Volvo Ocean Race organisers have launched a 24-hour watch system on their fleet but latest predictions on Sunday indicated that Cyclone Pam was likely to miss Auckland after wreaking havoc in the South Pacific (full story below).- Race organisers keep 24-hour watch system on fleet- Dilemma over when fleet can set sail for Itajaí- Check out our latest video news releases hereAUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 15 – Volvo Ocean Race organisers have launched a 24-hour watch system on their fleet but latest predictions on Sunday indicated that Cyclone Pam was likely to miss Auckland after wreaking havoc in the South Pacific.The race’s official meteorologist, Gonzalo Infante, said on Sunday (1030 UTC) that a change of course by the deadly weather system would keep the eye of the storm around 200 nautical miles from the New Zealand port where the six boats are currently moored.Organisers had already been forced to postpone the start of Leg 5 to Itajaí from Sunday (0100 UTC) to no earlier than midnight on Monday (2400 UTC)/Tuesday midday local time because of Cyclone Pam, which struck the island of Vanuatu with devastating effect at the end of last week.Latest aid agency reports indicate that at least eight people have been killed in Vanuatu with some 90 per cent of houses in the capital Port Vila destroyed or damaged.Other islands were also affected by the 270 kilometres per hour (kph) cyclone, which is reckoned to be one of the worst ever to hit the region.Race management have a round-the-clock watch system on Auckland’s viaduct to monitor the weather and its effect on the boats.“We now don’t expect the impact in Auckland to be as high as first feared,” said Infante. “Readings around 20 miles north of Auckland have been about 50 knots (92.6 kph) and the impact predictions in Auckland have been downgraded.“We now expect the worst of the conditions around late Sunday CET time, with wind speeds in the Race Village within the range 30-35 knots (56-65 kph) and not as heavy rain as previously expected. A small change in the track of the cyclone looks like it has prevented a much bigger problem for us.”Infante said the main issue now for the re-start was the sea state which is likely to greet the fleet once it ventures out in to the South Pacific and then Southern Ocean.“Once the boats go past the most eastern point of New Zealand the systems look like they’ll be pretty rough. We have to make sure the fleet has options to escape if the sea state is really bad.”Skippers on the six boats – Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Dongfeng Race Team (China), Team Brunel (Netherlands), Team Alvimedica (Turkey/U.S.), MAPFRE (Spain) and Team SCA (Sweden) – will meet on Monday evening local time in New Zealand to discuss with race management if it is safe enough to sail from Auckland the following day.“For sure, it’s the right decision to delay the fleet,” Ian Walker, skipper of race leaders Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, told reporters on Sunday.“Nobody wants to send us out there to break boats, damage sails or, worse still, injure people.”“The situation is different to what we’ve ever had before in the 41-year history of this race,” said Team Brunel’s Australian navigator, Andrew Cape.“With a cyclone in the race course at departure time, you can’t send boats into it, it’s just ridiculous. It’s like driving on a greasy road – there are just some things you don’t do.”

