13 Apr 2015

Bob Fisher offers a few thoughts on how AC35 is progressing…

AMERICA’S CUP: Bob Fisher has jumped into the debate over the 35th running of the America’s Cup that seems to be floundering in disarray after the previously agreed AC62 was replaced by the smaller AC48.

In an open letter to the America’s Cup Events Authority, The Fish says:

“I cannot escape notice of what you are doing to the America’s Cup – it has been nothing short of a disgrace to the premier event in the sport of sailing. You have abused it, misused it and reduced it to no more than an average regatta, losing on the way its prestige and at the same time driven away the most serious competitors.

“In the last America’s Cup event, held on the waters of the Golden Gate Yacht Club, for whom you act in a management role, the two challengers that came up to the mark were those from the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and the Circolo della Vela Sicilia – Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa. In the course of the past week you have made it virtually impossible for ETNZ to raise the necessary funds to continue by removing any chance of a major regatta in Auckland, and, by a huge change in the size of boat, caused the Italian team to withdraw. Is this what you really want?

“Gone is all semblance of stability and adherence to rules unanimously agreed at the outset and in their place is an undercurrent of commercial misunderstanding and constantly changing rules without the unanimity of the challengers as initially agreed. Both of these are a disgrace to the cup and to yourselves.

“It was brought to my notice by you, in Auckland, that it was important for a part of the Challenger Final Selection Series to be held in the City of Sails in order to generate publicity for the America’s Cup in Asia and the reason for that was a Japanese team would shortly emerge, and that this would encourage television networks to purchase the rights.

“Subsequently ACEA has made it clear that ALL Challenger Selection races will be held in Bermuda, effectively slapping ETNZ in the face and reducing the Kiwis’ chances of government sponsorship (which hung on a major AC regatta in Auckland), possibly even eliminating this team from AC35.

“It is unnecessary for the America’s Cup to have a television audience. For many years there was no television coverage, and later only inserts into news programmes. Televising the event began in 1983 and was carried to a new height by ESPN in 1987 in Fremantle. Even then it didn’t need catamarans on hydrofoils sailing at 40 knots to be attractive – just 12-Metre yachts in boisterous conditions with some live sound from the boats.

“Now, thanks to the wizardry of Stan Honey and his colleagues, full details of the speed and direction of each of the competitors is overlaid on the live pictures of the racing. The technology of other sports has improved television for even the non-sailor, but this does not drive the America’s Cup. Money does. And there will certainly not be enough from television rights to pay for the somewhat unnecessary regattas that take place using the name of the event that has, over 164 years, taken place only 34 times.

“The America’s Cup is a one-off event. It does not need promoting with pseudo regattas in the intervening years, which use its name. The Challenger Selection Trials, together with the long lost Defender Selection Trials, are adequate and the responsibility for their expense is down to the individual teams. Now there is a state of affairs in which the Defender trials have been eliminated. In the Protocol, Item 17 clearly states:

‘Defender means GGYC and the sailing team that represents GGYC in AC35;’

“You have excluded any chance of another US Yacht Club from competing for the cup, maybe even giving GGYC the type of competition it needs to retain the cup. Not even the New York Yacht Club felt sufficiently confident to resort to that.

“Neither did the NYYC resort to changing the boats at a late date – the move from the AC-62 to the AC-48 has been very last minute and particularly hard on the teams that had set up their design groups well in advance to produce the smaller AC-62, as announced soon after the last AC match. It is hardly surprising that you have put Patrizio Bertelli’s feelings in disarray to the extent he has withdrawn Luna Rossa from AC35. His team had been working since early January 2014 at its headquarters in Cagliari with a design office of 40, all working on the design of a 62-footer. I suppose you comment will be: “Silly him,” but you have lost one of the biggest commercial sponsors of the Cup – just look where the Prada advertisements for Luna Rossa appear.

“To throw fat on the fire, you are offering to give design and financial support to the French team, which has made little progress, and what is worse attempting to justify this with the terms of the Deed of Gift, where it indicates that the event is to be: “a friendly competition between foreign nations.” But you may well counter this with the quote from the judge of the New York Court of Appeals in the case between the Mercury Bay Boating Club and San Diego Yacht Club, who queried: “Where in the Deed of Gift does it say the America’s Cup is supposed to be fair?”

