Dongfeng Race Team, the joint leaders of the Volvo Ocean Race (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) who broke their mast a day ago, eased their stricken boat to dry land and safety on Tuesday (full story below).

– Dongfeng is nursed to Argentine port

– Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing snatch lead

– Team SCA battle on towards Cape Horn

ALICANTE, Spain, March 31– Dongfeng Race Team, the joint leaders of the Volvo Ocean Race (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) who broke their mast a day ago, eased their stricken boat to dry land and safety on Tuesday.

The breakage could hardly have happened at a worse place in the race for the Chinese team, some 250 nautical miles away from Cape Horn in the midst of the treacherous Southern Ocean and in high winds on Leg 5.

However, as Caudrelier pointed out, at least they were relatively near the South American coastline.

The damage has robbed the 65-foot (20 metres) boat of much of its manoeuvrability and Kevin Escoffier (FRA) was forced to cut off one of the sails, the fractional code zero or ‘FRO’, to avoid it doing more damage to the 100-foot high (30 metres) mast. He also cut away the top part of the mast.

Caudrelier said: “After four extraordinary legs for our team, we’ve taken our first major punch. A very big one.”

He must now decide whether to try to carry out repairs with possibly a new mast in Ushuaia, Argentina, which they reached around 1115 GMT on Tuesday, and attempt to re-join the leg following their suspension from racing in the entrance to the Beagle Channel.

Alternatively, they could quit the 6,770-nautical mile (nm) stage and then transport the boat to the next stopover, Itajaí in Brazil, for a full mast re-fit and checkover in time for the next leg to Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. That leg starts on April 19.

The incident deprived Dongfeng’s crew of Chinese rookies the opportunity to round the fabled Cape Horn landmark for the first time in their sailing careers.

The four leading boats, however, did savour that rite of passage on Monday afternoon and by 0940 GMT on Tuesday, had progressed some 300nm towards Itajaí in the south Atlantic having passed the Falkland Islands.

At that stage, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, who held the overall lead with Dongfeng prior to the Leg 5 start, protected a narrow 2.8nm advantage over Turkish/American entrants, Team Alvimedica, having overtaken them since rounding the Horn.

MAPFRE (Iker Martínez/ESP) and Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) were 15nm and 22nm further adrift respectively.

Meanwhile, the all-women’s crew of Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) still had some 300nm to sail before rounding the Horn. They have been beset by ill-luck on the toughest leg in the nine-month race.

Last week, their boat crashed on its side during a so-called Chinese gybe, and on Monday night, the crew were forced to sail in pitch black after their electronic system failed.

The latter problem has now been fixed, but Sam Davies’ crew are still having to battle on without the use of a key sail, also the ‘FRO’, which was damaged by last week’s crash.

The fleet is expected to arrive in Itajaí between April 5 and 6. In all, the boats will sail 38,739nm and visit 11 ports and every continent. The race concludes in Gothenburg, Sweden, on June 27.

via ‘Our first major punch’| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

SOUTH WEST: Devon sailor Sam Matson has secured sponsorship from Chatham for the 2015 season for his Solitaire du Figaro campaign, writes Katina Read.

Having trained with the Artemis Offshore Academy for the past three years, Mr Matson achieved 15th place overall and second Rookie in his first Solitaire du Figaro in 2014 and is now working towards this year’s event which starts May 31.

In addition to title sponsorship from Chatham, Mr Matson will continue to be supported by the Artemis Offshore Academy.

“I am absolutely ecstatic to have Chatham aboard for my 2015 Class Figaro Beneteau season,” he said. “Like Artemis, Chatham is a truly great British company and I look forward to promoting their brand on the world’s stage for premier solo offshore racing.”

Philip Marsh, Chatham MD, added: “It’s the first time we’ve sponsored an individual sailor. It’s a perfect fit for us as we’re based in Exeter and Sam is in Exmouth; France is a large market for us.”

via Boating Business – Chatham sponsors.

Four boats in the Volvo Ocean Race celebrated rounding the venerated landmark of Cape Horn on Monday, a pleasure cruelly denied Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) after the Chinese boat’s mast was broken early in a dramatic day on Leg 5 (full story below).