via Latest: Worst of Cyclone Pam ‘will miss Auckland’| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Team SCA became the only crew in the Volvo Ocean Race to claim two in-port victories on Saturday after a thrilling start-to-finish win in Auckland (full story below).- All women’s crew dominate in ‘City of Sails’ – Runners-up Team Brunel move joint top in standingsAUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 14 – Team SCA became the only crew in the Volvo Ocean Race to claim two in-port victories on Saturday after a thrilling start-to-finish win in Auckland – “by keeping it simple”.It was a fight all the way, however, in surely the most exciting in-port race in the 2014-15 edition with Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) narrowly beaten to the line by Sam Davies’ (GBR) all-women crew.Afterwards, the women’s boat’s navigator Libby Greenhalgh (GBR) summed up their success in the New Zealand Herald In-Port Race: “We won it because we kept it simple, kept our manoeuvres to a minimum and that’s what paid out for us.”Team Brunel skipper Bekking, however, had the consolation of moving joint top of the In-Port Race standings on 14 points with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) who lost out in their own enthralling tussle with Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) for fifth place.The Turkish/American boat ran down ‘Azzam’ with barely metres to spare at the finish line, cheered on by fans in an absolutely packed Auckland harbour.The Emirati boat retains the edge, however, thanks to the best individual results overall in the series (see panel above).Just as in their previous in-port success in Abu Dhabi in early January, Davies and her crew have shown in the short races they are more than a match for their male rivals and this success will be another confidence-booster ahead of the weather-delayed Leg 5 from Auckland to Itajaí.“We’re really happy, the City of Sails made a fantastic arena for us to race in today,” said a jubilant Davies.“It was really, really hard. We learned that in the practice races beforehand, we made all the mistakes then and today was just brilliant.“We had a really good teamwork, a great start, good tactics, everything worked perfectly onboard Team SCA today.“I’m really happy because it’s going to boost our team’s morale for the next two days while we wait for (Cyclone) Pam to leave us some space to go out in the Southern Ocean.”Greenhalgh added: “We’re stoked. It wasn’t really secure until the last little bit when we’d gone around the bottom mark.”MAPFRE, who had led the chase to catch Team SCA after another runaway start, enjoyed the consolation of a third place podium finish on the return of skipper Iker Martínez (ESP) after he missed the last two legs to concentrate on Olympic training for Rio 2016.The race, mercifully raced in variable but perfect conditions before Cyclone Pam hits the region, leaves the in-port race series perfectly poised with Team SCA just two points behind the leading pair.They in turn head Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) by two points following a fourth place finish in Auckland for the Chinese boat.The leg departure for the treacherous Southern Ocean/Cape Horn leg to Brazil has been delayed until midday local time on Tuesday at the earliest because of the Category 5 Cyclone Pam, which has been blowing winds of around 250 kilometres an hour.Race management will make a decision in the next 24 hours to confirm that the fleet is safe to sail at that time having postponed the departure from Sunday at 1400 local time (0100 GMT).

via Team SCA ‘keep it simple’ for a glorious double| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Volvo Ocean Race’s six-strong fleet will be more than simply racing on Leg 5 from Auckland to Itajaí after setting off next week – they will be assisting in an important environmental project to provide vital data from the Southern Ocean (see full story below).

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 12 – Volvo Ocean Race’s six-strong fleet will be more than simply racing on Leg 5 from Auckland to Itajaí after setting off next week – they will be assisting in an important environmental project to provide vital data from the Southern Ocean.

If you’ve ever sailed aboard a ship, or checked a weather report before going to the beach, then you are one of many millions of people who benefit from ocean observations.

The U.S.-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) collects ocean and weather data to provide mariners with accurate forecasts of seas, as well as coastal forecasts and regional climate predictions.

It takes a lot of effort to maintain these observations in all of the ocean basins to support these forecasts, and NOAA can’t do it alone.

Partnerships are critical to maintaining a network of free-floating buoys, known as drifters, and NOAA have asked the Volvo Ocean Race fleet to assist them on the forthcoming leg.

The race greatly depends on accurate predictions of ocean currents and marine weather. Their sailors’ lives can depend on it.

The fifth leg of the race will depart Auckland and travel through the treacherous waters of the Southern Ocean before rounding Cape Horn and ending in Itajaí after a 6,776-nautical mile journey.

All six of the Volvo Ocean Race teams will each deploy a drifter during the fifth leg of the race, in the Southern Ocean – a region oceanographers don’t get to visit regularly, but one that is critically important to observe.

“The Southern Ocean is poorly sampled compared to other ocean basins because it is so remote from most shipping lanes where observations are collected,” said Dr. Rick Lumpkin, Director of NOAA’s Global Drifter Programme.

“However, it plays a critical climate role in the global conveyor belt circulation and links the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, so it is extremely important to observe currents and temperatures there.”

The operations centre of the Global Drifter Programme, housed at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, continuously seeks opportunities for deployments in remote.