“The loss of Louis Vuitton, after 30 years, is another huge loss of commercial sponsorship, but the writing for that was on the wall in San Francisco.

“Everything this time around has been late, and bringing in new entries at this stage is another breach of the Protocol. I implore you to get your act together, remember the event with which you are dealing, with its glorious past, and begin to act in a proper manner.”

Bob Fisher

via Boating Business – Fisher in on AC35 debate.

Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) breathed a huge sigh of relief on Monday after the boat arrived right on schedule ready for the refit of a new mast (full story below).- Caudrelier breathes sigh of relief as damaged boat arrives- Target now is to return Dongfeng to water on ThursdayITAJAÍ, Brazil, April 13 – Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) breathed a huge sigh of relief on Monday after the boat arrived in Itajaí right on schedule ready for the refit of a new mast.It has been a long journey for the stricken boat since the top of its mast fractured 200 nautical miles (nm) from Cape Horn in heinous Southern Ocean conditions on March 30 during the treacherous Leg 5 from Auckland to Itajaí, south-east Brazil.Suppliers, Southern Spars transported a new mast from Dubai, via Amsterdam, to Brazil and despite some major logistical challenges, that had arrived safely too by Sunday.The boat itself was sailed by a shore crew team plus two Chinese sailors under jury rig, partly under motor, for 2,000nm through the Southern Ocean and South Atlantic for its rendezvous in Itajaí with the new mast.It had earlier found refuge in Ushuaia, Argentina, following the breakage.Volvo Ocean Race Boatyard chief, Nick Bice, and his team will be working flat out with the Dongfeng Race Team shore team to ensure the boat is in optimum condition for the weekend’s Team Vestas Wind Itajaí In-Port Race on Saturday.The ambition is to have the boat back in the water by Thursday with the new rig fitted and any other minor repairs carried out.“Today we know we’ll be ready for the next leg,” said Caudrelier early on Monday following the boat’s arrival. “Well done to the shore team.”He continued: “We hope to be ready on Thursday and go sailing in the evening to race on Saturday.“Breaking the mast was a difficult moment. We lost the joint lead of the race, we lost eight points. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) are now far ahead and they have a big advantage.“It will be difficult to come back and we’re close in points with the boats behind – we could very well finish fifth.“We have to stay focused. We’ll do what we’ve done in the previous legs and we’ll see what happens. Anything could still happen.”As they did not complete the leg, Dongfeng Race Team collected eight points to go seven behind stage victors Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (see panel above – low points lead).However, as Caudrelier makes clear, there is still all to play for. Leg 6 sets off from Itajaí to Newport, Rhode Island on Sunday, April 19, and three more follow it including the transatlantic trip from USA to Lisbon (Leg 7).

via Dongfeng set for in-port race return| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

An anchorage should provide:

1.    Shelter from all directions

A typical ‘perfect anchorage’ might be a horseshoe-shaped bay encircled by cliffs or hills, ensuring good shelter from all wind directions, unless it is blowing straight through the entrance which would drive in swell and make the bay extremely uncomfortable.

Be aware that wind often swings through 180 degrees during the night, when a strong sea breeze changes to a light land breeze.  Anchoring in the lee of high hills or mountains may appear to provide the best possible shelter, but not when a katabatic wind (from the Greek word katabatikos meaning ‘going downhill’) accelerates down the hillside at violent speed!

2.    Flat Water

Ideally, your anchorage should be as flat as a mill-pond.  Any swell will make it extremely uncomfortable.  If the boat starts rolling, things seldom get better.  Best advice is to move on as soon as possible to seek and alternative anchorage.  This may be caused by the wind swinging onshore.  However, swell is unpredictable and can roll in during the night if you are unlucky.  The best solution is departure at dawn.

3.    Good holding

Anchors are incredibly effective at holding a boat, but need a good holding.  The best surfaces are sand or mud, which allow the anchor to dig in deeply.  Rock and weed or shingle will provide a less secure holding.  Never drop an anchor on coral.

