Offshore Lessons on the Volvo Ocean Race

Article by  Agathe Armand  Photo by Amory Ross/Team Alvimedica/Volvo Ocean Race

It has been a long leg for Team Alvimedica, and a slow, never-ending finish at sunset, in Abu Dhabi waters.

The Turkish/American boat did lead the race early on, stopped to assist Team Vestas Wind when their competitors hit a reef north of Mauritius, resumed racing and caught up with Team SCA and MAPFRE.

But they were finally overtaken by the Spanish team and ended the leg in a painful drift across the Gulf.

Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race

“This leg has had its ups and downs and we definitely need to work on our consistency,” admits Charlie Enright, the skipper.

“But we’ve got a good plan in place and we’ll work on the best way to achieve it.”

For the youngest crew in the race, this leg was all about learning. Learning about the race – four of them are rookies, learning about their boat, learning about their performance at sea.

“We’ve had a lot of time together and conversations naturally evolved from the fun things to our performance,” explains Amory Ross, the Onboard Reporter.

“We’re happy about boat speed. We know we’re competitive in a straight line; we just need to know where to point the bow. It’s not a personal problem or a chemistry issue. Our greatest attribute is we’re a young group of guys looking to improve.”

They’ve learned about the reality of the race too, and its ruthlessness.

“The Vestas incident is something that will stick with us for a long time,” sighs Mark Towill, who admits feeling “a bit mentally drained.”

Having suspended racing for 9.5 hours to provide assistance to the blue boat, the Alvimedica guys can now apply for redress.

“And we’ve just been bleeding miles to MAPFRE these past days,” adds Mark. “Yes, a little down, but excited to wrap this up and prepare for the next leg.”

Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race

Charlie and his eight teammates are now looking forward to debriefing properly in Abu Dhabi. Some are heading home; others are staying in the Emirates before the next leg.

“Part of us want to start Leg 3 tomorrow,” concludes the 30-year old skipper, “but it will be good to have some time to rest and reflect. We’re excited about where we are. It’s just a matter of refining some small things.”

Team Alvimedica finish time: 13 29 23 UTC / Elapsed time: 024d 21h 29m 23s

Vestas from the air

Article by  Jon Bramley Photo Credit NCG Operations Room Ð MRCC Mauritius
This graphic picture shows the stricken Team Vestas Wind lying in a reef in a remote Mauritius archipelago of St Brandon after being grounded there at the weekend.
The team and race organisers are now working out the best way to recover the Volvo Ocean 65 in the Indian Ocean.
Neil Cox, shore manager of the Danish team, said: “The photo paints a pretty graphic picture of what’s going on out there. The picture tells a 1,000 words.”
He said his focus was still the security of the nine members of the crew.
“We have still got nine guys sitting on what is basically a sand pit out in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
“They are still the priority. It’s a peace of mind to know they’re all safe and doing everything they can out there with the boat right now.” Cox said that sail ropes, fluids, electronics and hardware had been taken off the boat.
The nine-strong crew abandoned ship in the early hours of Sunday morning after the collision at 19 knots at 1510 GMT the previous day and waded through knee-deep water to a dry position on the reef.
They were picked up from there at daylight by a coastguard rib and taken to the nearby Íle du Sud.
The islet has very little communications with the outside world and the crew are awaiting transportation back to Mauritius. This is expected to happen within the next 24 hours.
The National Coast Guard of the Maritime Rescue Co-operation Centre (MRCC) of Mauritius took the pictures as part of its usual operations after such an incident.
The crew have received food packages via an airdrop from a coastguard plane. It confirmed that all were uninjured in the collision.

Vestas Wind Makes Plans To Abandon Ship After Running Aground In The Indian Ocean.

Article by The Canada Sentinel. Photo by Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race
Volvo Ocean Race Team Vestas Wind informed Race Control that their boat was grounded on the Cargados Carajos Shoals, Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean today. Race Officials told us, "Fortunately, no one has been injured. We are in contact with the boat to establish the extent of the damage and ensure the crew is given the support needed to enable it to deal with the situation." Team Alvimedica has arrived at the site and is in radio contact with Team Vestas Wind. The plan is for this vessel to assist in abandoning the boat as soon as possible after daylight tomorrow. Both rudders were reported broken by the Team Vestas Wind crew. The team also reported water ingress in the stern compartment.

The Volvo Ocean 65 has watertight bulkheads in the bow and the stern. The remaining part of the boat is intact including the rig. The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Reunion Island is aware of the problem and, if needed, there is a a coastguard station on Isle de Sud, approximately 1.5 km from the boat, which has a RIB available.