– Team Alvimedica has honour of passing key landmark first

– Dongfeng Race Team halted in tracks after breaking mast

– See the dramatic moment when the Chinese boat’s mast snaps

ALICANTE, Spain, March 30 – Four boats in the Volvo Ocean Race celebrated rounding the venerated landmark of Cape Horn on Monday, a pleasure cruelly denied Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) after the Chinese boat’s mast was broken early in a dramatic day on Leg 5.

Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) had the considerable honour of leading the battered fleet past the fabled point at 1407 GMT, just 15 minutes clear of overall race leaders Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR).

MAPFRE (Iker Martínez/ESP) and Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) were hot on their heels as the fleet prepared to head north at last and back in to the Atlantic for the first time since November.

They still have quite a challenge in store, navigating up the Brazilian coast towards the final Leg 5 destination of Itajaí, which they will reach after 6,770 nautical miles (nm) of the most testing sailing in the nine-month offshore marathon around April 5-6.

For Team Alvimedica’s 30-year-old skipper Enright, it was the culmination of an eight-year dream, which first took shape on the film set of Disney movie, Morning Light, when he hatched the idea of entering a team in sailing’s leading challenge.

There are no points on offer for leading the Volvo Ocean Race fleet around Cape Horn, but so much kudos.

“For me, most of this race is about competition, but this leg is a little bit different. This is pretty special for us,” said Enright of Bristol, Rhode Island, by far the youngest skipper in the fleet.

But this was no time for lengthy celebrations.

“We can see Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing behind. The match racing continues. Keep the focus!”

Walker, who has so far carried out his pre-race battle plan of earning podium places on every leg, was equally buoyant.

“I’m just happy to get here safely. That’s the main thing. There is still a long way to go, but it’s a big relief. And it’s an even bigger relief because we’re in good shape,” he said.

The Emirati boat had just set the fastest 24 hours’ sailing in the race, travelling 551nm. That is the third fastest ever recorded in the 41-year-old race behind ABN AMRO TWO (2006 – 562.96nm) and Ericsson 4 (2008 – 596.6nm).

For Dongfeng Race Team, who had started Leg 5 locked on eight points (lowest overall wins) it was a case of ‘what might have been’ as well as ‘what next?’.

At 0315 UTC, the crew were startled by a sickening crack that sent all of them scrambling to deck to check out the damage. The boat’s mast had broken above the third spreader, which robbed it of much of its manoeuvrability.

The plan is now to nurse Dongfeng to Ushuaia, Argentina, under sail.

Reached via Inmarsat, a bitterly disappointed Caudrelier said: “I’m gutted. As you’ve seen from the position reports we have been, on purpose, backing off a bit, not attacking in any way.

“The mast broke without warning in about 30 knots of wind. We are unable to sail safely on starboard tack, but we are able to make reasonable speed on port tack. We will head towards Ushuaia and assess our options for getting to Itajaí.”

He could retire from the leg, but if a patched-up boat can be returned to the Leg 5 track and complete the stage to Itajaí, Caudrelier will earn an extra two points – six for sixth and last place instead of eight for not finishing at all.

That could make all the difference come the end of the 38,739nm race in Gothenburg, Sweden, on June 27, especially with Dongfeng Race Team currently so close to the lead.

Meanwhile, Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) were continuing to battle their way through heinous conditions in the Southern Ocean, some 550nm behind the pack still racing.

They have been considerably hampered by damage to their fractional code zero sail after a Chinese gybe last week sent the boat crashing on its side.

Davies’s crew are expected to round Cape Horn in the early hours (GMT) on Wednesday.

“We can’t take any more risk with the sails that are left because we need them on the way from Cape Horn to Itajaí,” she said.

Caudrelier will understand her caution. Completely.

via Drama – and delight – round the Horn| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

ALICANTE, Spain, March 30 – Volvo Ocean Race organisers today (Monday) announced an exciting new partnership with the Genoa Boat Show giving fans the opportunity to see close up the boats currently in action in the middle of the Southern Ocean (full story below).