4.    Room to swing

Your boat should have room to swing through a 360 degree arc, without hitting anything under or on top of the water, including nearby boats.  All boats will swing as the wind or tide changes, though yachts and powercraft tend to swing at a different speed.  If there is insufficient space to swing through a wide arc or full circle, the solution may be to attach a stern line to the shore, which will hold the boat in a fixed direction.  This is useful when there is limited space in an anchorage and common practice in Baltic countries such as Sweden and Finland.  Remember though, if you are secured differently to the other vessels around you, your swing will be different to theirs.

5.    Tidal effects

If you anchor in a tidal area, you need to be sure there will be enough water under the keel at low tide.  The exception is if you wish to ‘dry out’ with a bilge keel yacht, lifting keel yacht or shallow draught catamaran.  Tidal flow may also affect where you can anchor in a river or estuary.  Every six hours, your boat will swing through 180 degrees as the tide changes.  An anchorage with the bows facing into the wind and tide should provide flat water and good shelter for the crew in the cockpit, but the boat may start to rock and the cockpit may get draughty when the wind blows against the tide.

“Some of my most enjoyable nights on the water have been at anchor with friends. The article is called a ‘perfect anchorage’, yet we all know it is unlikely to be absolutely perfect, however if you spend some time considering the points covered here before arriving at your anchorage and use a check list to select your spot it is likely to be an enjoyable stay with no unexpected surprises”, comments Vaughan Marsh, RYA Chief Instructor, Sail Cruising.

So remember; things to consider when choosing a good anchorage:

Shelter from the wind

The weather forecast in case the wind direction changes

The nature of the seabed shown on the chart. Mud and sand are better than rock or shingle

Space behind the boat

Whether there is enough room to swing when the tide turns

Check on the chart for a recommend anchorage

Look in the pilot book for advice or warnings

The boat must be outside any channel used by other boats, including if it swings

The depth of water.  It may be necessary to work out the minimum depth of water in which to anchor to be sure that the boat will not ground at low water

Once secure, monitor your yachts position in comparison to the other vessels and hazards including the depth for the duration of you stay

Extracts taken from RYA Day Skipper Handbook – Sail, by Sara Hopkinson and RYA Yacht Sailing Techniques, by Jeremy Evans.

via The perfect anchorage | InBrief | e-Newsletters | News & Events | RYA.

Two days after Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race was completed with Team SCA’s arrival, Dongfeng Race Team were in a desperate battle of their own on Thursday to transport their stricken boat to Itajaí for the fitting of a new mast (full story below).

– ‘End of project as we know it, if we don’t make it’ – Team chief Dubois

– Mast and Dongfeng boat targeted to arrive in Itajaí on Monday

– New rig must be installed in half the time it normally takes

ITAJAI, Brazil, April 9 – Two days after Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race was completed with Team SCA’s arrival, Dongfeng Race Team were in a desperate battle of their own on Thursday to transport their stricken boat to Itajaí for the fitting of a new mast.

The Chinese team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) were forced to retire from the event’s toughest leg on April 1 after their mast fractured in the Southern Ocean, 200 nautical miles (nm) from Cape Horn.

They found refuge in Ushuaia, Argentina, and a team of shore crew members plus Chinese sailors, Wolf (Yang Jiru) and Black (Liu Xue), are now sailing Dongfeng under motor and sail to Itajaí.

The entire project is geared around having a fully fixed-up boat ready for the Leg 6 departure for Newport, Rhode Island, on April 19.

But what if they don’t achieve that? “If we don’t make it? It will be the end of our project as we know it,” said Team Director, Bruno Dubois (BEL).

The best-case arrival time for the boat in Itajaí, according to a team statement issued on Thursday, is Monday, April 13. The crew is currently 1,000nm from their destination in the south-east of Brazil.

Meanwhile, a separate journey is underway with the mast being flown from Dubai, via Amsterdam, to São Paulo, Brazil. From there, it will be driven to Itajaí once it has cleared customs.

The arrival time for the mast – with a ‘best case’ scenario, say the team – is also Monday.

