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.
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| 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.
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| NB! Images may be subject to copyright |
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| NB! Images may be subject to copyright |
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| NB! Images may be subject to copyright |
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| NB! Images may be subject to copyright |
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