The first time Team SCA skipper Sam Davies watched the new Volvo Ocean Race-Team SCA 360º/virtual reality video, she recoiled instinctively as her boat nose-dived into a giant wave in the Southern Ocean (full story below).

– Volvo Ocean Race, Scopic and Team SCA combine efforts for 360-degree virtual reality video

– It also shows the Southern Ocean and Cape Horn in this technique for the first time

– Watch it here!

ALICANTE, Spain, May 29 – The first time Team SCA skipper Sam Davies watched the new Volvo Ocean Race-Team SCA 360º/virtual reality video, she recoiled instinctively as her boat nose-dived into a giant wave in the Southern Ocean.

That’s how realistic the ground-breaking new video gets as it focuses on the epic Leg 5 crossing between Auckland (New Zealand) and Itajaí (Brazil).

The production  has been launched today on littlstar.com. It is not only the first Virtual Reality offshore sailing video ever, but also the first time Cape Horn and the treacherous Southern Ocean are captured in this technique.

This has been made possible thanks to the joint efforts of Volvo Ocean Race, Team SCA, and the 360-degree/virtual reality Dutch production company, Scopic.

“Cape Horn has never been shot in 360 and this production was so unique as most people thought it would never work out in these rough conditions. Anna Lena (Elled, Team SCA onboard reporter) had to work with six independent cameras,” said Scopic co-founder Yori van Gerven.

This ground-breaking technique puts viewers at the centre of the sailing experience by being able to look around in 360 degrees, using the arrows, the click and drag mouse button, or dragging the screen on mobile devices.

The 360-degree experience is enabled for both Chrome browsers and Android.

Google Cardboard, Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear VR, among other VR devices, bring the experience to the level of virtual reality.

Scopic is a Virtual Reality Production Company based in Amsterdam, specialising in productions at the highest end of 360-degree video for online, smartphone/tablet, Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR.

via A video so real, you can almost feel the splash!| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

For a man whose boat finished only fifth in the transatlantic Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skipper Ian Walker was sporting a surprisingly large smile on Thursday (full story below).

– Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing still sitting pretty after fifth place finish

– Caudrelier plans family time to shake off disappointment

– Team Alvimedica triumphed in ‘knife fight with spoons’

– The Boys in Blue are back in the Race

LISBON, Portugal, May 28 – For a man whose boat finished only fifth in the transatlantic Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skipper Ian Walker was sporting a surprisingly large smile on Thursday.

In the last edition in 2011-12, the Briton had entered Lisbon as leg winner and the Portuguese capital also has special importance for him as his crew’s European pre-race training base.

But there was not a particularly happy ‘homecoming’ for Walker and his seven crew members just after dawn on Wednesday, as they trailed disappointingly in the wake of Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED), who in turn only just saw off a challenge from MAPFRE (Iker Martínez/ESP) to cross the finish line first after the 2,800-nautical mile stage.

Yet still, Walker and his men were beaming like winners. “Yes, it was a very difficult leg for us, very frustrating. In fact, the best bit of it was getting off the boat at the end,” he joked.

But thanks to Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) who took the third podium slot after what their skipper described as a “knife fight with spoons” against Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) in a slow-motion battle into port, Walker’s mood remained buoyant.

The Chinese-backed boat’s fourth place in a leg, which they had led for long periods, meant that Caudrelier and his crew only took one point away from Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s six-point overall lead and Walker continues to occupy a very strong position indeed with two ‘sprint’ legs remaining.

Walker told a news conference after the arrivals: “I was proud of the guys. Everyone kept fighting and it just shows how you have to keep fighting. We could have even got third out of that finish after a week of torture.

“At one point it looked like Dongfeng could have won the leg and we could have finished fifth or sixth, so in many ways we got out of jail and I don’t think we had a lot of unhappy faces at the end.

“We’ve now got two legs to go and we’re five points ahead. I’d have bitten your arm off if somebody had offered me that in Newport at the beginning of the leg, let alone at the start of the race.”

Enright was also in good humour after winning their thrilling dogfight with Dongfeng Race Team over the final miles, following a botched manouevre by Caudrelier’s crew.