Dongfeng Race Team’s statement continued: “However, that will just be the beginning of our race against time.

“Once we have the boat and the mast, there is the work that normally takes a week to do in half that time – to prepare the boat itself after the tough leg from Auckland, and to prepare, set up and tune the new mast and rigging.”

It continues: “Now calculate the odds of everything running smoothly. As it stands, we have no idea if the truckers will be willing to drive over the weekend.

“So best case scenario, the rig and the boat both arrive in Itajaí on Monday as planned. Otherwise, the rig arrives two days later and we struggle to make the Team Vestas Wind Itajaí In-Port Race (Saturday, April 18).”

The clock continues to tick, but shore crew member, Henry Woodhouse, who is currently helping sail the boat through the south Atlantic to Itajaí, remains bullish.

“Look out Brazil, here we come,” he wrote in a blog from the boat on Wednesday evening. “We may be late arriving, but we will be on that start line for Leg 6 ready to return with a vengeance.”

via High stakes| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

VOR: Dongfeng Race Team broke its mast early this morning during the Volvo Ocean Race, but fortunately nobody has been injured and there is no immediate danger to the crew.

The incident happened 240 nautical miles west of Cape Horn at 0315 UTC on Monday, in the final hours of the night onboard Dongfeng. The crew reported that the mast broke above the third spreader. They are not planning to continue racing on this leg and are heading towards Ushuaia, Argentina, under their own sail.

Reached via Inmarsat, a disappointed Caudrelier said: “I’m gutted. As you’ve seen from the position reports we have been on purpose backed off a bit, not attacking in any way. The mast broke without warning, in about 30 knots of wind. We are unable to sail safely on starboard tack, but we are able to make reasonable speed on port tack. We will head towards Ushuaia and assess our options for getting to Itajai.”

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) is aware of the situation and is on standby to help if necessary.

Dongfeng’s media team says it will provide more information as it becomes available.

Video: Dongfeng Racing Team

via Boating Business – Dongfeng breaks mast in VOR.

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One Design For The America’s Cup!

01 Apr 2015

Martin Whitmarsh has been trying to get away from Bernie for years…

APRIL 1, 2015: The America’s Cup is famous for many things… including high seas and shore based drama and skullduggery.

But Tuesday’s vote on the boat to be used in 2017 puts everything in the past to the status of minor footnotes.

The next America’s Cup will be sailed on AC45s… but they will be One Design and supplied by a single builder, Green Marine in the UK. Each team will purchase two boats for a total of 10m pounds.

Sails to be supplied by as yet-to-be-named sailmaker but will also be subject to strict one design rules.

The cost savings to teams are going to be huge. A full one campaign could cost as little as £25 to £30 million, including salaries and travel, said one America’s Cup source.

“This is the game changer to beat all others” said Sir Russell Coutts. “Finally the America’s Cup will be properly focused on sailing skills and not whatever titanium-molybdenum-unobtainium composite honeycomb someone comes up with at 10K per square centimetre.”

All eyes were on Luna Rossa supremo Patrizio Bertelli, who last week warned that the Prada sponsored team would leave the America’s Cup entirely if the proposed AC62 was not chosen.

“We’re in!” was Bertelli’s comments at a hastily convened press conference at the Formula 1 Group headquarters in Geneva.

In a doubly shocking day, Bertelli said: “the cost savings are so immense that I’ve decided to not only compete, and win, the 2017 America’s Cup, but Prada will also sponsor a new Italian Formula 1 team and we are in discussions with Silvio Berlusconi for a revived Mille Miglia in 2016. We hope to get Bernie [Ecclestone] out for a spin on an AC45 at Cagliari soon.”

A visibly distraught Martin Whitmarsh spoke to reporters from the BAR base in Southampton: “I left Formula 1 to get away from Ecclestone and others that have turned the pinnacle of motorsports into a billionaires’ Death Race 2000. God save this sport now…”

Readers; please bear in mind the date of this story published in Scuttlebutt Europe today…

via Boating Business – One Design For The America’s Cup!.