ALICANTE, Spain, March 30 – Volvo Ocean Race organisers today (Monday) announced an exciting new partnership with the Genoa Boat Show giving fans the opportunity to see close up the boats currently in action in the middle of the Southern Ocean.

The Genoa Show is scheduled for September 30-October 5 and teams from the 12th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race have been invited to show off their Volvo Ocean 65, one-design boats, fresh from the event finish on June 27 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Tom Touber, Race COO, said the opportunity was too good to miss on both sides.

“We know we have many, many fans of the race in Italy and we didn’t need to be asked twice when organisers of the Genoa Boat Show approached us to make this happen,” he said.

“We are well aware of the huge interest in our race in the sailing-loving nation of Italy. It’s the perfect match.”

He explained the concept.

“We envisage a ‘Volvo Ocean Race reunion with a mini Volvo Ocean Race Village’ in Genoa.

“We will bring two of the most popular Race Village attractions – a show about a typical day in the life of a sailor competing in the Volvo Ocean Race and a full-sized model of one of our Volvo Ocean 65 boats so that the public can see what life is really like on board.

“All the teams have expressed their strong interest to take part in this reunion in Genoa.

“As their sponsors might have changing plans, we obviously cannot guarantee all seven boats from the 2014-15 race will be present, but both the race and Boat Show organisers are doing all they can to help them attend.

“This will be the first big opportunity for fans anywhere in the world to see boats from the 2014-15 fleet so soon after they have finished the nine-month race in Sweden.”

Antonio Vettese, of Ucina Confindustria Nautica Media Relations who work for the Genoa Boat Show, added: “We will have more than 1,000 boats on display but we don’t think any would be more popular than the Volvo Ocean 65s.

“They will take centre stage. It’s an extra bonus to have two of the most popular parts of the Volvo Ocean Race Village Experience for the fans to enjoy.

“We are all glued to the action in the Volvo Ocean Race – especially right now as the fleet rounds Cape Horn – and it’ll be a real treat to see those same boats close up at the end of September.”

via The Italian Job: Volvo Ocean Race and Genoa Boat Show join forces| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Dongfeng Race Team broke their mast early on Monday (GMT, March 30) but nobody has been injured and there is no immediate danger to the crew (adds more detail, video, full story below).- Chinese team heading for safety in Argentina- See the dramatic breakage video from the boat hereALICANTE, Spain, March 30 – Dongfeng Race Team broke their mast early on Monday (GMT, March 30) but nobody has been injured and there is no immediate danger to the crew.The incident happened 240 nautical miles west of Cape Horn at 0315 UTC on Monday, in the final hours of the night local time onboard Dongfeng.The crew reported that the mast broke above the third spreader, the top section of the mast.They are not planning to continue racing on this leg and are heading towards Ushuaia, Argentina, under sail, via the Beagle Channel, as their eventual destination before Itajaí.Reached via Inmarsat, a disappointed skipper Charles Caudrelier said: “I’m gutted. As you’ve seen from the position reports we have been, on purpose, backing off a bit, not attacking in any way.“The mast broke without warning, in about 30 knots of wind. We are unable to sail safely on starboard tack, but we are able to make reasonable speed on port tack. We will head towards Ushuaia and assess our options for getting to Itajaí.”The Dongfeng crew is now making headway to the entrance of the Beagle Channel, a strait on the extreme southern tip of South America. They are aiming for the entrance of Bahia Cook bay.The team, who were joint top of the standings with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) at the start of Leg 5, will probably reach the entrance of the Beagle Channel at night, which is a tricky approach.Alicante Race Control is providing navigational support. Should they decide to go to Strait of Magellan, Race Control will provide additional information too.Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) are 425 nautical miles behind them.The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) is aware of the situation and is on standby to help if necessary.The Volvo Ocean Race is in constant contact with Caudrelier and are establishing the full extent of the damage to ensure they give him the support he needs to deal with the situation.

via LATEST: Dongfeng Race Team breaks mast, crew safe| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Volvo Ocean Race can confirm that Dongfeng Race Team broke its mast early on Monday (GMT, March 30) but fortunately nobody has been injured and there is no immediate danger to the crew (full story below).