Martin Kramp serves as the ship coordinator at JCOMMOPS, a support centre of the Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology of World Meteorological Organization, and UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

JCOMMOPS monitors observing networks and helps exploit synergies in the Global Ocean Observing System, such as deployment opportunities across different programmes. Kramp helped coordinate this unique opportunity and partnership.

“Organised ocean sailing events, such as races and rallies, are a new component of growing importance in volunteer ocean observation,” explained Kramp.

“We have shown the feasibility and efficiency of such partnerships in the last months and we are very happy that the Volvo Ocean Race is collaborating with us as a part of the current race.”

Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, said: “The oceans are our race tracks and we are delighted we can assist with the building of knowledge about them in this way.

“I look forward to following the data from the drifters that our fleet drops as they race through the Southern Ocean, passing some of the most remote locations on the planet.”

Anyone can access the drifter data at http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/phod/dac.

Each of the six racing teams will deploy their drifter at the same predetermined coordinates.

As soon as they are in the water, they will drift with ocean surface currents and transmit data on surface pressure and ocean currents through a global satellite network.

via Leg 5 fleet assists with vital work growing ocean knowledge| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Cyclone Pam caused another postponement for the Leg 5 departure of the Volvo Ocean Race as organisers announced on Friday that the fleet would not now leave Auckland for Itajaí, Brazil, until Tuesday at the earliest (full story below).

– Race to Itajaí delayed to Tuesday at earliest

– All skippers supported decision to wait

– Organisers still line up packed race weekend

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 13 – Cyclone Pam caused another postponement for the Leg 5 departure of the Volvo Ocean Race as organisers announced on Friday that the fleet would not now leave Auckland for Itajaí, Brazil, until Tuesday at the earliest.

The cyclone has already racked up winds of 200km/hr causing a delay in the departure in the six-strong fleet which was originally due to embark on the 6,776-nautical mile (nm) journey on Sunday (March 15).

It was on a collision course with the fleet shortly after they were due to leave the New Zealand city.

Race CEO Knut Frostad told a press conference in Auckland on Friday that there was no choice but to hold up the start of a leg, which was already likely to be the toughest in the nine-month, 38,739nm marathon event.

He had previously announced on Thursday that it would not leave until Monday at the earliest.

“This weather is very rare for the race, and for New Zealand. We will not start the leg until Tuesday and will probably look at an afternoon start or in the evening. That’s our current plan,” he said before adding that organisers would give a final decision by 1800 local time on Sunday.

The fleet’s skippers in the press conference backed the decision to keep the fleet in port for at least an extra two days.

“It’s obvious,” said Team Brunel’s Dutch skipper, Bouwe Bekking. “All the skippers in our meeting said straight away, ‘you’ve got to delay it’. A very good decision.”

The race emphasised that the New Zealand Herald In-Port Race was still scheduled to go ahead on Saturday (March 14) at 1400 and they hoped that a sizeable audience of Auckland’s sailing-loving residents would attend.

The In-Port series is a tie-breaker for the overall trophy and is currently splitting first and second Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) and Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA), and fourth and fifth (Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) and MAPFRE (Iker Martínez/ESP). See panel above.

via Cyclone Pam forces another delay to Leg 5 start| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Additionally, they plan a similar length, in-port race for charity on Sunday at 1400 local time, when the winners will be awarded NZ$10,000 by the event, which they can donate to a cause of their choice.

Frostad emphasised that with Cyclone Pam bearing down on Auckland, that event was subject to cancellation, but was an attempt to give the city’s sailing fans and sponsors an extra dose of action. A final decision will be made no later than 1800 on Saturday.

“It’s on the borderline of what we think is safe and prudent to do but we’ll continue to monitor the situation.”

The skippers, meanwhile, are relishing finally taking on the most challenging stage of the race, which will take them through the Southern Ocean, past Cape Horn and then the Atlantic to Itajaí in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.

“It’s the best sailing we can get – the waves, the nature. They will be moments when you hate to your guts being out there but it’s the highlight for most of the sailors in the race,” said Bekking.