His boat catapulted from fifth overnight to claim their third podium finish of the race so far.

“It was a very good morning for us, that’s for sure,” he conceded. “We had a ridiculous, excruciating 20-tack game of attack-and-go with Dongfeng. I told Charles it was like a knife fight with spoons. It was all pretty sloppy.”

Caudrelier was trying to find some comfort after watching a vital point slip through his fingers.

“We are still second overall, and for sure, we will try to fight to keep this place and hopefully come back,” he told the conference.

“Right now, I’m trying to control my anger. But I will see my family and try to forget everything and be positive for my team.”

Meanwhile, Team Vestas Wind’s Australian skipper Chris Nicholson was excited at the prospect of seeing his totally rebuilt boat returning to sailing on Saturday (May 30), after their collision with a reef in the Indian Ocean on Leg 2 on November 29.

He is still taking nothing for granted after being out of the water for so many stages while the reconstruction took place in Persico’s boatyard in Bergamo, Italy.

“We need to be out on the water and make sure we’re reliable for the race. At the moment, touch wood, everything looks on track for that,” he said.

Nicholson’s team has a week to prepare for the following Saturday’s Lisbon In-Port Race before joining the rest of the fleet for the Leg 8 departure for Lorient on June 7.

via Walker’s get-out-of-jail card| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Team Vestas Wind (Chris Nicholson/AUS) was restored to the Volvo Ocean Race fleet on Wednesday, nearly six months to the day when the boat ran aground, setting off a story of team-work, determination and sheer hard work to return the crew to the start line in Lisbon (full story below).

– Team Vestas Wind defy the odds to rejoin the fleet

– Skipper Nicholson: Now we’ll finish what we started

– Backers applaud team effort behind rebuild

– How Team Vestas Wind was put back together

LISBON, Portugal, May 27 – Team Vestas Wind (Chris Nicholson/AUS) was restored to the Volvo Ocean Race fleet on Wednesday, nearly six months to the day when the boat ran aground, setting off a story of team-work, determination and sheer hard work to return the crew to the start line in Lisbon.

Many experienced observers of the 41-year-old race had feared there was no way back for the Danish team in the race’s 12th edition when the Vestas Wind ran aground on the Cargados Carajos shoals in the Indian Ocean during Leg 2 on November 29.

The collision caused heartbreaking, extensive damage to the beautiful blue boat.

But the doubters would have underestimated the combined efforts of an expert team assembled by Vestas and race organisers, who have managed to rebuild the shattered Volvo Ocean 65 boat to the strict one-design demands of the race in four months – half the time it would normally take to build the boat.

The bulk of the work has been carried out by the Persico Marine boatyard in Bergamo, Italy.

On Saturday, May 22, the boat left the Persico yard and embarked on a land and sea journey to Lisbon, with the help of Maersk Line and GAC, where she arrived in the small hours of Wednesday morning, ahead of schedule.

In the final stages of her journey before arriving in the Portuguese capital, the boat was transported just over 50 kilometres by road, crossing the Vasco de Gama Bridge (the largest bridge in Europe) across the Tagus River.

Final preparations, including the reassembly of the keel and rig, are now underway. The team is preparing to return to the water for the first time on Saturday ahead of the long weekend of racing (June 4-7), which includes the Lisbon In-Port Race on June 6 and Leg 8 departure for Lorient, France, the following day.

“We’ve been waiting for this day to arrive for some time. It’s a testament to all involved in the rebuild to have the boat and team almost back in race mode,” said Team Vestas Wind’s Australian skipper, Chris Nicholson.

“It’s a true story of coming together to make things work, and we’re all motivated and in good shape to get back out on the water and finish what we started. These extra days’ preparations will help us become as competitive as we can be for the in-port and final legs of the Race.”

Commercial Director of Team Vestas Wind and Vice President of Global Marketing at Vestas, Mirella Vitale, added: “It’s a great achievement for Vestas and Team Vestas Wind to be where we are today.