The incident happened 240 nautical miles west of Cape Horn at 0315 UTC on Monday, in the final hours of the night onboard Dongfeng.

The crew reported that the mast broke above the third spreader, the top section of the mast. They are not planning to continue racing on this leg and are heading towards Ushuaia, Argentina, under their own sail.

Reached via Inmarsat, a disappointed skipper Charles Caudrelier said: “I’m gutted. As you’ve seen from the position reports we have been, on purpose, backing off a bit, not attacking in any way.

“The mast broke without warning, in about 30 knots of wind. We are unable to sail safely on starboard tack, but we are able to make reasonable speed on port tack. We will head towards Ushuaia and assess our options for getting to Itajaí.”

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) is aware of the situation and is on standby to help if necessary.

We are in constant contact with Caudrelier and are establishing the full extent of the damage to ensure we give him the support he needs to deal with the situation.

We will give more information as it becomes available.

via Dongfeng Race Team breaks mast, crew safe| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

The Volvo Ocean Race fleet in the wild Southern Ocean was fighting two battles on Sunday – for bragging rights to lead the fleet round Cape Horn, and the race to win Leg 5 (full story below).

– Team Alvimedica lead fleet towards Cape Horn

– Leg 5 bragging rights still up for grabs

– Follow all the action of the Cape Horn rounding tomorrow

ALICANTE, SPAIN, March 29 – The Volvo Ocean Race fleet in the wild Southern Ocean was fighting two battles on Sunday – for bragging rights to lead the fleet round Cape Horn, and the race to win Leg 5.

The first will be decided between Monday afternoon and evening and the other around April 5-6 in Itajaí, south-east Brazil, after three weeks of unprecedented, close-quarter racing.

The outcome of both contests is impossible to predict although the Turkey/USA crew of Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) are currently narrow favourites as they led a group of five boats at 1240 UTC on Sunday.

Should Enright’s crew achieve either, it would be a major achievement for a team that is the youngest in the race and led by a 30-year-old Volvo Ocean Race first-timer who first dreamed of entering a team on the film set of the Disney movie, Morning Light some eight years ago.

They certainly can take neither achievement for granted. Early on Sunday, they led by just 4.1nm from MAPFRE (Iker Martínez/ESP), with Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA), Dutch crew Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) and overall race leaders, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR), up to 8.2nm further adrift.

It is anyone’s to win.

To add to the plot, conditions in the Southern Ocean continue to be super testing with winds of some 45 miles an hour (73 kilometres an hour) and waves likely to approach 10 metres (30 feet).

And the latest forecast promises no let up once the fleet has rounded the Horn and moved into the final stage of a thrilling leg up the Brazilian coast through the south Atlantic to Itajaí.

Enright gave a taste of the relentless pressure on board as his crew battled to stay ahead of the fleet and also steer through the worst of the weather.

“I think everyone will remember today for the rest of their lives,” he reported in a message to shore after crossing ahead of Spanish rival MAPFRE, during a skirmish for the lead on Saturday.

“It was completely insane – very little sleep, moving sails every hour. All the boats knew where you had to be to be ahead, but the problem is not everybody can be there at once. So it was a real fight.”

Enright will not be alone in remembering this leg for the rest of his life.

The boats have avoided some huge icebergs on the route so far after Cyclone Pam kept them waiting three extra days in Auckland at the start and three of them crashed to their sides mid-week in so-called ‘Chinese gybes’.

Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR), suffered the most serious damage with a broken fractional code zero (FRO) sail, which has hampered them significantly in such challenging conditions.

At 1240 UTC, they trailed the main pack by just under 300nm. Navigator Libby Greenhalgh (GBR) described their experience on board in a blog from the boat on Sunday.

“Life on board is like being in a cold, damp car with no windows while someone is learning to drive, bunny-hopping down the road or practising their emergency stops,” she wrote.

“When we hit a wave and the water ploughs over the top, it does so with such force that the water finds its way into the boat through every little nook and cranny. So much so that it felt like it was raining on us one day in the galley!”

