SAILING. VOR2012, Leg One Day 22 – After putting in a faultless performance on Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race, which started from Alicante, Spain on November 5, Team Telefónica crossed the finish in Cape Town at 1814 UTC (2014 local time) on Saturday after 6,500 nautical miles and 21 days five hours, 14 minutes and 25 seconds (21:5:14:25).

Team Telefonica, skippered by Iker Martinez from Spain finishes first on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa at 18:14:25 UTC. (Photo Credit: IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race)

Telefónica skipper Iker Martínez and his crew stepped ashore to a summer’s evening in Cape Town and a rapturous welcome from a crowd of sailing fans, shore crew and loved ones.

Team Telefonica, skippered by Iker Martinez from Spain finishes first on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa at 18:14:25 UTC. (Photo Credit: PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race)

“The feeling is fantastic. It's something that you only dream of. We've seen what can happen and we have achieved much more than we thought we could," said Martínez, an Olympic gold and silver medallist for Spain.

Team Telefonica, skippered by Iker Martinez from Spain finishes first on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa at 18:14:25 UTC. (Photo Credit: IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race)

The team now lead the Volvo Ocean Race with a total of 31 points -- 30 for victory in the first offshore leg and one point for coming last in the Iberdrola In-Port Race back in Alicante.  CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand were around 200 nm behind the winners, with an ETA of Sunday morning. Groupama sailing team were around 825 nm behind and expected in on Tuesday.

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Team Sanya and PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG were all forced to retire from the leg and are facing a race against time to be ready for the Cape Town In-Port Race on December 10 and the start of Leg 2 to Abu Dhabi the following day.

Telefónica navigator, Andrew Cape/AUS said of the team’s success, “It’s hard to put your finger on one thing, but it comes down to solid decision-making. We were always pretty sure of where we wanted to go, that’s just my aspect of it. The guys kept the boat moving fast and everything in working order, which is massive because you don’t go anywhere with stuff breaking or if you’re not trimming fast.  The whole crew worked really hard to keep this show on the road and it has worked out really well.”

It was day four, November 8, when Telefónica first took over the lead from PUMA’s Mar Mostro (Ken Read/USA). The pair had covered each other’s move in what has turned out to be an unusual opening leg for the world’s premier ocean race. Boat-breaking conditions early on, which forced out Ian Walker and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Azzam and Mike Sanderson’s Sanya, gave way to endless upwind sailing in light airs.

As Chris Nicholson/AUS (CAMPER), Martínez and Read all decided west definitely was best in terms of position, the drag race between Telefónica and Mar Mostro began and looked set to continue throughout this, the second longest leg of course. Groupama became a lonely warrior, splitting from the pack in an unorthodox move and hugging the African coast, a tactic that put her briefly into first place.

CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, skippered by Chris Nicholson from Australia on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa (Photo Credit: IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race)

By day seven, PUMA’s Mar Mostro and Telefónica had traded places and the following day, the fleet finally found the weather system they had been looking for and hoisted their downwind sails. 

On day 11 and after 2,000 nautical miles of racing, Mar Mostro was only 7.2 nautical miles ahead of the blue boat and, as the leading pair tackled the windless Doldrums, the lead swapped regularly. 

At the Equator, PUMA’s Mar Mostro and Telefónica crossed within an hour of each other and the trend continued when, on day 13, November 17, Mar Mostro led Telefónica round the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha by 55 minutes. But, by day 14, fortunes had changed and Telefónica had taken charge as the two yachts raced hard to reach a cold front which would catapult them into Cape Town.  

Martínez said at the time, “We’re pretty close to PUMA, almost nothing between us.  It’s great to be so close – it makes it a great race.”

The crew of Telefónica had freed themselves from PUMA’s vice-like grip and stormed away, heading south to skirt the Saint Helena high-pressure system that blocked their path to the sought-after westerlies and the inevitable sleigh-ride to the finish. 

On day 17, November 21, 31 nm behind Telefónica, Mar Mostro dismasted. The match race was over. PUMA limped away towards the most remote settlement on earth at Tristan da Cunha, where they await a ship to take them back to Cape Town, and the crew of Telefónica sailed their own foot perfect race to the finish.

