EARTH DAY

LEG 6  ITAJAI - NEWPORT

It is day 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race Itajai Brazil to Newport USA. The glue and tool skills of Kevin Escoffier saved the day. Dongfeng's water maker is back in the land of the living. The onboard Dongfeng Race Team can now drink fresh water again. There is no need to place a crew member on water pumping duty for four and a half hours per day. Water is once again available at the push of a button.  

Currently the entire fleet is sailing at a speed of 15 knots and has been clumped together.   The distance between the race leader and the last yacht in the fleet has not exceeded 7 nautical miles yet and all of them crossed the Tropic of Capricorn within minutes of one another.

Since the start of leg 6 Mapfre has been in the lead for the longest time however Abu Dhabi has now taken the lead, lost it to the  girls in second place and somehow managed to get into the lead again. Dongfeng and Alvimedica was in the lead at one time but for a very brief period. Dongfeng in in fifth place.  But it's still early days and hard to tell what's going change and when. A big congrats to the girls who now hold second position and has circumambulated the world on earth day.

The red dot marks the position of the flest at the time of writing.

An apple a day keeps the blues away

Team Alvimedica on Earth day

Checking out the competition ahead

The wind seemed to have picked up 

Team Dongfeng on Earth day

Water bottle seem to stay empty - hanging from the  grab rails above the gunwale - when the watermaker  was busted

The Girls in second place and having circumambulate the world,

Staying in the lead is tough work.

LEG 6 ITAJAI BRAZIL TO NEWPORT USA

LEG 6 OF THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE

Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Itajai Brazil to Newport Rhode Island, USA is firmly underway, though the start was in slow motion. One of the crew even said sailing is so slow its almost like sailing through treacle. There is virtually no wind and the conditions yesterdays during the In-Port race was very similar. Abu Dhabi won the In-Port race in slow motion even after having to make a round-about-turn because they were on the wrong side of the start line when the race started. 

The Reverse osmosis water maker o board Dongfeng fault in the first 15 hours of the race.

The greatest thing about Leg 6 of the Volvo ocean race is that the Dongfeng Racing Team made it to the start of the leg 6 and were even in time to partake in the In-Port Race. However there is bad news. Their reverse osmosis water maker isn't working. They discovered this 15 hours into Leg 6. This means that they won't have fresh drinking water on tap. They would have to pump water my hand for the next 20 days in order to drink fresh water and cook and someone has to physically do it. Lets hope that water is not needed when all hands on deck is a matter of winning or losing this leg. It never just rains but pours. I wish Dongfeng my very best for Leg 6 and may their trouble be little ones. 

The start of Leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean race in virtually windless conditions.

Leg 6 - And the yachts are on their way to Newport .

The girls are convinced that Leg 6 is theirs to win. I wish the the best in their attempt.

A selfi of a Brazilian Couple and their daughter pouting at the start of the race.

DONGFENG IS IN ITAJAI

DONGFENG IS IN THE HOUSE

After a magnificent effort by the Dongfeng team they are finally in Itajai and in the process of getting the yacht sea worthy once more. The loss of their mast was just one of the tragedies that befell the Volvo Ocean Race Racing teams. The first major tragedy was Vestas Wind running aground, the second was team SCA tearing a sail and losing all their electronics and had to resort to blind sailing and dead reckoning and the third was Dongfeng losing their mast. But that is all part of sailing and what makes the Volvo Ocean Race so much fun.

The rush is on and there are only 6 days to the start of  leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race - Itajai Brazil to Newport USA.  As can be seen in the images below, many hands make light work and the rush is on the get Dongfeng ready for the start of the race, perhaps even in time for the In-Port Race, but it appears that time is not on the Dongfeng teams side. All we can do is hope. It would be a major tragedy if Dongfeng could not partake in the next leg or even start a day or two late.

Dongfeng has  finally arrived.

Dongfeng is in the bay in Itajai

Getting Dongfeng ready to be rigged

The mast was released from customs at San Paulo Airport and speeding towards Itajai

A few hundred meters from the dock

Untying the mast from the trailer truck

Two Hysters bringing the mast closer

The rush to get the mast to the boat

This is what the damage that the old mast suffered

Dongfeng without its mast swinging from a sling

Dongfeng lowered into the cradle.

Dongfeng is in the cradle read to get a work over

The work over has begun.

DONGFENG IS ALMOST THERE

DONGFENG

Since my previous blog Dongfeng was sailing parallel to Montevideo the very southern city of Uruguay.  (See pics below.) Currently Dongfeng is along side coast of Brazil and has sailed some three quarter way past the State of Rio Grande Du Sul situated in the South of Brazil. During the course of tonight Dongfeng will most probably  pass the border line along side the  State of Santa Catarina. (See pics below.) 

