Volvo Ocean Race: Back to full strength

Itajaí, Brazil (April 21, 2018) – All seven boats are anticipated to be on the start line when the Volvo Ocean Race begins Leg 8 from Itajaí, Brazil to Newport, USA.

After dropping out of Leg 7 due to the loss of crew John Fisher, and then arriving too late to Itajaí for the In-Port Race yesterday, Team SHK/Scallywag is scheduled to join the fleet tomorrow for the 5,100 nm ascent of the Atlantic Ocean.

After arriving to Itajaí on Thursday (Apr 19), the Boatyard crew, along with team members, suppliers, and with assistance from the other teams in the race, have readied the boat for racing in near record time and early on this afternoon it returned to the water.

“We’re grateful for the support we’ve had from the other competitors and everyone who has helped out,” said Scallywag skipper David Witt. “It’s a real testament to the character of the people who do this race.”

“It’s great to be able to get Scallywag back in the water in time for the start,” said Neil Cox, the head of the Boatyard. “We needed everyone to pull together to make it and as you would expect in these circumstances, that is exactly what happened.”

Looking at Leg 8, light winds are in the forecast for the first days, followed by tradewind sailing leading into the final doldrums crossing of the race before the final push north to Newport.

“Newport is a sailing mecca of the United States,” said Charlie Enright of Vestas 11th Hour Racing. “People are passionate about their sailing there and it will be an amazing experience. We want to get a great result sailing into Newport and I’m really looking forward to it. “

The leaderboard is tight, with a new team on top as Dongfeng Race Team take over pole position from MAPFRE by just a single point.

Race details – Tracker – Scoreboard – Race route – Facebook – YouTube

Overall Results (after 7 of 11 legs)
1. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 46 points
2. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 45
3. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 36
4. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 33
5. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 26
6. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 23
7. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 20

COURSE: Starting on April 22, Leg 8 takes the teams from Itajaí, Brazil to Newport, USA. Race organizers choose to estimate the tactical distance for each leg rather than list the actual distance, an unusual decision that’s revealed once the race starts and the tracker lists the actual distance to finish. The VOR says Leg 8 is 5700 nm whereas the truth is more like 5100 nm.

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