The fleet has just passed the halfway mark of the race in terms of legs completed. In all, they will sail nine legs, visit 11 ports, and every continent. The event, staged once every three years, will conclude in Gothenburg, Sweden, on June 27.

via ‘It’s completely insane’| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

The Volvo Ocean Race fleet, battered but unbroken as they battle through the Southern Ocean, face the toughest 48 hours of the nine-month marathon as they approach Cape Horn on Monday (see full story below).

– Storm chasing fleet to Cape Horn

– ‘I’ve never known it so close,’ says under-pressure Caudrelier

– All you need to know about Cape Horn below

ALICANTE, Spain, March 28 (Reuters) – The Volvo Ocean Race fleet, battered but unbroken as they battle through the Southern Ocean, face the toughest 48 hours of the nine-month marathon as they approach Cape Horn on Monday.

The region is the only time in the 38,738-nautical mile race where the boats are likely to see icebergs, despite the ice limits set by organisers, and a huge storm is building up behind to chase them on their way (see details here).

Early on Saturday (0640 UTC), the Chinese boat Dongfeng Race Team, skippered by Frenchman Charles Caudrelier, led the leg from Auckland to Itajaí, Brazil, but by less than 10nm from four other crews.

Caudrelier admitted that the stress has become “wearing’ on his eight-man team.

“I think it’s unique in the history of the Volvo Ocean Race (launched in 1973) to have a fleet battling like this in these latitudes,” he wrote in his blog on Saturday.

“Tomorrow, we’ll be even further south and the water temperature is going to drop. I’m expecting the hardest part of this race in the next 48 hours.”

Dongfeng were one of three boats to crash over on their sides midway through the Southern Ocean on the 6,776nm leg – a so-called ‘Chinese gybe’.

Thankfully, all the crews avoided anything more serious than cuts and bruises and damage to boats have been repaired on the move.

After some 3,000nm miles of sailing in the toughest leg of the race, Dongfeng lead by just 5.1nm from Dutch boat Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) with overall leaders Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR), MAPFRE (Iker Martínez/ESP) and Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) no more than 4nm further adrift.

The all women’s crew of Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) were nearly 100nm behind that pack, but gaining all the time in stronger winds.

They and MAPFRE also suffered Chinese gybes on Tuesday. The leg is expected to conclude around April 5-6 after three weeks of sailing from New Zealand.

In all, the boats will sail nine legs and visit 11 ports. They finish the race on June 27 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Everything you need to know about Cape Horn

They said it: Cape Horn “is enough to make a landsman dream for a week about shipwrecks, peril and death” – Charles Darwin.

Something to write home about. Cape Horn, close to the southern-most tip of South America, is regarded by sailors as the most iconic and feared landmark in the world.

What makes it so challenging? It’s cold, it’s bleak and it’s dangerous. It’s home to biblical storms and gale force winds, making visibility difficult. Lying just 500 miles from Antarctica, look out for the odd iceberg too.

Making history. The first to make it around was Dutch mariner Willem Schouten, who named it after Hoorn, his hometown in the north of the Netherlands.

Only the toughest. Even today, more people have reached the summit of Everest than have sailed around Cape Horn.

Middle of nowhere. The need for ships to round Cape Horn was greatly reduced by the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, which makes a modern-day visit there even more special. There are no commercial routes around the Horn, and modern ships are rarely seen.

Location, location, location. Set your sat nav to 55°58′48″S 067°17′21″W.

Lest we forget. On Hoorn island, there’s a large sculpture by Chilean artist José Balcells featuring an albatross in remembrance of the sailors who died while attempting to round the Horn.

Rich traditions. Sailors celebrate a successful rounding of Cape Horn in many ways, including lighting up cigars and pouring a small bottle of alcohol into the sea to toast those who didn’t make it, and thank King Neptune for a safe passage.

Waves bigger than houses. The strong winds of the Southern Ocean mean equally large waves, and, free of any interruption from land, these waves roll at a great height, some even 30m tall. But south of the Horn, the waves become shorter and steeper, which can be a nightmare for passing boats.

Gold rush. During the 1800s, Cape Horn was deemed so dangerous that the Spanish dragged their plundered gold across land rather than risk shipping it around the landmark. The current has thrown many sailors and ships onto the rocks.