Volvo Ocean Race 2011 - 2012
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November 26, 2011 - 1900 UTC

TELEFÓNICA SIGHT VICTORY; PUMA REACH TRISTAN

Team Telefónica were headed for glory in the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race on Saturday – as their rivals PUMA Ocean Racing reached the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha five days after dismasting.

Ken Read eyes Tristan da Cunha for the first time after PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG was dismasted in the South Atlantic Ocean during leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo Credit: Amory Ross/PUMA Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race)

Telefónica, skippered by Spanish Olympic gold medal winner Iker Martínez, were just 106 nautical miles shy of the Cape Town finish line at 1200 UTC, with an ETA of 1700 UTC.

With second-placed CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand 208nm behind, only a last-minute mishap will prevent Telefónica from taking the top spot in the 6,500nm sprint from Alicante, Spain, to Cape Town, South Africa, the first of nine legs that make up the Volvo Ocean Race.

“Telefónica have romped away,” said CAMPER navigator Will Oxley, who predicts a Sunday morning arrival for his team. “They are well to the east in better conditions – they did a really good job. We’ve had to try to cut the corner a little bit trying to run away from a high pressure sitting to our west.”

With third place guaranteed, Franck Cammas’ Groupama sailing team saw their speeds halve from 20 knots over night after opting to take a slower but safer route to Cape Town.

“We don’t really look at the position reports any more,” their media crew member Yann Riou said. “The game now is to bring Groupama 4 as soon as possible and in the best condition possible to Cape Town. To rest, to look after the boat, to optimise her and to start the second leg.”

Current routing puts Groupama in Cape Town on Monday night.

Meanwhile, PUMA Ocean Racing’s Volvo Open 70 yacht Mar Mostro arrived in Tristan da Cunha, the next phase of the plan to see them rejoin the race for the next leg to Abu Dhabi.

PUMA dismasted on Monday November 21 while chasing Telefónica in what was a two-week long match race between the two teams.

The PUMA crew now face a four-day wait on the tiny island – population 262 – for a ship from Durban which will pick up Mar Mostro and take her to Cape Town.

PUMA’s MCM Amory Ross said the team were upbeat about their chances.

“Our week here is going to be an experience nobody will ever forget, and we’re all planning on taking advantage of it as such. Can we make the start? Yes. Will we make the start? Don’t know, not yet. You can be very sure though that we won’t stop trying.”

Volvo Ocean Race 2011 - 2012
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November 26, 2011 - 1200 UTC

CAMPER SECURE SECOND PLACE AFTER TESTING NIGHT

CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson (AUS) nursed his boat through heinous sea conditions overnight and into Table Bay to clinch second place at 10:48:04 UTC (12:48 local time) in Cape Town on Sunday after 21 days, 21 hours, 48 minutes and 4 seconds (21:21:48:04) at sea.

CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, skippered by Chris Nicholson from Australia finishes second on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa, at 10:48:04 UTC. (Photo Credit: IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race)

CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand, throttled back overnight in winds gusting  35 knots and mountainous seas, but once daylight broke, they were up to speed and screamed across the finish to take 25 points to add to their four points earned for a third-place finish in the Iberdrola In-Port Race in Alicante on October 29.

They are now in second place overall on the Volvo Ocean Race leaderboard with 29 points – two behind Team Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP) who finished first on Saturday evening. Groupama sailing team are expected to finish on Tuesday, with third place set to take them up to third overall with 22 points. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (6 points), PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (5) and Team Sanya (3) were all forced to retire from Leg 1.

On stepping ashore, skipper Chris Nicholson/AUS spoke of the decision to stay on the African coast early in the leg:

“Everyone was trying to get to the coast and we were getting there nicely, but it was the wrong call.  It's been 20 days playing catch-up from that decision. We weren't able to make up that deficit.  We would have loved to have been head to head with Telefónica and PUMA.

He added that it was a tough leg: "The conditions were pretty rough as you can see with all damage from the boats. We handled it well, we're here in second and so that's a good result.”

Co-skipper Stu Bannatyne (NZL) said: “It's very nice to be in Cape Town finally. It felt like a very long leg. We got a podium result so we are very happy. Last night we backed off once Telefónica had finished, with winds between 35 and 40 knots. We nursed it in last night as there was no point pushing at that point.”