“We’ve lived a different race than we originally envisioned, but we knew that our story could not end on that reef. We thank our fellow teams for their generosity and sportsmanship by providing seats for our guests on their boats while our boat was being repaired.“

Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, applauded all the combined efforts that have ensured Team Vestas Wind are back in business for the final legs to Lorient and then to Gothenburg, via a pit-stop in The Hague.

“It has been an incredible display of teamwork to return Vestas Wind to the start-line despite all the many obstacles along the way,” he said.

“Seeing Chris and the guys on the start-line for Leg 8 will be one of most memorable and proudest moments I have experienced in seven years as Race CEO,” he said.

Patrick Lammers, member of the retail board RWE, parent company of sub sponsor Powerhouse, added: “In order to be able to appear at the start in Lisbon, everyone involved has given their utmost.

“This was the ultimate race in a race, where no one thought of giving up. As a sponsor, Powerhouse could not have wished for a better team and partners. With this success, they truly carried out what we stand for.”

via Mission accomplished!| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

A real Golden Globe race…

25 May 2015

SOUTH WEST: A new Golden Globe Race has been announced – to take place 50 years to the day that Sir Robin Knox-Johnston set out on his epic voyage, writes Katina Read.

The race will start from Falmouth on June 14, 2018, with the format to sail solo non-stop around the world via the five Great Capes and return to Falmouth.

Entrants will be restricted to using the same type of yachts and equipment that were available to Sir Robin in his first race, sailing without modern technology or the benefit of satellite based navigation aids.

Competitors must sail in production boats between 32ft and 36ft overall designed prior to 1988.

“The overriding aim is for a race where adventure takes precedence over winning at all costs; one where sailing skill and traditional seamanship, rather than modern technology and outside support, gets you round and where the achievement truly belongs to the skipper,” said race founder Don McIntyre.

Already, 26 solo sailors have made a commitment to enter the race, which has a prize purse of £75,000.

via Boating Business – A real Golden Globe race….

Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) completed a triumphant Leg 7 early on Wednesday to bolster their hopes of finishing with a podium place in the Volvo Ocean Race and also keep alive their hopes of overall victory (full story below, updating with full finishing positions).

– Team Brunel edge home ahead in transatlantic leg

– MAPFRE chase them all the way into Lisbon

– Team Alvimedica beat Dongfeng in thrilling dogfight

– Team Vestas Wind are reunited with rest of the fleet

LISBON, Portugal, May 27 – Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) completed a triumphant Leg 7 early on Wednesday to bolster their hopes of finishing with a podium place in the Volvo Ocean Race and also keep alive the possibility of overall victory.

The Dutch boat sailed a near faultless transatlantic stage, edging MAPFRE (Iker Martínez/ESP) into second, just under 22 minutes behind.

Behind them, Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) edged out long-time leg leaders, Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA), after an enthralling dogfight over the final miles.

The Chinese-backed boat was caught by Enright’s crew in the early hours of Wednesday, but battled their way back and looked sure to overtake them again before a botched tack ruined their chances.

They lost out by just 55 seconds after nearly nine days and 13 hours of sailing across 2,800 nautical miles (nm).

With overall leaders Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) finishing fifth ahead of Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR), the overall race standings are left finely poised.

The Emirati crew now have a five-point lead over Dongfeng Race Team with two short legs to sail, while Team Brunel are a point further adrift of Charles Caudrelier’s crew.

Caudrelier made no attempt to hide his disappointment after leading the leg for so long and seeing a podium place disappear in the final miles.

“I’m feeling very bad, very upset and very sad,” he summed up. “We deserved better, but I guess that’s life.

“Most of all, I’m upset with myself because my crew did a great job and I made a huge mistake – and I don’t accept mistakes. We really missed a chance in this leg with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing finishing fifth.”

Few sailors in the fleet will savour a win over one of the race’s trademark legs more than Team Brunel’s 51-year-old skipper, Bouwe Bekking, in his record-equalling seventh appearance.

He has certainly experienced the ups and downs of racing across the Atlantic. Few will forget the agonising position he faced in 2006 before he was finally forced to abandon his sinking movistar boat during the same stage of that Volvo Ocean Race.

Bekking insisted last week that he had not lost ‘a single night’s sleep’ over the incident and the confident way that Team Brunel sailed the leg would bear that out.