Enright of Team Alvimedica added: “The race itself is a personal proving ground and this is what the Southern Ocean represents.”

Ian Walker’s Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing crew could be forgiven for feeling more trepidation than most after finding themselves one of several boats in the leg in the last edition in 2011-12 to enquire about emergency assistance.

“We got a message back saying that the nearest ship was 1,000 miles away. That kind of focuses the mind. If you run into trouble in the Southern Ocean, the chances are that help would come from one of the other boats in the race,” he said.

He is one of several skippers who have been forced into changes for the leg. The race’s only Emirati sailor, Adil Khalid, has been advised by race doctors that he is not fit to sail with the overall race leaders after suffering from a virus.

Antiguan newcomer, Louis Sinclair, 24, will take his place.

Bekking has lost his experienced bowman Laurent Pagès (FRA) for the leg after he tripped over some steps and broke two ribs on a trip home. “He wasn’t going to tell us but he could hardly walk,” said the Team Brunel skipper.

Team Alvimedica are using one of their experienced pre-race mentors, Stu Bannatyne (NZ), who has six Volvo Ocean Races under his belt, while Dongfeng Race Team’s Caudrelier has called upon the services of Irishman Damian Foxall.

The latter pair helped Groupama win the last edition in 2011-12.

Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR), meanwhile, are able to recall their talented bowman/driver Sophie Ciszek (AUS) who returns after missing the last two legs following a Christmas Day operation on a back injury.

MAPFRE may well be the team to beat. They won the last leg from Sanya, China to Auckland, without their usual skipper Martínez who has been preparing his bid for a second Olympic gold in Rio next year.

Their stand-in, Xabi Fernández, delivered a fourth place and a win in his absence, but Martínez assured the press conference that he was fully focused and raring to go on his return.

“I was still working very hard for the boat even when I wasn’t sailing,” he said. Missing the two legs had, he said, given him a useful perspective for reviewing his crewmates’ performance from afar.

Davies said her all-female crew had a particular incentive for reaching Itajaí in one piece and as quickly as possible.

“Several of the crew are looking for husbands and feel that Brazil is a good opportunity for them,” she smiled. “We’ll be going as fast as we can.”

To keep updated on the latest announcements regarding this weekend, click here.

via Cyclone Pam forces another delay to Leg 5 start| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Auckland, NZL (March 12, 2015) – Southern Spars announces the joining of Composite Rigging and Future Fibres under the Future Fibres name.

Southern Spars, a member of the North Technology Group and owner of Composite Rigging, acquired Future Fibres in November 2014. The focus for the first 100 days has been on evaluating the two industry leading companies to position products and capabilities that best support their customers and ongoing strategic objectives.

Southern Spars’ owned Composite Rigging LLC, based in Rhode Island, USA, is the market leader in carbon fiber rigging in large part due to its innovative, ultra-reliable ECsix multi-strand continuous carbon fiber rigging product.

Valencia based Future Fibres, founded by entrepreneur Tom Hutchinson was the early innovator of the use of non-carbon advanced fibers for yacht rigging and has a wide product range based on this technology.

“We have been planning to change the Composite Rigging company name for some time,” said Scott Vogel, President of Composite Rigging. “The acquisition of Future Fibres not only brings complimentary technologies and resources, but an iconic company name as well. Our flagship carbon rigging offering will continue to be called ECsix, but our overall rigging company will in future carry the Future Fibres company name instead of Composite Rigging. This Future Fibres name clearly reflects our ongoing ambitions for our rigging company into the future.”

The new combined Future Fibres company will operate from existing locations in Rhode Island, Valencia and Sri Lanka. Providing the marine industry with uninterrupted access to the front end people and services they have grown accustomed to.

Details: www.futurefibres.com

Contacts:

Jim Lotz, Sales Manager, Future Fibres

Europe

Mobile: +34 607 828 391

Email: [email protected]

Tony Reaper, Sales Manager, Future Fibres

North America

Mobile: +1 401 865 0459

Email: [email protected]

Tags: Composite Rigging, Future Fibres, Industry, Southern Spars

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via Composite Rigging + Future Fibres = Future Fibres >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News.

