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Volvo Voyeur

February 8, 2012

Three Burning Questions After Leg 3

by Ryan O'Grady
image-vor120203 hooper 22429
© Hamish Hooper/CAMPER ETNZ/Volvo Ocean Race
Rob Salthouse and Chris Nicholson grind hard putting a reef in the mainsail as Stu Bannatyne drives onboard CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand during Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

As the Volvo Ocean Race fleet recuperates in Sanya, China, we ponder whether Puma Ocean Racing can make a comeback, whether Telefonica will falter, and whether Team Sanya will even finish.

For NFL fans competing in the Volvo Ocean Race, the finish of Leg 3 had an unexpected benefit. Better than expected wind and sea conditions meant that all of the boats arrived safely in Sanya, China, before the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl.

January 26, 2012

Back on Track

by Ryan O'Grady
image-ryanolegthree960
© Amory Ross/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race
A beautiful sunset greets PUMA Ocean Racing during the first offshore night of Leg 3, which takes the fleet from Abu Dhabi to China.

The Volvo Ocean Race fleet has left behind the secrecy of Leg 2 and the early stages of Leg 3 and is now screaming towards the Malacca Strait, bound for China.

We're back to proper ocean racing again in the Volvo Ocean Race. No more stealth zones, cargo ships (hopefully!), or secret ports to hamper spectating. Plus, we have a full-strength fleet again. So what’s been happening with the competitors lately?

January 11, 2012

Three Things I Learned From VOR Leg 2

by Ryan O'Grady
image-vor120104 todd 0063
© Paul Todd/ Volvo Ocean Race
Puma Ocean Racing trails Camper/ ETNZ at the finish of Leg 2, headed into Abu Dhabi.

The crazy course of the second leg of the 2011-'12 Volvo Ocean Race taught me three things: the format is absurd, it's still anybody's game, and reliability may be the biggest factor in the final results.

Following a final sprint to Abu Dhabi, Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race is now in the books. In case you missed it, Groupama won the 100-mile finale, passing Puma, Telefonica, and CAMPER/ETNZ in the final miles to take their first victory of the race. Overall, Telefonica won the combined Leg 2, with Camper in second, Puma in third, Groupama fourth, and Abu Dhabi fifth. Team Sanya has resumed racing after a rigging repair left them marooned in Madagascar for about three weeks. Sanya has about a week to make it to the "secret location" to get scoring credit for all of Leg 2, and Leg 3A.

December 27, 2011

Leg 2 Update: The Best Race We Never Saw

by Ryan O'Grady

Telefonica wins the offshore portion of Leg 2 as the fleet crosses the finish line in the Stealth Zone.

In one of the most thrilling ends to any ocean race, Team Telefonica won the offshore portion of Leg 2 by mere minutes over rival CAMPER/ ETNZ after 15 frustrating days at sea. CAMPER had been leading the fleet to the “secret port” since emerging from the Doldrums on Christmas Eve, but Telefonica was not going to give their Kiwi rivals an early Christmas present.  From onboard CAMPER, MCM Hamish Hooper reported, “Just after dusk (1:30pm GMT) this leg of thousands of miles between 6 boats morphed into a full-on match race to the finish with the blue boat.

December 21, 2011

Leg 2 Update: Good Days, Bad Days, and Going Half Mad Days

by Ryan O'Grady

The Volvo Ocean Race fleet has crossed the Agulhas Current, but there are still more lead changes and tactical decisions to come en route to Abu Dhabi.

We are now 11 days into Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race, and so far it has been one of the most interesting legs in recent memory. I can’t ever remember a leg where each team has been in the lead, and also been in last place. Each position report has seen major shuffling in the pack, and with the Indian Ocean's doldrums looming, no one has a clear advantage, at least not yet.

December 13, 2011

Leg 2 Offers Big Risks, Big Rewards

by Ryan O'Grady

As the Volvo Ocean Race fleet makes its way from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi, the trailing teams have an excellent opportunity to make gains—provided they don't fall victim to the perils of the Indian Ocean.

A full-strength Volvo Ocean Race fleet left Cape Town on Sunday, bound for Abu Dhabi on Leg 2. Leading up the start, forecasts were calling for 30-knot winds, which would've left little margin for error and denied crews the chance to settle into the routine at sea. Concerns that the fleet would suffer breakdowns in the early going, as happened in Leg 1, have subsided; all six teams are currently making their way up the African coast in light wind and adverse current.

December 5, 2011

What We've Learned So Far

by Ryan O'Grady

With Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race just around the corner, we take a few lessons from the triumphs and tragedies of Leg 1.

Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race is in the books. Team Telefonica won the battle of attrition in a not-so-blistering time of 21 days, 5 hours, followed by CAMPER/ Emirates Team New Zealand, and Groupama. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Team Sanya returned to Alicante, Spain within 24 hours of the start—the former due to dismasting, the latter to hull damage—and PUMA Ocean Racing retired after dismasting on Nov. 21 in the middle of the South Atlantic, 2,000 miles from Cape Town.

May 4, 2010

Early Days Yet

149
image-VOR20108
© Courtesy Volvo Ocean Race
EarlyDaysPhoto

Dave Reed tries to make sense of the VOR technical committee's "Shed Measurement Guidelinees," which explain how measurers will go about measuring hulls for the 2010-'11 Volvo Ocean Race.

And it's in the early days when designers and builders start asking questions of the VOR's technical committees. I've found tat the VOR online "noticeboard" is a great place to start lurking, as it's here where "public interpretations" are released to the public (other teams). Essentially, a team submits a question, asking for clarity on one of the measurement rules, and the committee responds publicly. It's also here where you'll find the VO 70 Rule itself, the Notice of Race, and race amendments throughout.

October 14, 2008

2008-'09 VOR: The Race In Full

by Dave Reed

SW editor Dave Reed follows the 2008-'09 VOR from start to finish.

 

To access SW's 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race home page, click here.

June 16, 2009

Hard Race Yes, But An Easy Call