Permanent reminders. Those who have successfully made it around the landmark are entitled to wear a gold hoop earring in whichever ear passed closest to Cape Horn. Also, if you see someone with a tattoo of a full-rigged ship, give him a pat on the back. According to maritime tradition, it means he’s been around the Horn!

via Battered but unbroken| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

The Volvo Ocean Race fleet reached the halfway point of their nine-month marathon – midway through the fifth leg of nine – on Friday and were still glued together in some of the closest racing in the event’s 41-year history (full story below plus facts and figures from the first half of the way and a selection of our best pictures so far).

– Fleet reaches halfway mark on Leg 5

– See our pick of best pictures so far above

– Halfway round: Facts and figures below

ALICANTE, Spain, March 27 – The Volvo Ocean Race fleet reached the halfway point of their nine-month marathon – midway through the fifth leg of nine – on Friday and were still glued together in some of the closest racing in the event’s 41-year history.

For those on shore, the day offered the chance to take stock following a dramatic week in which three boats suffered Chinese gybes, but for the crews it was business as usual as they tussled head-to-head approaching the key landmark of Cape Horn.

At 1240 UTC, just 7.7 nautical miles (nm) separated the first five boats with Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) bringing up the rear, some 80nm further adrift (see panel above).

Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) must think they are on some kind of Southern Ocean crazy rollercoaster.

On Tuesday, they were part of the trio of boats – MAPFRE (Iker Martínez/ESP) and Team SCA were the others – to crash over on their sides in a so-called Chinese gybe.

But, remarkably, all the crews managed to right themselves without overly serious damage to either sailor or boat and within 48 hours of the incidents, Dongfeng Race Team found themselves at the head of the fleet.

This was no time to take it easy, however, for anyone.

The 1240 UTC position report on Friday showed the Chinese boat had lost pressure again and slipped back to fifth place behind new leaders, MAPFRE, with Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/U.S.), Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) sandwiched in between.

All was certainly not lost for Caudrelier and his crew, however, with MAPFRE virtually within view.

For Dongfeng’s helmsman, Damian Foxall (IRL), it has already been a memorable ride, after being called up to sail just this 6,779nm leg.

“It is hard to describe the stress on board after the Chinese gybe – ‘is everyone here, is anything damaged?’ Yet three hours later, incredibly, we were back on track,” he wrote in a blog.

Sam Davies, skipper of Team SCA, was also in a reflective mood early on Friday.

“It has been a hard few days; full of emotion, stress, adrenaline,” she wrote in her blog.

“As skipper it is hard to find the balance between pushing the boat and crew, but making sure we stay safe and keeping our boat in one piece.

“Out here, there is little margin for error. I feel like we have found our limits, and proved to ourselves that we are pushing hard.

“We suffered from our wipeout with the damage we sustained and it is frustrating to lose the miles like that, but we are slowly getting back to as near 100 per cent as possible.”

The fleet is expected to reach Cape Horn on Sunday, and then their Leg 5 destination, Itajaí in south-eastern Brazil, around April 4.

The race, with four and a half legs still to negotiate and six more ports to visit, remains too close to call, with the two overall leaders, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Dongfeng Race Team, fighting it on a level eight points apiece, and currently just 4.8nm apart.

Welcome to one-design racing!

Halfway way round: Facts and figures from 4.5 legs of 9

In the five months since this race left Alicante, the fleet has visited Alicante, Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Sanya and Auckland. Now, they’re in the toughest arena of all – the Southern Ocean – winging their way towards Itajaí.

That’s a lot of miles sailed.

30,346 nautical miles sailed so far for Team SCA

30,050 nautical miles sailed so far for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing

29,967 nautical miles sailed so far for Dongfeng Race Team

30,301 nautical miles sailed so far for Team Brunel

30,153 nautical miles sailed so far for Team Alvimedica

30,327 nautical miles sailed so far for MAPFRE

11,803 nautical miles sailed so far for Team Vestas Wind

Lost property

1 food cooler lost overboard on Team Alvimedica

1 drone lost on Dongfeng Race Team

A lot of hours lost in the Doldrums!