– Tropical cyclone Pam racks up winds of 200km/hr and could strengthen further as it heads south.

– The earliest that the fleet will depart Auckland is Monday March 16 at 1400 local NZ time.

– The New Zealand Herald In-Port Race Auckland will still take place as planned on Saturday March 14 at 1400 local NZ time.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 12 – This weekend’s Volvo Ocean Race Leg 5 start, from Auckland, New Zealand to Itajaí, Brazil, has been delayed due to the development of a potential supercyclone.

The six-strong fleet was originally set to depart for the 6,776 nautical-mile voyage through the treacherous waters of the Southern Ocean on Sunday March 15.

But with forecasts suggesting that a grade five tropical cyclone could hit the area hard, Race organisers have taken the prudent step of delaying their exit by at least 24 hours.

As a result, the earliest possible restart would take place on Monday March 16 at 1400 local NZ time, although this is yet to be confirmed.

“Safety first,” said Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad today. “We’re making this decision now because we don’t know the exact track of this tropical cyclone yet.

“It’s unusually big and essentially it’s blocking the road for our sailors, so it’s prudent seamanship from our side to leave them with options.”

The current forecasts suggest that the tropical cyclone, which has already racked up winds of 200km/hr and has been named ‘Pam’ by experts, could strengthen further as it heads south.

And even if the system misses New Zealand, big swells and rough seas could still cause real problems for the fleet.

“Our biggest concern is the sea state, rather than the wind,” continued Frostad. “The boats can handle a lot of wind, but there will be very big waves along the New Zealand coast, with nowhere to hide.

“We are not going to have the boats leaving Auckland before 1400 local time on Monday, but it could also be later. It depends completely on the movement of this tropical cyclone.”

The New Zealand Herald In-Port Race Auckland, which begins at 1400 local time on Saturday 14 March, will still go ahead as planned.

Current forecasts predict perfect sailing conditions of 20kts of easterly breeze and warm sunshine to ensure that Saturday’s sprint around the bay will be a spectacular event.

Grant Calder, General Manager of the Auckland stopover, said: ”Saturday promises to be a great day out, both on the water and in Auckland’s viaduct.

“The boats will be racing, and the Race Village will continue to offer a wide-range of free activities for everyone who wants to enjoy the last weekend of the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race Auckland stopover.

“We have some fantastic live entertainment lined up, including the Black Seeds on Saturday evening.”

Despite the delay, a full departure ceremony including a mayoral handover and sailor’s parade will go ahead as planned on Sunday.

Race organisers are tracking the cyclone’s development and a revised event schedule for Sunday, including confirmation of whether any sailing will take place, will be issued as the situation develops.

The official skippers press conference will be held tomorrow Friday March 13, with the six team skippers in Auckland’s ANZ Viaduct Events Centre.

There will be an opportunity to enquire on the revised Leg 5 start plans tomorrow at 15:00 in the ANZ Viaduct Events Centre during the media session with Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad.

For more information and RSVP details for the Auckland media day, click here.

via Leg 5 departures postponement: more details| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Commodore James Gubelmann, 12 Metre Yacht Club, Newport Station

The heyday of 12 Metre racing in the U.S. ended in 1983 when we lost the America’s Cup to Australia in Newport. The “second coming” for the fleet took place in 2001 when the Queen of England attended the Jubilee Regatta at Cowes, U.K. There were 39 12 Metre yachts at the starting line for that week’s long celebrations of America’s Cup boats, beginning with the original (1851) racecourse around the Isle of Wight. In recent years, our fleet of “twelves” has dropped from the 17 yachts assembled for the Jubilee celebration, to a present-day fleet of 10 boats.