Itajai is their destination and is a city situated in the  State of Santa Catarina but more towards its north, in fact it is sandwiched  between Florianopolis and inland town of Blumenau.  (See pics below marked with yellow dot. and yellow circle.) As I predicted earlier, it is very likely that Dongfeng will make it to the start line in time. At their current speed, they will definitely make it before the 13th April, just as their skipper said.   The big worry is that even if they get there in time, the mast still needs to be road freighted from San Paulo airport to the adjoining State of Santa Catarina. Thereafter  the rigging will commence, besides Dongfeng needs to go out for a spin in the bay to see that everything is functioning well. I would so hate to see them disqualified or getting 8 points for the Leg 6 - Itajai to Newport USA.

My hopes and wishes are with you guys. You have the fastest mast on the planet.

Itajai here we come, just a stone's throw away.

Uruguay shares a border with Brazil

The distance looks more than it actually is.

DONGFENG NOT RETIRED

DONGFENG

A great concern of the Volvo Ocean Race Fraternity is whether or not Dongfeng will make it to the start for Leg 6  - Itajai to Newport. There is only 10 days left before it officially starts.  According to the Dongfeng skipper, he estimated that they should be in Itajai by the 13th April, if nothing else goes wrong. Currently their mast is moving at the uncanny of speed of 650 knots. A speed that no yachts could ever attain. Dongfeng's mast in on board an Emirates flight from Dubai, doing at that speed via Amsterdam and San Paulo on its way to Itajai-Brazil.  

The fact that the mast must still be fitted to Dongfeng by the shipyard crew, its probably going to be a nail biting experience for everyone with the hope that they will be in time for the start. Dongfeng is currently off the coast of Uruguay at about 37 deg 25.67 S  51 deg 18.05 W sailing at an average speed of about 10 knots and has about 650 miles to go. My prediction is that they going to make it and I wish them all the best in their efforts to get there. Go Dongfeng Go!

Dongfeng looks a sperm cell in the lower right corner, the white line represents distance to be covered. 

Dongfeng with the snow capped mountains in the distance.

Dongfeng's Mast loaded on KLM cargo plane.

Dongfeng's mast being airlifted from Dubai to Brazil on Emerates Sky cargo

Thumbs-up by Dongfeng crew as they past the halfway mark.

!2 Knots with a makeshift sail

VOLVO OCEAN RACE TEAMS

VOLVO OCEAN RACE TEAMS

The Volvo Ocean Race Teams each consisting of 9 crew members each. The 9 crew is made up of 7 sailors and 1 photographer / journalist who doubles up as the cook. However, Team SCA is an all women's team and consist of 12 crew, 11 sailors and 1 photographer / journalist who doubles up as the cook. There are seven teams, hence 7 yachts as can be seen in the photograph below. They are Abu Dhabi, Dongfeng, Brunel, Vista Winds, Alvimedica, SCA and Mapfre each of them colour coded in order to be tracked throughout the race. Abu Dhabi is the Yellow, Dongfeng is red, Brunel is lime green, Vesta Winds is blue, Alvimedica is orange, SCA is magenta and Mapfre is also red.

ITAJAI

SIX HOME ONE TO GO

Team SCA  has finally arrived in Itajai and is being escorted by several speed boats as can be seen in the image below, even though its a whole two days later than the first arrival - Abu Dhabi. Some 40 Nautical miles downstream some flotsam hit SCA's rudder which took a good two hours to repair and not long thereafter another hit, but this time the keel. Its been the longest leg for the girls and all of them are tired and look forward to sunshine of Itajai Brazil after their icy experience with hail storms in the Southern Ocean, Cape Horn and the Le Maire Strait where 4 layers of clothing was the norm.

Meanwhile Team Dongfeng is still enroute, and as I said in a previous blog, I sincerely hope they make it to the start line in time for leg 6.  The good news is that Team Vestas Wind is back in the race.  They will be  taking part in the In-port Race in Itajai and should Team Dongfeng make it in time, we will once again see the Volvo Ocean Race as it was meant to be seen, 7 Volvo 65's on the horizon racing towards Newport.  

The final image below shows what Vestas winds looked like after it struck a reef in the St Brandon atoll in the Indian Ocean on the 29th November 2014. It is  catching a ride to the boatyard in Italy on a container ship.

With our Windpower, we are  still faster than all you petrol heads. 

There's is nothing that compares to 40 knots on a Volvo 65.

Finally we are in Itajai Brazil

Just a few hundred meters to go then we can rest hand a good meal and enjoy the sunshine.

Go Team SCA go.  Team SCA get great coverage after spending 22 long days at sea.

The hubbub in Itajai when Team SCA arrived.

I missed you so much and I am o happy to see you... love you lots.

Vestas Wind without a keel and a mast with a gaping hole in its stern.