LORIENT IN-PORT RACE

LORIENT IN-PORT RACE

The Alvimedica team has done very well for themselves by winning the Lorient In-Port Volvo Ocean Race. They also hold 3rd place in the overall race with 32 points. In terms of consistency  they have thus far averaged 4 points per leg, translated to yachting terms is great.  But Leg 9 Lorient to Gothenburg will really determined whether or not they are really better sailors that the other yacht crews.

LEG 9 LORIENT TO GOTHENBURG - HAGUE PIT STOP

LEG 9 LORIENT FRANCE TO GOTHENBURG SWEDEN

The start of Leg 9 Lorient to Gothenburg  will commence shortly and constitutes the last and final leg of the  Volvo Ocean race. However, this leg has a major twist to it -- a 24-hour Pit stop at The Hague --where crew will be allowed to go ashore but the fleet must   must remain in the water. This could possibly turn out to be the toughest leg of the entire race because it is relatively short and any repairs needed to be done to the yacht has to be done onboard by the crew while  racing and  they are only use permitted to use spares and equipment already on board. The pit-stop  can make or break the race for the competitors, considering the teams have been at it for the past 8 months.  With the multitude of shipping lanes and strong currents,  there could be many surprises and it could be anyones race. At the moment Abu Dhabi appears to be the favorite and may win by default since it's already 6  points ahead of Team Brunel, its closest competitor. The first yacht to cross  the line in The Hague will resume racing at 12:00 local time on June 20. Every other yacht allowed to resume the race in the same amount of time it finished behind the first yacht.  This could be have a huge impact on sailing conditions, due to variable weather like wind direction and intensity and  rough seas.

By the look of the race team results below, it is more than obvious that since Dongfeng Race Team's mast disaster and Team Vestas Wind's Hull disaster both teams kinda lost their groove but more so Dongfeng. Before Itajai they had 18 points beating both Mapfre and Alvimedica but hopefully it might get better for them since made 3rd place in the 8th leg. The girls did very very well with half the points awarded to Team vestas Wind. Rather than let me predict, lets leave it to the race teams to fight it out enroute to the home of the Volvo Ocean Race. 

LORIENT RACE VILLAGE FRANCE

THE SCA IN-PORT RACE LORIENT FRANCE

The SCA In-Port Race will take place tomorrow.

LEG 8 NEWPORT TO LISBON WITH VESTAS WIND

LEG 7 NEWPORT USA TO LISBON PORTUGAL

The Volvo Ocean race Leg 8 Lisbon to Lorient is well underway and it's really nice to see Vestas Wind as part of the fleet once again. After a hair raising experience during leg 2 in which Vestas Wind was wrecked in the atolls, she's back with a vengeance.  Currently Vestas Wind is in second position with Team SCA is in pole position and some what of a bummer for me, Dongfeng is in 7th position. The pics below shows Vestas Wind in its element. The last two Vestas Wind pics is certainly not of its proudest moments. 

Vestas Wind is back

Vestas Wind head for lorient at high speed.

Vestas Wind at the start of leg 8

The start of the Lisbon to Lorient Race

Vestas Wind firmly lodged in a rock at low tide.

A gaping hole in Vestas Wind's hull with the  crew standing by helplessly.

Mapfre going nowhere slowly

LEG 8 LISBON TO LORIENT

START OF LEG 8  LISBON to LORIENT

Leg 8 of the Volvo Ocean race has commenced and is by far one of the shortest legs which is expected to be completed by the 9th June. The distance from Lisbon to Lorient is a mere 647 nautical miles. The start of the race was very well attended but there was hardly any wind. But this did not start the race teams from what they came to do. As can b seen on the pictures below, the water looks like that of a lake without as much as a ripple.

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.