An independent ISAF jury\u2019s decision to impose a penalty point on Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing\u2019s closest rivals for the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 title could, paradoxically, leave Ian Walker\u2019s crew with an unwanted headache for the final two legs (full story below).<\/p>\n
– Jury decision gives added headache to Walker<\/p>\n
– Who will cover whom, asks skipper Caudrelier<\/p>\n
– Follow the action all the way on our fabulous App<\/p>\n
LISBON, Portugal, June 4 \u2013 An independent ISAF jury\u2019s decision to impose a penalty point on Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing\u2019s closest rivals for the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 title could, paradoxically, leave Ian Walker\u2019s crew with an unwanted headache for the final two legs.<\/p>\n
The Emirati boat\u2019s skipper had previously conceded that his tactics for the closing legs, having opened up a formidable six-point advantage, would be to \u2018cover\u2019 Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier\/FRA).<\/p>\n
That strategy worked \u2013 just \u2013 in Leg 7 after the Chinese slipped back in the final 100 or so nautical miles (nm), allowing both MAPFRE (Iker Mart\u00ednez\/ESP) and Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright\/USA) to relegate them to fourth, ahead of Walker\u2019s fifth place.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately for Caudrelier and his team, they had committed an \u2018honest mistake\u2019 earlier in the 2,800nm stage by sailing briefly the wrong way into a Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) and were duly penalised a point for the error on Wednesday by the jury.<\/p>\n
MAPFRE and Team SCA (Sam Davies\/GBR) were similarly dealt with in the hearing and to add salt to the Swedish all-women crew\u2019s wounds, they lost an additional point for also drifting into an exclusion zone in the same leg.<\/p>\n
In both Dongfeng Race Team and MAPFRE\u2019s cases, the navigational blips cost them a place in the overall standings with just Legs 8 and 9 to Lorient (France) and Gothenburg (Sweden) to negotiate.<\/p>\n
Caudrelier now finds himself behind Leg 7 winners Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking\/NED) in third position, although both lie on 22 points. The Dutch boat has the edge, courtesy of a better in-port race series record before the race closes on June 27.<\/p>\n
Similarly, MAPFRE find themselves now trailing fourth-placed Team Alvimedica for the same reason, although both have 27 points.<\/p>\n
Anyone thinking that Walker and co will consequently sleep that much better on the eve of Sunday\u2019s (June 7) Leg 8 departure, may have pause for thought, however.<\/p>\n
The Briton will no longer have just one boat to \u2018cover\u2019.<\/p>\n
He needs to keep a very close eye on both Team Brunel and Dongfeng Race Team and with Team Vestas Wind (Chris Nicholson\/AUS) now back in a restored seven-strong fleet, there are several permutations that could yet see Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing miss out on the grand prize.<\/p>\n
Walker sees things pretty simply: “We’ve got to finish in the top three or top four – twice – or just beat them (Team Brunel and Dongfeng Race Team),” he said.<\/p>\n
Certainly, Caudrelier was quick to see the silver lining in Wednesday\u2019s jury decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to look forward, what\u2019s done is done,\u201d he said. \u201cWe won Leg 6, and we led for a good part of this last one – that gives us a lot of confidence in our performance despite the final points of this last leg not being as we would prefer.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything can still happen to Abu Dhabi on these next two legs, so we haven\u2019t lost sight of the chance of beating them.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, now Team Brunel are also in the picture, which perhaps makes it just as complicated for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing as it does for us. Who will cover whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s absorbing finale, part one, will be prefaced on Saturday (1400 local time\/1300 UTC) by the Lisbon in-port race, the eighth act of a 10-part series that could yet still split teams in Gothenburg as the final tie-breaker (see Scoreboard above).<\/p>\n
The seven teams then set out for the \u2018mere\u2019 647nm which divide Lisbon and Lorient in Brittany, France. The trip should take just three or, tops, four days to sail, but the Atlantic sprint promises to be totally absorbing.<\/p>\n
Wednesday\u2019s jury verdict has not changed that one iota, and as\u00a0Team Brunel’s highly experienced navigator, Andrew Cape (AUS), summed up: “One mistake, one broken jib sheet, and you could be last.”<\/p>\n
via The plot thickens| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An independent ISAF jury\u2019s decision to impose a penalty point on Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing\u2019s closest rivals for the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 title could, paradoxically, leave Ian Walker\u2019s crew with an unwanted headache for the final two legs (full … Continue reading