Family, friends, support crew and sailing fans are gathered at the Kai Tak Race Village waiting hopefully, expectantly for the arrival of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet for their first ever visit to Hong Kong. Amazingly Hong Kong’s debutante Scallywag is leading the way home.
Glances at phones and the large digital tracker screen show the hometown boat’s lead is shrinking. Unlike a watched pot the tracker also shows the distance to the finish dropping rapidly as the 65 foot boat powers home at over 20 knots (23mp/h or 37km/h). There’s a steady breeze to the finish in Victoria Harbour and the tension ebbs as the excitement rises.
Click on any photo for the full gallery of images.
After a tense 24 hours Scallywag looks set to lead the Volvo Ocean Race fleet home as Hong Kong’s entry is estimated to sail up Victoria Harbour to the finish line off Kai Tak around midnight today as the Volvo Ocean Race makes it’s first ever stopover in Hong Kong.
The fleet is sailing in from the East, so the breakwater at Chai Wan typhoon shelter or any of the headland vantage points will provide a superb viewing spot to watch the boats arrival. The leading three boats will arrive in the early hours of the 20th Jan, the rest throughout the day.
Leg 4, Melbourne to Hong Kong, day 17 Annemieke Bes on board Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag. Photo by Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race. 16 January, 2018.
The ‘Race Village’ is situated at Kai Tak and there’s a wide range of activities going on during the two week stopover. Entry is Free!
17 Jan – Race Village opens (opens daily 0900-2200)
25 Jan – Practice Race – 14:00-15:00
26 Jan – Concert – 20:00
27 Jan – In-Port Race Victoria Harbour – 14:00-15:00
27 Jan – Music showcase – 17:00
28 Jan – Around Hong Kong Island Race – 11:30
28 Jan – E-sports – 18:00
29 Jan – Pro-Am Races x 4 / start times 14:00, 1455, 1550, 1645
31 Jan – Leg 5 start Hong Kong to Guangzhou (tbc pm)
31 Jan – Race Village closes to public
31 Jan – Guangzhou Race Village opens
3 Feb – Guangzhou In-Port race
5 Feb – Leg 5: Guangzhou to Hong Kong start
7 Feb – Leg 6: Hong Kong to Auckland start Victoria Harbour – 14:00
For more details of the Hong Kong stopover click here
Scallywag, continues its charge towards the finishing line as skipper Dave Witt says the next 24 hours are the most vital of Leg 4 as they close in on an historic home leg victory.
Witt’s crew were sitting on a lead of almost 100 nautical miles to their closest rivals Vestas 11th Hour Racing with around 800 miles to the finish line.
Despite the healthy buffer, Hong Kong is still a day and half away, and to get to the finish they must first thread their way between Taiwan and the Philippines and avoid any patches of light wind in the area.
“For me the biggest concern is from here to the top of the Philippines,” he Witt. “Once we get around the corner of the Philippines to Hong Kong it’s pretty easy, I don’t think we can get passed there. The most danger lies between here and there so the next 24 hours are the most important.”
“If we can get through the next three scheds without a loss there won’t be enough runway for anyone to catch us. We’re going to push really hard for the next 24 hours, and hopefully ‘sign the deal’. Basically the only way we are going to lose it is if we park up and stop, and I’ll make sure we won’t do that.”
A moment of panic set in when Scallywag hit a patch of light airs, halting progress. But thankfully for them the breeze that was forecast to fill in ahead of them materialised, and by 1300 UTC they were back up to speed.
“I don’t think anyone really understands the magnitude of this if we manage to pull it off,” Witt added. “There are so many firsts: first Hong Kong team ever, first time to Hong Kong… hopefully we will have plenty of time in Hong Kong over beers to let it sink in – but we have to get there first.”
Second-placed Vestas 11th Hour Racing were seemingly sitting pretty thanks to a 70-mile gap between them and team AkzoNobel in third on the leaderboard.
However Dongfeng Race Team had been in third place some 50 miles behind Vestas before opting to go in to stealth mode, hiding their position from the fleet for 24 hours.
Charles Caudrelier’s crew will reappear on the tracker at 1900 UTC – and only then will anyone know what strategy they’ve been employing and whether they’ve closed the gap at all.
Sixty miles behind AkzoNobel were overall race leaders MAPFRE, with Team Brunel in fifth and Turn the Tide on Plastic in sixth.
Brunel skipper Bouwe Bekking, the most experienced Volvo Ocean Race sailor in the fleet, admitted his team have struggled for speed.
