VOLVO 65

It is the first time in the history of yacht racing that seven identical yachts were specifically manufactured to race one another. The yacht in question is the Volvo 65. It is this yacht, that will  indicate at the end of the race who the best racing team really is and probably who the best yacht builders are. Thus far it is very difficult to say, in fact impossible to say which team will win,  since just less than one third of the total race distance has been covered.  

In my opinion, Volvo is planning to produce the Volvo 65 as a commercial yacht with a proven track record of robustness, sailability, performance, seaworthiness, style, durability etc.. When partnered with inmarsat, the Volvo 65 becomes a sort after small vessel  worthy of purchase. Good on you Volvo!

The Abu Dhabi team consist of  the most experience sailors whose collective seamanship won  them the 1st leg of the Volvo ocean race. Team Brunel also consists of racing stalwarts whose collective seamanship won them the 2nd Leg of the Volvo ocean race.   However the most interesting contenders in the Volvo ocean race is undoubtedly the Chinese  French team "Dongfeng Racing" with sailors with only six months worth of  sailing experience yet has been constant in taking second place in both the completed legs of the Volvo Ocean race. Having said that, my money is on the Dongfeng Team because  what they lack in experience they definitely makeup in determination. The images below is about the Volvo 65 yacht, its construction, its design, its layout, its fitments, etc...

The Volvo 65 hull without the deck with all 7 bulkheads visible.

The amazing thing about the Volvo 65 is its interior and outer shell is composed of  carbon fibre composite construction as can be seen above and in the successive images below. The downside of this composite material is that because it is black, therefore very dark inside the yacht and considering there are no portholes, it is extremely hot inside as well.

Transparent view of the Volvo 65 stitched together from 3 images.

Cross section of the Volvo 65 split along its centre panning out at 45 degrees at the stern.

Internal Wiring for the Electronics navigation Console mounted on the carbon fibre composite bulkhead

The cooking Station bolted down in place

Navigation station inside Volvo 65

A huge Volvo 65 Lithium Iron Power Supply (battery) necessary for all the electronics on board.

24V  regulator 

Left image is the door  the first bow bulkhead, right image exposes a storage area behind the door.

The stainless steel rod is the port rudder control mechanism house inside the stern storage hatch

The stern storage hatch beneath the skippers wheel

Aluminum tube and net constructed bunk beds, four port side and four starboard

Red switch / isolator seen through the glass top is connected to the battery in the adjacent compartment

Powerful Diesel Engine and alternator powering  the Volvo 65

Sat-Nav System and 2 x 16 man lifeboats

Brookes & Gatehouse Serial / Analogue Marine Instrumentation

TEAM VESTAS WIND - WE'LL BE BACK

WE'LL BE BACK SAYS VESTAS WIND CREW

At this moment in time we sadly say goodbye to Team Vestas Wind.  The sailors of the six competing yachts has been in contact with them, via radio and email, sympathizing and offering moral support with hopes that Vestas Wind is not too badly damaged so that  that could get back into the race.   While Vestas crew are safely on land, efforts to salvage the Vestas Wind wreck still grounded on the Cargados Carajos Shoals at St. Brandon Íle du Sud is underway.  

However, Team Vestas Wind is speculating about getting back into the race since there is talk by their sponsors  to try to get them back into the race with a brand new yacht since the original Vestas Team Yacht is too badly damaged to do repairs. The million dollar question is, can they get a new yacht built in time? Meanwhile Chris Nicholson and his crew have been debriefed by the race officials in Abu Dhabi and will shortly return home to their respective countries if another Volvo 65 cannot be built in time.

Vestas Wind lies wrecked in the shallows, off the coast of Mauritius

Chris Nicholson skipper of Vestas Winds

Team Vestas Wind sailors and photographer

Vestas Wind motoring in the bay

Team Vestas Wind Expo Waterfront Cape Town

The Original Vestas Wind Yacht prior to departure from Cape Town

Final preparations before departure

Teams Vestas Wind messages.

ABU DHABI VOLVO OCEAN RACE EXPO

All the yachts are finally in. Just a few moments ago Team SCA arrived with a finish time of 025d 06h 23m 34s. Caution is the word and rightfully so considering what happened to Vestas Wind.

Positions as at 15th December 2014, Official Race  25d 1h 23m 34s by which time Team SCA wasn't in yet

Volvo Ocean Race 1st Position Team Brunel finished time: 023d 16h 25m 20s

Volvo Ocean Race 2nd Position Dongfeng Race Team finished  time: 023d 16h 41m 40s 

Volvo Ocean Race 3rd Position Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing finished time: 023d 19h 08m 15s

Volvo Ocean Race 4th Position MAPFRE finished time: 024d 11h 18m 18s

Volvo Ocean Race 5th Position Team Alvimedica finished time: 024d 21h 29m 23s

Volvo Ocean Race 6th Position Team SCA finished time: 025d 06h 23m 34s

VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2ND LEG DAY 23

ABU DHABI STOPOVER

After a gruelling 23 days and 19hrs of non-stop sailing, the 2nd Leg of the Volvo Ocean Race has been completed by at least 3 yachts, viz, Brunel and Dongfeng and Abu Dhabi.  Meer hrs from now six yachts will safely reach their stopover destination - Abu Dhabi. The 7th Yach Vesta Winds unfortunately didn't even manage to cross the equator and abandoned adjacent to Madagascar, or rather Port Louis, Mauritius to be exact. (see map below)

Salt water, Sea spray, damp clothing, freeze dried food and sleep deprivation has been each sailors nemesis for this entire duration, but no more. Abu Dhabi has greeted the sailors with "Ahlan wa Sahlan" where nourishing food and delicious fruit, dry clothing and hospitality awaits them. These incredible bunch of seafarers will look forward to their time in Abu Dhabi with its near perfect weather. 

