, let’s hope for a bit more when the 2017-18 edition gets going later this month.

The non-scoring 680 nm Prologue leg was to give us that tease of ‘Life at the Extreme’ as it delivered the seven teams from their boat’s repair yard in Lisbon, Portugal to the start line in Alicante, Spain.

So much for that plan.

After the start on October 8 was delayed with the start line moved 20 nm in search of wind, Race Director Phil Lawrence finally stuck a fork in it today at 0800 UTC when the leading boats were approximately two hours from the compulsory gate off Spain’s Cabo de Gata.

Let’s finish here, he said.

The first and second positions, MAPFRE and Team Brunel respectively, were decided early in the race, but it did become interesting today for third place with a terrific battle between Turn the Tide on Plastic, Vestas 11th Hour Racing and team AkzoNobel.

All sailing neck-and-neck, Simeon Tienpont’s AkzoNobel crew had the edge on the inside lane to the finishing line, converting their position to complete the podium.

This completes the two mandated events for the teams, Leg Zero and Prologue, both won by skipper Xabi Fernández’s MAPFRE team, further solidifying their position at the top of the race’s Form Guide.

With the wind forecasted to ease significantly on the other side of the cape, teams will now test their engines for the next 24 hours until they begin arriving in Alicante early tomorrow.

Final Results – Prologue Leg
1. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP)
2. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED)
3. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED)
4. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR)
5. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA)
6. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA)
7. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS)

Race details – Tracker – Race route – Facebook

The Volvo Ocean Race will start on October 22 from Alicante, Spain. The Alicante Race Village is scheduled to open on October 11 with the In-Port Race on Saturday, October 14.

2017-18 Edition: Entered Teams – Skippers
• Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED)
• Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA)
• MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP)
• Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA)
• Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS)
• Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR)
• Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED)

Background: Racing the one design Volvo Ocean 65, the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race begins in Alicante, Spain on October 22 2017 with the final finish in The Hague, Netherlands on June 30 2018. In total, the 11-leg race will visit 12 cities in six continents: Alicante, Lisbon, Cape Town, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Auckland, Itajaí, Newport, Cardiff, Gothenburg, and The Hague. A maximum of eight teams will compete.

Source: Volvo Ocean Race