“Everybody is giving a 100 per cent, there is no doubt about that, but at the moment that’s just not enough,” he said. “We’ve made a mistake twice, once at the beginning of the leg and once in the Doldrums.
“With lower wind speeds and when we’re sailing closer angles to the wind we do alright, but when it’s like this, with more wind and coming more from the back, we barely manage to keep up with the rest of the fleet. It’s frustrating, but the only thing we can do on board is remain positive and trim and steer the boat as well as possible.”
Additional reporting and images: Volvo Ocean Race, Konrad Frost, Yann Riou
The first ever Volvo Ocean Race Hong Kong stopover is officially underway following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Runway Park. It’s the first time that the Volvo Ocean Race fleet have visited Hong Kong – and with local team Scallywag currently leading the Leg 4 fleet, there’s an extra frisson of excitement.
Hong Kong Stopover.Getting ready for the Opening of the Race Village. 16 January, 2018. Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race
The Race Village is open from 9am to 10pm from 17-31 January and entry is is free. The fleet is currently due to arrive on 19 January – and the stopover is packed with on and off-water action and activities.
Hong Kong Stopover.Getting ready for the Opening of the Race Village. 16 January, 2018. Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race
For more information, including daily schedules in the Race Village, visit www.volvooceanracehk.com
Hong Kong Stopover.Getting ready for the Opening of the Race Village. 16 January, 2018. Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race
For details of how to visit the Race Village click here.
Images: Volvo Ocean Race, Konrad Frost, Ainhoa Sanchez
Following one of the longest and most painful doldrums crossings in memory, the Volvo Ocean Race fleet is now in the northeast trade winds and speeding towards the finish line in Hong Kong, some 2,700 nautical miles to the northwest.
The fleet finds itself in three distinct groupings, with Dongfeng Race Team leading team AkzoNobel and Vestas 11th Hour Racing in the northernmost triumvirate. And it’s in the north where the stronger winds should be as the northeasterly trades winds get established.
“I think we are in a strong position,” said Dongfeng Race Team skipper Charles Caudrelier. “We have just left the doldrums and we should be the first ones to catch the trade winds… we hope. We are very close on the ranking with Scallywag but we prefer our position for the future.”
While that northern option may turn out to be the correct one, at the moment, it’s David Witt’s Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag who are stealing a march on the opposition.
Contrary to many weather routing predictions, Witt and his crew have managed to craftily cut the corner, turning west before the rest of the fleet and gaining valuable miles towards the finish.
“The weather has helped us for sure,” Witt said. “It’s a balance between making decisions based on what the weather files tell you and what you can see in front of you… Anything can happen, it’s a pretty volatile situation still, but I’m pretty sure this group of people can deal with whatever happens.”
The Scallywags make up the middle grouping on their own, with MAPFRE leading Turn the Tide on Plastic and Team Brunel in the final triad, some 150 nautical miles directly east (and further from the finish line) compared to Scallywag.
For the trailing group, it’s been 24 hours of immense frustration. One final cloud in the doldrums grabbed these three and wouldn’t let go, while the other four boats were speeding away.
“We thought we’d be fighting at the front and now we’re fighting at the back which is not where we wanted to be,” said Dee Caffari, the skipper of Turn the Tide on Plastic. “Really disappointed. But we have nearly 3000 miles left to make it up.”
Additional reporting and photos: Konrad Frost, Volvo Ocean Race, Brian Carlin
Unlike the traditional Southern Ocean route of Leg 3, the fourth stage of the Volvo Ocean Race from Melbourne to Hong Kong is a new addition for the 2017-18 edition – but some of the challenges it poses will be recognisable from the early north-south legs.
The Volvo Ocean Race leg four will start in Melbourne on the 2 January and the fleet are expected to arrive in Victoria Harbour around the 20 January with local boat Scallyway looking to lead them home.
Where Leg 3 was all about hooking onto the infamous depressions of the Westerly Storm Track that circle the bottom of the world west to east unrestricted by land mass, Leg 4 is all about navigating through climate zones.
Setting out across the Coral Sea, the sevens boat fleet must tackle the Subtropical High Pressure Zone, a stable, semi-static area of high pressure in the Pacific lying between 30 and 38 degrees south. Because of its proximity to the northern edge of the Westerly Storm Track there is a real chance of being propelled out of Melbourne by big winds. Equally, the anticyclone could prove dominant.
The normally-consistent trade winds will come into play as the fleet climbs further north, before the dreaded Doldrums come into play once more. Throw in numerous Pacific Islands dotted around the course and you’ve got a serious challenge in the shape of Leg 4.
