– Tropical cyclone Pam racks up winds of 200km\/hr and could strengthen further as it heads south.<\/p>\n
– The earliest that the fleet will depart Auckland is Monday March 16 at 1400 local NZ time.<\/p>\n
– The New Zealand Herald In-Port Race Auckland will still take place as planned on Saturday March 14 at 1400 local NZ time.<\/p>\n
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 12 \u2013 This weekend\u2019s Volvo Ocean Race Leg 5 start, from Auckland, New Zealand to Itaja\u00ed, Brazil, has been delayed due to the development of a potential supercyclone.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cSafety first,\u201d said Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad today. \u201cWe\u2019re making this decision now because we don\u2019t know the exact track of this tropical cyclone yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s unusually big and essentially it\u2019s blocking the road for our sailors, so it\u2019s prudent seamanship from our side to leave them with options.\u201d<\/p>\n
The current forecasts suggest that the tropical cyclone, which has already racked up winds of 200km\/hr and has been named \u2018Pam\u2019 by experts, could strengthen further as it heads south.<\/p>\n
And even if the system misses New Zealand, big swells and rough seas could still cause real problems for the fleet.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur biggest concern is the sea state, rather than the wind,\u201d continued Frostad. \u201cThe boats can handle a lot of wind, but there will be very big waves along the New Zealand coast, with nowhere to hide.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The New Zealand Herald In-Port Race Auckland, which begins at 1400 local time on Saturday 14 March, will still go ahead as planned.<\/p>\n
Current forecasts predict perfect sailing conditions of 20kts of easterly breeze and warm sunshine to ensure that Saturday\u2019s sprint around the bay will be a spectacular event.<\/p>\n
Grant Calder, General Manager of the Auckland stopover, said: \u201dSaturday promises to be a great day out, both on the water and in Auckland\u2019s viaduct.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have some fantastic live entertainment lined up, including the Black Seeds on Saturday evening.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the delay, a full departure ceremony including a mayoral handover and sailor\u2019s parade will go ahead as planned on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Race organisers are tracking the cyclone\u2019s development and a revised event schedule for Sunday, including confirmation of whether any sailing will take place, will be issued as the situation develops.<\/p>\n
The official skippers press conference will be held tomorrow Friday March 13, with the six team skippers in Auckland’s ANZ Viaduct Events Centre.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
For more information and RSVP details for the Auckland media day, click here.<\/p>\n
via Leg 5 departures postponement: more details| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" – 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 … Continue reading