Challenging conditions as VOR reaches Cape Town<\/p>\n
BY ADMIN \u2022 DECEMBER 27, 2017 \u2022 NEWS, OLDER, RACING \u2022 COMMENTS OFF \u2022 115<\/p>\n
Team Brunel powering downwind on Day one of Leg 2. Photo: Ainhoa Sanchez\/Volvo Ocean Race<\/p>\n
The latest edition of the Volvo Ocean Race has proved to be potentially the most controversial in its 44-year history. Only a few weeks before the race started, the recently appointed CEO, Mark Turner, quit his role. He\u2019s a towering figure in the industry who commands huge respect and whose accomplishments include helping establish Ellen MacArthur onto the world stage and setting up the Extreme Sailing Series from scratch.<\/p>\n
Then the day before the first in port race Simeon Tienpont, skipper of AzkoNobel, the longest established and best funded team in this edition, quit his job over a contracts dispute, taking half the crew with him. The story then took another unexpected twist, when a court in the Netherlands took Tienpont\u2019s side, ordering his reinstatement, which precipitated a further shuffle of crew names before the start of the first leg proper.<\/p>\n
Sunset on board Dongfeng on the fourth day of Leg 2, from Lisbon to Cape Town. Photo by Jeremie Lecaudey\/Volvo Ocean Race<\/p>\n
While the one design boats have again proved very closely matched, this hasn\u2019t stopped a lot of nail biting place changing, especially in the second leg from Lisbon to Cape Town. After two weeks at sea \u2013 and with some 5,000 miles covered \u2013 the fleet was separated by only 74 miles in terms of the distance to the finish. However, this figure didn\u2019t convey the difference in strategy between the teams, with some favouring a shorter course to the east and others a longer route to the west and the south. Which would play out the best?<\/p>\n
Before we knew the answer to that Richard Brisius and Johan Sal\u00e9n were appointed as President and co-President, to replace Turner. Both have a long history in the yacht racing world, having founded Atlant Ocean Racing together and worked with seven Volvo Ocean Race campaigns over the past 28 years, having started as sailors in the 1989-90 race.<\/p>\n
Richard Brisius and Johan Sal\u00e9n are the new President and co-President of the Volvo Ocean Race. Credit: Ainhoa Sanchez\/Volvo Ocean Race<\/p>\n
Despite big differences in the experience levels on each boat, and the teams\u2019 levels of financial backing, more than half the fleet has topped the leaderboard at some point during the leg.<\/p>\n
As the boats approached Cape Town after a 7,000-mile sail, they did so on the back of the South Atlantic trades with wind speeds up to 30 knots in icy temperatures, huge seas and freezing water. After a tight battle with\u00a0Vestas 11th Hour Racing,\u00a0Dongfeng Race Team\u00a0and\u00a0Team Brunel,\u00a0MAPFRE\u00a0arrived in Cape Town in first place after 19 days at sea.<\/p>\n
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via Challenging conditions as VOR reaches Cape Town | Yachting News Update | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Challenging conditions as VOR reaches Cape Town BY ADMIN \u2022 DECEMBER 27, 2017 \u2022 NEWS, OLDER, RACING \u2022 COMMENTS OFF \u2022 115 Team Brunel powering downwind on Day one of Leg 2. Photo: Ainhoa Sanchez\/Volvo Ocean Race The latest edition … Continue reading