Off and Running
Off and Running
TRUE TO FORM, the four Farr
boats with the most to gain in the closing stages of the Volvo Ocean
Race, excelled in the light-wind conditions of the Annapolis re-start
today on the Chesapeake Bay. As it was in Sanxenxo, Spain, last
November, and in the in-port race last week, the ABN AMRO boats were
doing their collective best to not get left too far behind. ABN One,
the race's current leader, didn't help its handicap with a late start. It was Brasil 1,
currently fourth overall, which led away from the starting line with a
perfectly executed mid-line start; others were crowded near the race
committee boat; movistar, alone near the pin. After a short stint on starboard, Brasil 1 tacked to cover Pirates of the Caribbean, and the ABN boats, clearing out the Chesapeake's Eastern Shore. Movistar favored the opposite side of the course for a short while before tacking to reconnect with the fleet. Ericsson and Brunel,
both with respectable starts, continued to favor the left. With less
wind they immediately took their respective places at the back of the
fleet. Coming from the deep right-hand corner, weaving through a portion of the estimated 3,000-plus spectator boats, Brasil 1
nailed its starboard layline, and even benefited from a favorable
windshift as they neared the mark, lifting high and rounding with a
1-minute margin to movistar. Pirates rounded a close third and were first to jibe towards the Eastern Shore; Brasil 1 and movistar kept to the middle. Pirates' move played into their hands, and with favorable wind and current, they managed to narrow Brasil 1's lead and pass movistar as the three boats passed through the starting line. The tight-knit group didn't last long, however, as Brasil 1 and movistar continued to keep to the middle of the racecourse. Pirates sailed a higher angle towards shoreline again, weaving through the spectator fleet as they exited the Bay. With
400 miles of sailing to New York City, and a developing low pressure
system, positions will likely shuffle overnight. For updates www.volvooceanrace.org