One of Spain’s leading sailors, Javier de la Plaza, has been called up by Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) to fill an important gap in their Volvo Ocean Race crew (full story below).

– Team Brunel sign up top Spanish sailor De la Plaza

– Telefónica partnership with Bekking is renewed

– De Ridder leaves to honour non-race commitments

ALICANTE, Spain, April 8 – One of Spain’s leading sailors, Javier de la Plaza, has been called up by Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) to fill an important gap in their Volvo Ocean Race crew.

After Frenchman Laurent Pagès was forced out through injury, Dirk de Ridder (NED) stepped in for Leg 5, which the Dutch boat completed on Sunday in fourth place behind winners, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR).

However, De Ridder has explained that he has existing commitments outside the race and cannot continue.

De la Plaza should make the perfect replacement, according to skipper Bekking.

“We knew in advance that Dirk de Ridder had other commitments and could only sail with us on one leg,” he said.

“Javier is an excellent replacement. I know him from my time with Telefónica. He’s the best genoa trimmer in Europe and an excellent helmsman.”

The Spaniard sailed for Telefónica Black in the 2008-09 edition – Bekking was skipper of Telefónica Blue – and has an enviable competitive record.

In 2000, he was world champion in the 49er – a two-man dinghy that is a favourite of Volvo Ocean Race skippers such as MAPFRE’S Iker Martínez and Team Vestas Wind’s Chris Nicholson.

In the same class, he won silver and bronze at the European Championships in 1999 and 2001.

He took fourth place in the 49er class at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. He also recorded many victories in the eight-metre J/80 keelboat culminating in gold at the 2007 and 2010 world Championships.

Last year, De la Plaza was mostly active in the Melges 32 and TP52 one-design classes.

“When I was asked to sail on Telefónica Black in 2008, it was my biggest dream come true. Apart from the America’s Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race is the pinnacle of sailing,” said De la Plaza.

“Every top sailor has to sail in the Volvo Ocean Race at least once in his lifetime. I’m specialised in trimming, but I still love to drive a boat. I’m going to try to achieve a good result with the team.”

Volvo Ocean Race latest standings (after Leg 5, lowest points wins, in-port race series separate ties): 1) Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 9 pts, 2) Dongfeng Race Team (China) 16, 3) Team Brunel (Netherlands) 18, 4) MAPFRE (Spain) 18, 5) Team Alvimedica (Turkey/U.S.) 19, 6) Team SCA (Sweden) 29, 7) Team Vestas Wind (Denmark) 36.

via Welcome aboard!| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Battered, bruised, but defiant to the last, Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) finally completed a gruelling Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race on Tuesday to a well-deserved Brazilian welcome fit for heroines (full story below).

– Brave Team SCA finally complete Leg 5 to huge welcome

– List of repairs in store for shore crew to battered boat

– Dongfeng Race Team continue delivery to Itajaí

ITAJAÍ, Brazil, April 7 – Battered, bruised, but defiant to the last, Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) finally completed a gruelling Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race on Tuesday and arrived to a well-deserved Brazilian welcome fit for heroines.

Itajaí reserved its very best weather for the arrival of the first all-women’s crew to enter the race for 12 years, a sharp contrast to the conditions the team have battled with since leaving Auckland on March 18.

At the beginning of last week, having struggled in 50 knots of wind (92 km per hour) and a confused sea state, Team SCA were one of three crews to crash on their sides during a Chinese gybe, damaging their fractional code zero, a key sail in the process.

The setback left them with no chance of keeping pace with the main racing pack led by winners, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR), which completed the 6,776-nautical mile (nm) leg on Sunday.

At one stage, they also lost their electronics overnight, effectively sailing blind in the Southern Ocean.

Then, last Sunday, they were rocked again by three collisions with unidentified objects as they raced up the Brazilian coast in the South Atlantic, the first doing considerable damage to the rudder.

Undaunted, Davies and her 11-strong crew battled on to finish the event’s toughest leg at around 1352 GMT (local time 1052) on Tuesday (see panel for elapsed times).

“We made it to dock! We made mistakes, we had things go wrong, but we fixed it all and we’ve made it here, and we’re in one piece so we’re happy,” said the British skipper.