New experiences

4 Chinese sailors given their first taste of offshore life

23 pollywogs became shellbacks

18 birthdays celebrated at sea

2 Thanksgiving parties

Plenty of Valentine’s Day love

The world is watching

Nearly 51 million minutes watched on the Volvo Ocean Race Youtube channel.

A cumulative TV audience of over 1 billion people around the world.

Over one million views on The Inside Track.

Close shaves

3 Chinese gybes

2 crazy cyclones avoided

1 epic salvage mission

…which reached over 3 million people on Facebook alone.

Landmarks

10,923 emails sent from the boats to Alicante Race Control

3 oceans crossed.

3 Equator crossings.

4 different In-Port Race winners.

Over 15,000 hours of spectactular sailing completed.

That’s 54 million seconds of concentration, focus and intensity, 3,750 watch changes and 5,000 freeze-dried meal times.

And a few knocks picked up along the way

1 perforated eardrum

1 ruptured herniated disc

1 broken hand, 1 broken bone in hand

2 ribs broken, 2 ribs cracked

A LOT of painkillers and bandages

And a LOT of fun had by all!

Join us for the next half of the toughest ocean race on the planet! Don’t miss out – follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

via Southern Ocean rollercoaster| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA), almost literally knocked off their feet just 48 hours earlier, retook the Volvo Ocean Race Leg 5 lead on Thursday (see full story below).

– Dongfeng Race Team fights back again to grab lead

– Five of six boats bunched within seven nautical miles

– Follow all the action hour by hour on our App

ALICANTE, Spain, March 26 – Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA), almost literally knocked off their feet just 48 hours earlier, retook the Volvo Ocean Race Leg 5 lead on Thursday.

The Chinese boat was one of three to crash on their sides in so-called Chinese gybes on Tuesday as a heightened sea state and 40 knots of wind (75 kilometres per hour) played havoc with the fleet.

MAPFRE (Iker Martínez/ESP) and Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR) suffered similar setbacks though, mercifully, none of the sailors involved were injured in the incidents and all boats are now sailing normally.

As they have proved time and time again in the race, Caudrelier’s men react only positively to such setbacks.

In Leg 4, their mast track needed an on-the-move repair for the third time in the race, yet they still recovered for third place in Auckland.

On Thursday morning (0940 UTC), while the overnight leaders were becalmed in a rare spell of respite from the brutal Southern Ocean conditions, Dongfeng Race Team found excellent pressure to make up 24 nautical miles (nm) in a three-hour period and move from fifth to first.

Their lead, however, is still paper-thin in relative terms over the course of a 6,777nm, three-week leg from New Zealand to the south-east Brazilian port city of Itajaí.

The fleet still has the notorious Cape Horn to negotiate, probably towards the end of the coming weekend, and then the south Atlantic in the run-in to Brazil next week.

They are currently expected to arrive around April 4.

Dongfeng’s Onboard Reporter, Yann Riou (FRA), not surprisingly, says that morale is sky high after taking the lead for the first time since the fleet left Auckland on March 18 – despite the challenges they are facing every hour.

“We have regular squalls interrupting us. It’s a constant switch between long periods of great surfing under blue skies and sunshine, and then intense periods of manoeuvres, often in the rain. Reef in, reef out, furl, unfurl,” he wrote in a blog from the boat.

“The atmosphere onboard is excellent, but it will be even better once Cape Horn is behind us.”

The Chinese boat is ideally placed in both the leg and the race. The team shared the overall lead before setting out for Leg 5 with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR), both on eight points from four legs.

The Emirati boat, however, had a sliver-thin advantage courtesy of a superior in-port series record.

Caudrelier and his crew can hardly rest on their laurels on Leg 5.

At 0940 UTC on Thursday, the first five boats were all within seven miles of each other, with Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA), Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED), Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and MAPFRE leading the chase (see panel above).

Team SCA were the fastest in the fleet over the early hours of Thursday, chopping huge chunks off their earlier deficit following Tuesday’s Chinese gybe.

They trailed the pack by some 86nm at 0940 UTC, but were gaining all the time in relatively strong pressure.

We could yet see a completely bunched fleet negotiating Cape Horn.

via Back from the brink| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.