Team Brunel were harried all the way over the past 24 hours by both MAPFRE and Dongfeng Race Team, especially over the final few miles when the breeze dropped to almost zero in the Tagus River as they approached the Lisbon finish.

“We sailed a tremendous leg but just at the end when there was no wind, it was getting a bit gnarly,” said Bekking. “But we pulled it off.”

The victory was achieved with two newcomers on board, Adam Minoprio (NZL) and Timo Hagoort (NED), the latter replacing the injured Gerd-Jan Poortman (NED).

“It was good to have those young guys on board, they did a fantastic job,” added Bekking.

Team SCA crossed the line, XX hours behind Team Brunel, after an action-packed transatlantic leg in which they sailed within the pack over much of the nine days and at one stage threatened a podium finish after taking a bold strategic choice around the Azores High.

The final two stages, to Lorient (France) and then Gothenburg (Sweden) via a pit-stop in The Hague (Netherlands), will once again be contested by seven boats.

Team Vestas Wind (Chris Nicholson/AUS) rejoin the fleet for the first time since November 29 when the boat was grounded on a reef in the Indian Ocean.

After a four-month rebuild in the Persico boatyard in Bergamo, Italy, the boat was transported by sea and road to Lisbon, arriving a few hours before the rest of the fleet in the small hours of Wednesday morning.

Over the next few days, the rig will be stepped ahead of the Danish-backed team’s competitive comeback on June 6 in the Lisbon In-Port Race. Leg 8 to Lorient, a relative sprint at 647nm, begins a day later.

The race concludes on June 27 with the In-Port Race in Gothenburg after nine months and 38,739nm of sailing, visiting 11 ports and every continent.

Current latest standings (low points wins, In-Port Race Series splits ties): 1) Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 16 pts, 2) Dongfeng Race Team 21, 3) Team Brunel 22, 4) MAPFRE 26, 5) Team Alvimedica 27, 6) Team SCA 43, 7) Team Vestas Wind (Denmark) 52 (DNS).

via UPDATED: Lisbon lights up for flying Dutchmen| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

Seasonal maintenance: Spars

BY ADMIN • MAY 4, 2015 • NEWS, YACHT MAINTENANCE • COMMENTS OFF • 55

It’s all too easy to assume the mast, boom, spinnaker pole and, where fitted, rigid vang of a yacht are items with an almost infinite lifespan. Granted, at some stage many owners will opt to maintain the cosmetic appearance with a comprehensive paint system.

If you opt for this route don’t be tempted by a quick paint job as these invariably do not last well. In any case, given the expense in removing the rig, surface preparation, masking and so on, it’s always worth the extra up front investment to do the job properly, including proper etch primers and decent epoxy based paints.

However, the bigger concern with spars is a structural one, with the key issue being corrosion that can happen with few, if any, external indications. The problem here is with the many stainless steel fittings that are riveted to the typical aluminium mast or boom. These two metals are relatively far apart on the galvanic scale, meaning that there’s lots of potential for corrosion if they are not kept apart electrically. Unfortunately it’s the alloy of which the spars are constructed that will fizz away.

Keep an eye open for any white powder forming around fittings that are attached to the spar. This powder – it’s basically aluminium oxide – is a product of corrosion and you can be assured that, if the fitting is removed, a much greater area than expected will be damaged.

If there’s any risk of the structural integrity of the spar having been damaged it’s vital to have it professionally inspected as soon as possible. In many cases even quite advanced damage can be successfully repaired through welding or internally sleeving the spar in the damaged area.

If you add any new fittings to the mast it’s important that they are not in direct contact with the spar – monel rivets should be used and the fitting should ideally be separated from the spar with a plastic shield. Failing that a barium chromate or zinc chromate paste such as Duralac will help to keep the two metals isolated.

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via Seasonal maintenance: Spars | Yachting News Report | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths.

Portsmouth to host America’s Cup

BY ADMIN • MAY 4, 2015 • HOMEMOSAIC, NEWS, RACING • COMMENTS OFF • 69

The English south coast naval port, which is home to Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup team, is to host the first event of the 35th America’s Cup cycle. This follows the withdrawal for the Italian Luna Rossa team from competing in the Cup, and the controversial cancellation of an America’s Cup World Series event in Auckland, New Zealand.