The mission of the 12 Metre Yacht Club, Newport Station is: “To provide and facilitate discussion and a social environment for 12 Metre owners and others interested in the history of the 12 Metre Class and to encourage continued involvement in preserving, restoring and racing 12 Metre yachts in the Newport area” – which means that our board is dedicated to supporting the North American Fleet headed by Herb Marshall, with events on and off the water and exposure for the class in general.

We are currently organizing – with the International Twelve Metre Class Association headed by Commodore Dyer Jones – the next World Championships to be held in the U.S. in 2019. We plan to renovate and restore numerous “twelves” in our own Narragansett Bay Fleet, bringing them up to par to race against the very proactive Northern European Fleet headed by Patrick Howaldt out of Copenhagen, and the slick Southern European Fleet headed by Luigi Lang in Milan. This will be a spectacular event with 12 boats from America, eight boats from the Baltic, and six boats from the Mediterranean.

Our modern rules allow each boat to carry 14 crew on board, with the typical size of these boats ranging from 62 feet to 70 feet. This will be a spectacular series of regattas, as we are planning to invite the 12 Metres from around the world to put aside two and a half months in May, June, and July with races planned in four or five venues in New England, preceded by an inaugural regatta in the Caribbean!

Of interest in 2014 was the 12 Metre U.S. Nationals in Newport (RI), where we had a dinner for 100 crew at the Clarke Cooke House, our “12 Metre Yacht Club.” From the original crews who raced for the America’s Cup in 1964 and 1974, over 55 people attended an additional event held at the New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court. Believe you me, the 12 Metre class is coming back strong, and the heroes of yesteryear are back to support our mission! May the force (winds and tides) be with us.

Tags: 12 Metre

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via Twelves are coming back >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News.

New Zealander Stu Bannatyne, one of the Volvo Ocean Race’s most experienced and toughest competitors, is joining Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) for Leg 5, the most demanding stage of the event (full story below).

– Kiwi Stu returns to boost Team Alvimedica

– Southern Ocean know-how will assist young crew

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 9 – New Zealander Stu Bannatyne, one of the Volvo Ocean Race’s most experienced and toughest competitors, is joining Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) for Leg 5, the toughest stage of the event.

Bannatyne is the ideal addition to the young crew for the treacherous Southern Ocean leg, with six races under his belt including three victories.

He takes over from bowman/trimmer Seb Marsset (FRA), who will help out with the shore crew for the leg and is scheduled to  return for the following stage to Newport, Rhode Island.

Team Alvimedica have already made an impressive start to their debut Volvo Ocean Race campaign, earning a podium place with third in Leg 3 and fourth in the next stage from Sanya to Auckland.

However, skipper Enright appreciates that they will need all the know-how they can muster for the 6,776-nautical mile journey from New Zealand to Itajaí, southern Brazil, starting on Sunday, March 15.

It will take them through the Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn. Memories are still fresh from the last edition in 2011-12 when the fleet was ravaged by breakages with mountainous 15-metre waves causing havoc on the boats.

“Stu brings incredible experience to us for the tough Southern Ocean leg ahead,” said Enright.

“The leg that we are about to embark on is like nothing we have seen in this race so far.

“With most of our crew never having sailed in the Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn, we will benefit from Stu’s knowledge and driving skills on this challenging leg.”

Enright added: “Stu sailed a trans-Atlantic training leg with us last summer and provided some invaluable insights and has continued to be a sounding board for us since the race started.”

Bannatyne, 43, is relishing the challenge of another Southern Ocean crossing. “The next leg with its huge waves and sustained winds of sometimes over 40 knots is the most demanding of the race.

“Knowing when to throttle back may be as important as pushing the limits. I hope I can help Charlie and the guys in their first Southern Ocean passage.”

The leg, the fifth of nine, begins at 1400 NZ time/0200 CET on Sunday. In all, the boats will cover 38,739nm, visiting 11 ports and every continent before the conclusion of the race in Gothenburg, Sweden on June 27.