Leg 3, Cape Town to Melbourne, day 3, on board Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag. Photo by Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race. 12 December, 2017.
Additional reporting and images: Konrad Frost, Volvo Ocean Race
The Spanish Volvo Ocean Race team MAPFRE wins Leg 3 from Cape Town to Melbourne, a 6,500 nautical mile dive into the fierce challenges posed by the Southern Ocean.
For the second consecutive leg, MAPFRE needed to come from behind to earn the victory. And for the second time in a row, it was Dongfeng Race Team they passed mid-stage, to snatch the win.
“We had to fight very hard for this victory,” skipper Xabi Fernández said moments after crossing the finish line. “There’s so much of the race to go. But for now it’s looking good and we’re very happy of course.”
The Southern Ocean pushed the teams to the limit. Extreme cold, storm force winds for days on end and towering seas posed massive seamanship challenges, let alone allowing for racing and tactics.
“The strongest point for this team is the group of people we have,” Fernandez acknowledged. “They are so good and give us so much and have been working so hard on this leg. It was so tough, but it’s all gone perfect. Now we have a few days for recovery and we can get ready for the next one.
Leg 3, Cape Town to Melbourne, Start. Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race. 10 December, 2017.
Dongfeng Race Team, nursing home a boat with a damaged keel system was able to fend off a late charge by Vestas 11th Hour Racing and Team Brunel to secure second place finish. It’s the second consecutive second place finish for skipper Charles Caudrelier’s team and this one will be bittersweet. The team led for much of this hard Southern Ocean leg and were disappointed to see MAPFRE make a pass to take the win
“This was the toughest leg I’ve ever done,” Caudrelier said. “We had this big fight with MAPFRE for most of the race and then a big problem on board just before the finish. A crazy section of gybing around the ice limits, it was a very, very difficult leg. We’re a bit disappointed after leading 80 per-cent of the time to give first place up to MAPFRE, but there are more legs to come and we will do better.”
Vestas 11th Hour Racing grabbed the final spot on the podium. Just after crossing the finishing line, Mark Towill, team director and co-skipper acknowledged the scale of the achievement “It was a tough leg. We’re happy to be on the podium again. It’s great to be in on Christmas and I know we’re all looking forward to getting ashore. It was a difficult leg, hard on the bodies, but everyone has held up well.”
Leg 3, Cape Town to Melbourne, day 5, Morning watch on board Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag. Photo by Konrad Frost/Volvo Ocean Race. 14 December, 2017.
The Vestas 11th Hour Racing crew finished behind Dongfeng Race Team but ahead of Team Brunel. At one point, with about 36 hours to go, the race tracker showed nothing to choose between Vestas and Dongfeng in terms of distance to finish, but in reality, the tactical situation favoured the Chinese/French boat.
“It was looking pretty close for a little while, but they were always ahead,” Towill said. “They were always comfortable. Brunel sailed well too so credit to them. It was challenging conditions and we’re all happy to be here and in one piece.”
In fourth place was Team Brunel, skipper Bouwe Bekking knows it keeps his team in touch with leaders but wants to be challenging the leaders. hoa
“It’s been a really hard leg. We always expected it would be tough and it lived up to that,” Bekking said. “Plenty of breeze and some awesome sailing as well.
Fifth place in Leg 3 went to Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag who managed to hold off Turn the Tide on Plastic, for the second consecutive leg. Skipper David Witt steered Scallywag across the Melbourne finish line on a sunny boxing day, just in time for lunch. Turn the Tide on Plastic was less than three hours behind, after over two weeks and 6,500 nautical miles of close, hard-fought racing.
“Aussies arriving home after a tough leg. 6th place – shame we couldn’t catch those Scally’s. We tried and it was close. Hopefully next time,” tweeted Turn the Tide on Plastic skipper Dee Caffari as her boat approached the finish line.
Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race represented a return to the roots of the race – a dip down to the Roaring Forties of the Southern Ocean, where storm systems circle Antarctica, unimpeded by land. The result is day after day of cold, strong winds and fearsome seas.
“The Southern Ocean always turns it on,” said Scallywag’s Luke Parkinson as the boat pulled up to the dock. “There are big waves and a lot of wind. This time we probably spent more time further south with day after day of big wind. It certainly can wear you down. When we turned left and headed up to Australia it was pretty special – a very good feeling. We’ve got to rest up now and be ready to leave in a few days.”