The race area for the Portsmouth event, which will be sailed in foiling wing-sailed 45ft catamarans, will be close to Southsea sea front, allowing on shore spectators to get a great view of the action.

However, with some 30,000 yachts moored within a three-hour sail of the venue, there’s also scope for a considerable number of people to view proceedings from designated viewing areas on the water.

The event promises to be the most popular sailing spectacle in British waters for many decades, with almost 100,000 tickets for on shore spectators already sold. The race village will be open from Thursday July 24, when there will be a parade of sail and other events. The following day, in addition to the practice races there will be a display by the RAF’s Red Arrows display team.

The racing will consist of two races per day on Saturday July 25 and Sunday July 26, following a practice race day on Friday July 24. Points collected in the America’s Cup World Series in 2015 and 2016 will count towards the America’s Cup Challenger Series that’s scheduled to be held in 2017.

The event will overlap with the bi-centenary celebrations for the Royal Yacht Squadron, less than 10 miles away in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Yachts that will be making the pilgrimage to one of the world’s oldest and most influential yacht clubs include four of the giant J-Class yachts that competed for the America’s Cup in the 1920s and 1930s. In addition there will be a grand-prix fleet including some of the planet’s most successful contemporary racing yachts, including the Ker 46 Tonnere of Breskens, Elan 40 Flair, TP52 Gladiator and Grand Soleil 43 Quokka.

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via Portsmouth to host America’s Cup | Yachting News Report | The Business of Boat Ownership and Marina Berths.

Who says climate change is all bad? Certainly not the intrepid sailors who are planning to race across the legendary Northwest Passage.

These adventurous, some may say foolhardy, yachtsmen are planning to take advantage of global warming and the changes in the arctic pack ice to follow in the footsteps, or should that be wake, of Norwegian explorer Amundsen.

Sailing The Arctic Race (STAR) is due to start in the summer of 2017 and will run from New York (USA) to Victoria (Canada), sailing north to Halifax and Greenland, before heading west through the Northwest Passage, rounding Alaska to Dutch Harbour and finally arriving in Victoria for a well-earned cup of tea.

“The loss of sea ice allows a short window of time to cross this Arctic area when it was absolutely impossible a few years ago. In spite of its dramatic consequences for the environment, climate change offers an incredible opportunity to bring world-class skippers to these magical spaces where no one has yet dared to race,” says Guillaume Henry, the race’s Chief Operating Officer.

STAR will see the world’s top sailing teams racing the new one-design volcanic fibre racing yacht, the SYCC46, aka the STAR46, designed by Austrian-based Yacht Construction Consulting and made out of rock. Yes, you read that correctly, the hull and deck of the STAR46 will be a sandwich-laminate construction with the inner and outer layers made from FIPOFIX UD volcanic basalt fibre around a balsa core.

Basalt fibre has a similar chemical composition to glass fibre but has better strength characteristics and, unlike most glass fibres, is highly resistant to salt attack making it a great material for boat building.

Making basalt fibre is easy all you need is basalt and a very hot oven. The quarried rock is washed, heated to 1,400°C, and then extruded through small nozzles to produce continuous filaments. Nothing added and nothing taken away – just hot rock thread.

It’s at this point the FIPOFIX (FIbre – POsitioning – FIXation) magic comes into play. The basalt fibre is positioned and fixed into place creating a strong unidirectional fabric. The patented process ensures the brittle thread is laid without breaking. This is apparently much better than traditional methods of cloth production such as weaving, stapling and sewing, which damage up to 40% of the filaments.

The STAR46 won’t be the first volcanic yacht to hit the water. In 2014, FIPOFIX launched its first yacht, the Proof of Principle Open16. The 16 footer was piloted on her maiden journey by Harald Sedlacek who sailed her singlehandedly across the Atlantic not once, but twice, with no damage to the volcanic basalt hull.

