Volvo Ocean Race fleet heading for Melbourne
The seven Volvo Ocean Race yachts are in the Southern Ocean and racing for MelbourneWhen the seven-strong fleet departed Capetown on Sunday, it was the eleventh time in the history of the Volvo Ocean Race that they had done so. However, this time a gruelling 6,500 nautical mile leg will lead them into Melbourne sometime around December 24-26.
With the Cape Doctor wind blowing at 20-25 knots, the fleet raced around a short triangle course in front of the city, before being freed to sprint off towards Australia. That’s when the fun began with some serious Southern Ocean weather.
There was some drama for the team who had to make a late crew change just before leaving the dock. Daryl Wislang suffered a back strain and the team decided not to risk having it flare up more while at sea. He stepped off the boat to be replaced by Fabien Delahaye.
Meantime, the forecast was for very strong winds, which should ease for a brief respite, before strengthening again as the first of the Southern Ocean weather systems picks them up and carries them to Melbourne.
"It is the worst sailing you can do but it’s also the absolute best," said Stu Bannatyne, a three-time race winner on board Dongfeng, in reply to a question about the Southern Ocean.
"Fortunately it seems the human mind forgets the bad times and only remembers the good, which is why we keep coming back," he said.
That is a sentiment that is sure to be shared among the 63 sailors (and seven on board reporters) over the coming days.
More at Volvo Ocean Race Tracker and website.
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