Volvo Ocean Race: This is going to sting

(December 13, 2017; Leg 3, Day 4) – The good news with modern weather forecasting is how there are few surprises, but the seven Volvo Ocean Race teams may have tolerated a de-tuned graphic for the Southern Ocean depression that has been haunting them from the start.

There is little doubt the crews won’t forget its impact.

While the girth of the storm provides no exit plan, British skipper Dee Caffari opted to take her young Turn the Tide on Plastic crew furthest to the north in the hope of dodging the worst of the system’s howling winds and forecast for enormous seas.

While the tracks of the other six teams are within a 40 nm range, Caffari is 150 nm to the north. As most of her team have never faced the Southern Ocean before, she and navigator Nico Lunven have picked a route that gives them more options.

But as the storm is more than 400 nautical miles wide and moving quickly east, being swallowed up by it is inevitable – and it has been playing heavily on Caffari’s mind.

“I have had bad guts for 24 hours and I was thinking it may have been something I have eaten or drunk,” she said, “but if I was honest it may be the responsibility sitting heavy on me to make the right decision and get boat and team through the next 48 hours unscathed. It is turning my stomach in knots, something I have never experienced before.”

Complicating the options to the south is a virtual exclusion zone below fleet to keep them away from Antarctica’s ice fields, and the leaders are likely to gybe along the limit as the storm continues past along its easterly track.

“Feels like we’re manning battle stations and preparing for war,” said navigator Simon Fisher, with all contending how surviving the next 48 hours will be crucial to success in Leg 3.

To see Leg 3 crew lists… click here.

Race details – Live content – Scoreboard – Race route – Facebook – YouTube

Leg 3 – Position Report (21:24 UTC)
1. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 4567.9 nm DTF
2. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 7.3 nm DTL
3. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 23.3 nm DTL
4. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 30.9 nm DTL
5. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 31.0 nm DTL
6. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 48.6 nm DTL
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 79.2 nm DTL
DTF – Distance to Finish; DTL – Distance to Leader

Overall Results (after 2 of 11 legs)
1. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 14 points
2. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 13
3. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 11
4. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 7
5. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 6
6. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 5
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 2

The third leg started December 10 for the course from Cape Town, South Africa to Melbourne, Australia. The ETA is between the December 24 and 26.

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