The highlight for CAMPER was their run of 554.16 nautical miles in the 24-hour period up to 1755 UTC on November 24. That will almost certainly make them the winner of the IWC Speed Record Challenge for Leg 1. The overall fastest time, over all nine legs of the race, will land the 11 members of the winning crew with an IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition ‘Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12’.

CAMPER’s fortunes on this opening leg were mixed. After leading the six-boat fleet in a slick start and out through the Straits of Gibraltar, they paid a high price for a tactical dilemma early on day three as the fleet headed out into the Atlantic.

Initially the team chose the inshore option keeping close to Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas/FRA), both boats following the African coastline. On day four, Nicholson decided to sacrifice miles gained towards the mark and headed the red and white boat offshore to join PUMA’s Mar Mostro (Ken Read/USA) and eventual leg winner, Telefónica (Iker Martínez/ESP).

It was an expensive decision, and one from which the team never really recovered and, by 2200 UTC on day five, CAMPER were 105 nautical miles behind in last place. No one likes not being in the lead and on board, the crew of CAMPER had been left with a bitter taste after sacrificing so many miles. 

The losses continued to grow as the team struggled to get out to the west. The lowest point was early on day seven, when they logged 334 nm behind the leader, but from 2200 UTC that night, their fortunes changed. That night the team clawed back 56 miles.  The boat was finally back on track and taking the course the crew had wanted. The gains continued and CAMPER were back in contention as the expensive westerly option started to pay dividends.

On day nine, CAMPER had moved up to third place and rounded the island of Fernando de Noronha on day 13, November 17, 126 nm behind PUMA’s Mar Mostro. On the fateful day that PUMA’s Mostro dismasted, day 17, November 21, CAMPER had closed the gap to within 110 nm. 

The crew had their feet firmly on the pedal and were pushing the boat to her limits and by day 18, the pressure had taken its toll. Bowman Mike Pammenter from South Africa was washed down the deck, his fall broken by his face smashing against the shrouds. It was a stern reminder of just how dangerous and on the edge this race can be.  His face stitched up and minus a front tooth, Pammenter was soon back on deck and CAMPER continued at breakneck speed towards Cape Town. She was now hot on the heels of leg leader Telefónica and in touch, just 94 nm behind.

“Now we need to think about our new rival CAMPER,” wrote the crew of Telefónica. But luck ran out for CAMPER who arrived at the exciting cold front, the super-quick conveyor belt to Cape Town, a little too late to gain the full benefit and Telefónica were gone.  CAMPER eventually finished Leg 1 over 200 nm and 16 hours behind.

Groupama 4 will be the next boat to finish on Tuesday morning.  She is currently 534 nm behind and was averaging 21 knots at the time of CAMPER’s finish.

Volvo Ocean Race 2011 - 2012
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Sunday, 27 November 12:30 UTC

HARD DAY’S NIGHT FOR GROUPAMA 4

SAILING. VOR2012, Leg One Day 22 – At 1900 tonight the trailing Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas/FRA) was in for yet more grief. The boat will continue to wallow, making slow progress in light and fickle wind conditions. This will be followed by a low-pressure system, which will build overnight allowing the team to gybe and at least point their bows in the direction of the Cape Town finish line.

Skipper Franck Cammas from France helming Groupama Sailing Team during leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo Credit: Yann Riou/Groupama Sailing Team/Volvo Ocean Race)

However, the same frontal system that battered CAMPER (Chris Nicholson/AUS) yesterday will also threaten Groupama 4. Upwards of 30 knots of wind is forecast with the same boat-breaking confused sea state.

“We want to get to Cape Town as soon as possible because the stopover will be short, but we also want to get there in one piece with the boat in perfect condition,” skipper Franck Cammas said as he waited for the wind to fill in.

Computers are predicting a finish tomorrow morning, although current progress is down to five knots average and the arrival for this, the final boat to cross the line in Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race, is still uncertain.

Leg 2 to Abu Dhabi begins on Sunday December 11, with the second in the in-port race series held the previous day.

Volvo Ocean Race 2011 - 2012
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November 28, 2011 - 1900 UTC