“We proved at the beginning that we could keep up with the others, but then we broke our fractional sail, the sail that we really needed for this leg.

“So we kind of let ourselves down by losing that sail. It was really, really hard; we were frustrated. There was nothing much we could do in certain conditions without our fractional.

“The race became a bit of different challenge from then on.”

Team SCA have earned five points to take their overall tally to 29.

The shore crew, working with the race’s Boatyard team, will now have a busy few days ensuring the boat is back to optimum condition ready for the Team Vestas Wind Itajaí In-Port race on April 18 and the Leg 6 departure for Newport, Rhode Island, a day later.

Meanwhile, Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA), who were forced to retire from the leg after breaking their mast on Monday last week, are delivering their stricken boat to Itajaí under sail and motor.

They will have about four days to have their boat repaired in time for the Newport departure.

via We made it!| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Corrects 7th paragraph, to make clear Team SCA are first all-female team in 12 years to contest the race: Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) were still doggedly battling the elements on Monday to reach their destination in Itajaí, south-east Brazil, more than 12 hours after the leaders had finished Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race (full report below).

– Three ‘hits’ but Swedish boat sails doggedly on

– Dongfeng Racing Team motors on for Itajaí mast refit

– Khalid set for return to victorious Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing

ITAJAÍ, Brazil, April 6 – Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) were still doggedly battling the elements on Monday to reach their destination in Itajaí, south-east Brazil, more than 12 hours after the leaders had finished Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Rarely in the 41-year history of the race can a team have worked so hard to clinch points for fifth place.

A week after crashing to their side in a Chinese gybe and damaging a key sail, the all-women crew found themselves toppled again after colliding into an unidentified object in the south Atlantic.

That did some damage to their port rudder, yet their run of bad luck, which denied them a possible finish alongside leg winners Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR), MAPFRE (Iker Martínez/ESP), Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) and Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) on Sunday night, was not over yet.

They suffered two further ‘hits’ in the dark – mercifully, causing little damage – before continuing on their way.

By 0940 UTC on Monday, they had just over 400 nautical miles (nm) of the 6,766nm leg to sail, with an expected time of arrival in Itajaí of 1600 UTC on Tuesday.

Team SCA’s Onboard Reporter, Anna-Lena Elled (SWE), summed up one hell of a tough day at the office for the first all-female team to contest offshore sailing’s most challenging race in 12 years:

“As is so often the case, when you least expect something to happen it does and BOOM! we hit something with the port rudder,” she wrote in her daily blog from the boat.

“The boat turned around, tacked and capsized, and once again, we were on our side. The crew managed to right the situation quickly without any further damage, except on the rudder that got hit.

“A two-hour long process of surveying and attempting to restore the damaged parts followed before we could continue our journey towards the finish line again.

“A few hours later we had one more hit, this time in the keel – and before sunset another one. What are the odds?”

At least they had the consolation of knowing that they weren’t alone in their misfortune during the longest and toughest leg in the 12th edition.

Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) were forced to pull out last week after the top of their mast fractured and a delivery crew is currently nursing the boat to Itajaí where they will have a new rig fitted.

It will be a race against time to be ready for the start of Leg 6 to Newport, Rhode Island, which departs from Itajaí on April 19.

Meantime, victors Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing were celebrating Sunday’s epic Leg 5 victory, which leaves them seven points clear at the top of the standings, and front-runners for the IWC 24-hour Speed Record Challenge, having covered 551nm during the stage from Auckland to Brazil.

And there was more good news for skipper Ian Walker, with the crew’s sole Emirati, Adil Khalid (UAE), once more back to full fitness having missed the previous two legs due to illness.

“As part of my recovery plan, I stayed on Sir Bani Yas Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi, where I had a rigorous fitness regime. I did six hours in the gym every day and had a nutritionist and physical trainer on hand to monitor my progress,” said Khalid.

“It was tough, but I’m now fully cleared for action and right back up to the levels I have to be at to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race.”

via CORRECTED: ‘The Undaunted’ – Team SCA women battle on| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) buried the miserable memories of three years ago to win an epic Southern Ocean/south Atlantic crossing in Leg 5 and claim their second stage victory in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 (full story below).