Team Alvimedica race crew for Leg 5: Stu Bannatyne, 43, (NZL); Alberto Bolzan, 32, (ITA); Nick Dana, 28, (USA); Charlie Enright, 30, (USA); Ryan Houston, 32, (NZL); Will Oxley, 49, (AUS); Dave Swete, 30, (NZL); Mark Towill, 26, (USA); and Onboard Reporter Amory Ross, 30, (USA).

via Bannatyne’s back in business| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

An independent report into the grounding of Team Vestas Wind on Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race was released today. It included a set of recommendations aimed at improving safety at sea for the entire offshore racing community (full story below).

– Independent panel calls for improved navigational systems

– Guidelines to be circulated among race crews

– Read the full report here

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 9 – An independent report into the grounding of Team Vestas Wind on Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race was released today. It included a set of recommendations aimed at improving safety at sea for the entire offshore racing community.

In particular, it has suggested improving navigational charts and other on board software to avoid similar incidents in the future.

The Danish boat, Vestas Wind (Chris Nicholson/AUS), was stranded on a reef at Cargados Carajos Shoals in the middle of the Indian Ocean during the stage from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi on November 29. The crew were forced to abandon the boat.

The badly damaged Vestas Wind has since been retrieved from the reef and is being rebuilt in the Persico boatyard in Bergamo, Italy, with a view to returning to the race for the last two stages starting from Lisbon, Portugal in June.

The independent report into the incident, commissioned by the Race in December, was conducted by acknowledged experts in the field – Rear Admiral (Rtd) Chris Oxenbould (chair), Stan Honey and Chuck Hawley (see below).

The panel reported that the facts of the grounding had already been well publicised and that its findings regarding what happened are based on interviews with the crew, race management, other relevant parties and recorded data were not contentious.

“The team was unaware of any navigational danger in its vicinity, incorrectly assessed the minimum charted depth at Cargados Carajos Shoals to be 40 metres and understood that it was safe to sail across the shoals,” summed up the panel.

The panel has not apportioned blame, but made the following conclusions:

i. There were deficiencies in the use of electronic charts and other navigational data onboard Vestas Wind.

ii. There were also deficiencies in the cartography presenting the navigational dangers on the small and medium scales of the chart system in use.

iii. The emergency management worked well and there were no administrative or race management issues that contributed to the incident.

Its main recommendations are:

i. That a provided set of guidelines for the use of electronic charts be endorsed and adopted in the race and subject to further review and refinement.

ii That the providers of the chart system used and the manufacturers of one of the on board navigation software systems be advised of the perceived deficiencies.

iii. The panel suggests that Volvo Ocean Race uses its leverage and influence in the yachting industry to encourage the development of an improved navigation system, including charts and software.

It also made five minor recommendations (page 63, paragraph 262) relating to the conduct of the race.

Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad said all recommendations would be considered by the event.

He added: “Our plan is to circulate the guidelines to the skippers and navigators (as recommended by the report) here in Auckland, and also include them in future Notices of Race.

“It is our intention that the report serves as a useful document for the entire offshore racing community in the future. Accidents will always happen at sea – we hope this helps make them less likely.”

The fleet sets out from Auckland for the fifth leg of nine on Sunday, March 15. It is the longest and most challenging stage of the nine-month race, which takes the fleet through the Southern Ocean to the next destination of Itajaí in Brazil.

The 38,739-nautical mile race will conclude on June 27, in Gothenburg, Sweden, after visiting 11 ports in total and every continent.

* * * * * *

• Rear Admiral Chris Oxenbould is a former deputy chief of the Australian Navy and an experienced ocean-racing yachtsman with a particular expertise in navigation. He is also the chairman of the Yachting Australia National Safety Committee.

• Ocean navigational expert, Stan Honey, who won the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 as navigator onboard ABN AMRO ONE, and Chuck Hawley, who serves as the chairman of the U.S. Sailing Safety at Sea Committee, assisted Rear Admiral Oxenbould on the report.

* Find out how to attend Rear Admiral Chris Oxenbould’s presentation at the High Performance Yacht Design (HPYD) or attend the media conference call here.

via Vestas Wind grounding report – Why? And what next?| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.