Current Position Chart

The Official Volvo Ocean Race positions as at the 13th Dec 2014 

As can be seen in the above image, Mapfre, Team Alvimedica and Team SCA will finish some time tomorrow weather permitting. However, Vestas Wind sailors will not make it, since they ditched their yacht and made it safely to Port Louis in Mauritius after striking a reef in the Indian ocean.

The Turquoise colour boat to the east of Madagascar is the abandoned Vestas Winds, in the vicinity of  Mauritius.

Aerial View of the Vestas Wind Wreck, mast still in tact.

VOLVO OCEAN RACE - DAY 4

CAPE TOWN TO ABU DHABI - DAY 4

Its been exactly four days since the start of the 2nd Leg - Cape Town to Abu Dhabi - Volvo Ocean race. The teams has been clamoring for position and all of them have successfully covered approximately one fifth of the total distance of the 2nd Leg. All the yachts are positioned roughly 36 degrees S and 45 degrees E. Simplified, they are horizontally still in line with Cape Town but a lot more east, vertically below Madagascar. Initially all the teams gybed south, to almost half way between the  Southern African coast and the Ice exclusion zone before they ported north. The 40 knot winds in Table Bay more than pressured them to go this route.

Team Abu Dhabi ported north and broke away from the pack quite early but it appears that their strategic move  wasn't to their advantage. Team Brunel is currently  leading the race closely followed by  Team Dongfeng and Team Mapfre. Both the Emirates and the Girls are a good a distance behind the current race leader. If the 'Emirates' are 15 nm behind then the 'Girls' are at least twice that distance behind.

Its more than obvious that all the teams must have had a tough time braving the waves, the 40 knot winds  and the Agulhas current thus far, and just about able to keep their food down or perhaps not. The fast flowing Agulhas current is arguably the strongest of ocean currents for boats or yachts sailing northeast off the South African coast. The VOR has the reputation for being the world's most extreme sailing event, which is most likely based on the grueling extremes of the second leg,  since sailing against the current isn't easy. The sailors clothes would be constantly wet at the speeds at which they are sailing and getting face blasted with cold water every wave.

However, the teams would also all be sleep deprived since their body clocks are still trying to adjust to their new schedules. With the seas being as rough as it was, bailing must have been a full time job for most of the crew even with the bilge pumps would be on full  throttle. Repairs to torn sails or snapped jibs in a common occurrence under these conditions and certainly all the teams would be somewhat affected by it.

The yachts are expected to arrive in Abu Dhabi in and around the 14 th December 2014

The Distance to Abu dhabi is 5,185 nautical miles and at the current sailing speeds, it is expected that the yachts should take 24 days to reach their destination and arrive there by the 14th december 2014, however wind dependant, it could take them anything from 25 to 30 days. Considering, the fleet will sail from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean.

NB! Images may be subject to copyright

NB! Images may be subject to copyright

NB! Images may be subject to copyright

NB! Images may be subject to copyright

LEG 2 - VOLVO OCEAN RACE DEPARTURE

VOLVO OCEAN RACE LEG TWO

Today the Volvo Ocean Race Expo at the Waterfront Cape Town came to an end. At about 4.00 o' clock this afternoon the race started, as the starters pistol fired. This was a preliminary start giving the sailors two hours of sailing in the bay, yachts fully loaded and ready to depart. Team SCA was the first yacht out, followed by Abu Dhabi then Dongfeng, Mapfre, Brunel and Vestas Wind, each spaced by about 5 minutes. This start is just to check if everything worked fine.  The yachts were propelled by the engines rather than their sails and the sailors could be seen going through their paces The support teams were in the bay in their rubber ducks alongside their respective yachts.

Panoramic view of the bay  where the yachts are motoring.

See the clouds rolling as it is blown by the wind  over  Table mountain.  The  official start of the
Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 drawing  near and Abu Dhabi is heading for open waters.

Brunel 

Alvimedica heading for open waters as Mapfre returns from it.

Abu Dhabi returning from the open water as the Brunel heads towards it.

Abu Dhabi and Dongfeng passing one another in opposite directions.

Dongfeng on the verge of makeing a roundabout.

The clouds over Table Mountain is on the increase

The official start of the race was at six o' clock.  Meanwhile the sailors on their 7 yachts darted in and out of the bay, turning and reversing , making loops and entertaining the crowds for a good two hours. Essentially they were killing time, testing their  electronic equipment, testing the satellite navigational systems, checking their mechanical systems. etc. Occasionally the support teams rubber ducks would toss a clothing item onto the yacht, then it seemed as if they were darting off to fetch another.

There wasn't much wind today and by the time the race officially started it took a good 15 minutes before the 1st spinnaker was seen. About 5 minutes later a second spinnaker was seen but the other 5 yachts seemed to rely on the main sails. A good 30 minutes into the race and all the spinnaker were ballooning with wind but still not sufficient to get them past Robben Island. All the yachts made U-turns, sailed back towards the bay because tacking seemed virtually impossibly. Then they turn course and none of their sails were visible. Suddenly there was a 40 knot wind blowing and the yachts took off at high speed (see last picture below). We were looking at the sterns of the main stay and mast until they were out of site. I wish them a bon voyage.

Four of the yachts vying for position at the start of the race 

Suddenly 7 yachts are clumping together, Three helicopters circling overhead.

As quickly as they came together, they were spreading apart.

Brunel took the lead at the start of the race powered by 40 knots of wind.