– Walker celebrates epic Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing win

– Emirati boat moves seven points clear at top

– MAPFRE, Team Alvimedica and Team Brunel chase them home

– Team SCA rocked by another setback as rudder breaks

ITAJAÍ, Brazil, April 5 – Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) buried the miserable memories of three years ago to win an epic Southern Ocean/south Atlantic crossing in Leg 5 and claim their second stage victory in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15.

In 2012, Walker’s crew were forced to return to Auckland with hull damage and eventually retired from the leg to Itajaí, Brazil.

They must have feared more of the same when Cyclone Pam delayed the departure from New Zealand for three days, but despite taking the worst that the Southern Ocean and then the south Atlantic could throw at them, the Emirati team emerged triumphant after nearly 19 days of ultra-challenging, super-tight sailing.

Amazingly, skipper Ian Walker reported that they had reached Itajaí with the least amount of work for their shore crew to do of any leg so far in this edition.

To add the icing to their cake, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing set the new best mark in the chase for IWC prize for the most nautical miles (nm) sailed in 24 hours with 551nm leading up to Cape Horn.

“Awesome. It’s been such a monster of a leg, we were so, so stoked with the 24-hour record,” said a jubilant Walker, 45, straight after crossing the line in front of a waterfront packed by thousands of spectators.

“That (IWC record) was actually what got us back up with the leaders. Since then we have sailed very, very well. It’s a very tight finish.”

He credited his team’s versatility for much of their success (elapsed time for Leg 5: 18 days 23 hours 30 minutes 10 seconds).

“Seven out of eight of our guys drive, so nobody has to drive for too long. We rotate everybody and I can’t speak highly enough of everybody in our team.”

He added that he dropped the keel on two occasions in the heaviest of the weather with 50-knot winds (92.6 kilometres an hour) buffeting the fleet, losing some ground, but keeping his boat intact.

“In hindsight, that looks a pretty shrewd decision,” Walker said.

The stage victory leaves Walker’s team seven points clear at the top of the standings with five of the nine legs now completed.

That gap was opened up following the misfortune of a broken mast, which struck Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) early last Monday and led to their retirement from the leg two days later.

The Chinese boat is now being sailed, partly under motor, to Itajaí where its shore crew face a race against time to have the new mast refitted in time for the start of the next leg to Newport, Rhode Island, on April 19.

They will pick up eight points (low points wins) after failing to finish the stage and now stand on 16, still in second place, but only two ahead of MAPFRE and Team Brunel. Team Alvimedica are one further behind with Team SCA expected to finish on 29.

Walker, in his third race, is far too experienced to take anything for granted yet, however, despite becoming the first team to clinch their second stage win of the 2014-15 edition.

The leg was incredibly closely fought throughout its 6,776nm with MAPFRE (Iker Martínez/ESP), Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) and Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) chasing Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing all the way to Itajaí and finishing in that order.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing beat the Spanish team by a little over 32 minutes with less than an hour separating the leading four (see panel above).

As usual, Walker barely enjoyed a wink of sleep over the final 48 hours with his pursuers no more than 2-10nm behind him all that time.

Apart from the closeness of the racing – virtually unprecedented in the 41-year history of the race – the leg will be remembered for living up to its reputation as the most fearsome in the nine-month offshore marathon.

Along from Dongfeng’s broken mast, there were at least three cases of Chinese gybes when the boats crashed to their sides before righting, and there were numerous cases of other sail and equipment breakages.

Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) had more than their share of problems, damaging three sails and then suffering a port rudder breakage on Sunday. They are expected to finish the leg on Tuesday.

In all, the fleet will cover 38,739nm and visit 11 ports and every continent. The race concludes in Gothenburg, Sweden, on June 27.

Leg 5 finishing times

1. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing – 18 days 23 hours 30 minutes 10 seconds

2. MAFPRE – 19d 00h 02min 56s

3. Team Alvimedica – 19d 00h 24min 32s

4. Team Brunel – 19d 00h 25min 48s

via ‘A monster of a leg’ ends in glory| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.