It’s an abbreviated stopover in Melbourne, with restrictions on how much work the crews are allowed to do on the boats, ahead of the start of Leg 4, to Hong Kong, on January 2, 2018.
Leg 3, Cape Town to Melbourne, day 06, on board Dongfeng. Rough sailing condition close to the ice gate. Black at the pit. Photo by Martin Keruzore/Volvo Ocean Race. 15 December, 2017.
Volvo Ocean Race Leg 3 – Provisional Results
MAPFRE – 14 days, 04h:07m:21s
Dongfeng Race Team – 14 days, 08h:10m:16s
Vestas 11th Hour Racing – 14 days, 09h:52m:11s
Team Brunel – 14 days, 11h:36m:27s
Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag -15 days, 13h:06m:31s
Turn the Tide on Plastic -15 days, 15h:52m:50s
team AkzoNobel – still racing
Volvo Ocean Race Leaderboard
MAPFRE – 29 points
Dongfeng Race Team – 23 points
Vestas 11th Hour Racing – 23 points
Team Brunel – 14 points
Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag – 11 points
AkzoNobel – 7 points
Turn the Tide on Plastic – 6 points
Additional reporting, images: Volvo Ocean Race, Martin Keruzore, Jeremie Lecaudey, Konrad Frost, Ainhoa Sanchez
Strong winds are forecast for the start of Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race on Sunday afternoon in Cape Town as the famous ‘Cape Doctor’ – a strong southeasterly wind – pays a visit over the weekend.
On Saturday morning the doctor made a house call bringing a steady 40 knots of wind, and at least one gust of over 60 knots was recorded. This is expected to moderate somewhat for Sunday’s race start, but winds are forecast to remain in the 25 to 35 knot range, with some gusts significantly stronger.
“It’s going to be full-on for the start,” says Vestas 11th Hour Racing navigator Simon Fisher. “Very strong southeasterlies and then when we get offshore it will be a decent sea-state we’re banging into as well. It will soften a bit but then we’re quickly into the westerlies and it’s the proper Southern Ocean. It’s going to be an intense leg in general.”
“It could be very windy for the first week and very high speed,” agreed Charles Caudrelier, skipper of Dongfeng Race Team. “I think it’s going to be a fantastic leg.”
Leg 3, from Cape Town to Melbourne, Australia is a nominal 6,500 nautical miles. The routing takes the teams down into the ‘Roaring Forties’, the area south of 40-degrees latitude where storm systems circle Antarctica, unimpeded by any land mass. Towering waves, steady gale and storm force winds, and ice-cold temperatures are a daily feature here.
“We should remember it’s late spring, just the beginning of summer and the winter has just passed in the Southern Hemisphere so the water is still bloody cold,” said race veteran Bouwe Bekking, the skipper of Team Brunel.
“I think the most frightening thing is that the depressions are still so strong… the amount of pressure that is in the air is just humongous. And of course, the water temperatures – hopefully with the ice limits we don’t encounter any ice – but if the water is just a few degrees above freezing and you get a southerly breeze, you might be having icicles off the mast some times. We’ve experienced it in the past… When we did this leg in the old days, this was the leg when the most damage appeared. The boats today are stronger than before, but still things can break.”
Deciding when to push for speed and when to throttle back to protect crew and equipment is a delicate balance. The stakes are even higher as this is the first double-point leg. The winner of Leg 3 will collect 15 points (7 x 2 = 14 plus a 1 point win bonus).
“I think we have a lot of experience on our boat and we have to trust that experience in the Southern Ocean,” explained Charlie Enright, skipper of Vestas 11th Hour Racing talking about finding the balance of how hard to push. “It not just about the points, it’s the fact we don’t haul-out in Melbourne, it’s the heavy conditions in the Southern Ocean, because you don’t want to break anything…To finish first, you must first finish.”
For Xabi Fernández, the skipper of MAPFRE, the race leader, the stopover in Cape Town provided a much needed opportunity to recharge.
“After the first long leg (Lisbon to Cape Town), it’s always important to be in the front,” he said. “We’re happy as a team. We had a good stopover. The boat is in great shape and the team is as well, so we’re ready to go.”
The start of Leg 3 is scheduled for 2pm in Cape Town, 12:00 UTC, and will be broadcast live on www.volvooceanrace.com.
Additional reporting and images: Pedro Martinez, Volvo Ocean Race
“We should remember it’s late spring, just the beginning of summer and the winter has just passed in the Southern Hemisphere so the water is still bloody cold,” said race veteran Bouwe Bekking, the skipper of Team Brunel.