Harald is the son of extreme sailor Norbert Sedlacek who also happens to be a FIPOFIX chief executive. Sedlacek Sr knows a thing or two about sailing in icy conditions having completed a solo Antarctic circumnavigation in year 2000 spending 93 days at sea covering a distance of 14,315 nautical miles.

The STAR46 will differ significantly from its diminutive FIPOFIX predecessor. Not only is it significantly larger but it has many safety features that will make it as “ice safe” as possible. The 46 has dual hulls, a crash box, a hinged canting keel and six watertight compartments.

The STAR46 fleet will be built in Canada by Philbrook’s Boat Yard. Construction will begin in the summer of 2015 with the first hull expected to be launched before the end of the year.

At the moment there are eight STAR46 hulls planned but if enough teams sign up there will be as many as 12 built. Currently only the Spanish have confirmed but the organisers are in negotiation with a further seven countries and there’s still two years to go.

Ironically (comfortingly?) the STAR46 is made out of a 100%-recyclable material so production shouldn’t hasten the melting of those ice caps…

sailingthearcticrace.org

www.fipofix.com

www.open16.com

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Team Brunel were on Tuesday battling towards possible victory in Lisbon on Leg 7, just over two weeks after skipper Bouwe Bekking (NED) had declared that their challenge for the overall Volvo Ocean Race trophy was likely to fall short (full story below).

– Skipper Bekking well placed to bury bad memories

– But MAPFRE and Dongfeng hot on heels of leaders

– Follow the race to the line on our innovative App

ALICANTE, Spain, May 26 – Team Brunel were on Tuesday battling towards possible victory in Lisbon on Leg 7, just over two weeks after skipper Bouwe Bekking (NED) had declared that he feared their challenge for the overall Volvo Ocean Race trophy was likely to fall short.

The Dutch boat had eked out a 6.6-nautical mile (nm) advantage over MAPFRE (Iker Martínez/ESP) in optimum sailing conditions during the final ‘sprint’ towards the Portuguese capital in the transatlantic stage from Newport, Rhode Island (Tuesday, 1244 UTC).

However, Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA) were just 3nm astern of the Spanish boat while the race’s overall leaders, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR), were lagging in fifth behind Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA).

Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR), meanwhile, were still trekking north of the fleet, but had lost the stronger breeze which had helped the women’s crew make up an 80nm deficit on the pack on Sunday (see panel above).

So the 12th edition’s second and final 2,800nm transatlantic crossing is, once again, heading for a nerve-wracking, too-tight-to-call climax with the latest predictions forecasting a finish of around 0600 UTC (0700 local time)  on Wednesday morning in Lisbon.

Victory in the leg will surely taste sweeter than most for Team Brunel skipper Bekking.

The 51-year-old had to order the abandonment of his sinking boat, movistar, in the 2005-06 edition at the same stage in the mid-Atlantic, a painful episode he had assured reporters last week that he had put behind him.

On arrival in third place in Newport earlier this month, he had glumly conceded that his record-equalling seventh bid for offshore sailing’s leading event looked to be heading for disappointment, with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 10 points clear of his crew.

However, if the current positions stay the same on this stage, they will cut that deficit by four points and leave the Dutch with a mathematical chance, at least, of catching the Emiratis in the last two legs to Lorient and Gothenburg, the latter via a pit-stop in The Hague.

Certainly, the mood on board Team Brunel early on Tuesday was buoyant, but totally focused on the finishing line.

Their closest pursuers, MAPFRE, however, are equally determined to snatch their second leg victory following their triumph in the fourth stage from Sanya, China, to Auckland, New Zealand.

MAPFRE’S skipper Iker Martínez, the joint 2004 Olympic 49er champion with co-skipper Xabi Fernández (ESP), wrote: “Even with Team Brunel enjoying a very good advantage, the winner will not be decided until we cross the finish line. That being said, the three top boats are also in a very, very good position with regards to the rest.

“We are now focusing our energy on making the right decision as to where to cross the Traffic Separation Scheme ahead, and sailing as fast as possible as to keep up with Dongfeng and Team Brunel, and ahead of the chasing boats.”

The boats’ finish in Lisbon is to coincide with the arrival there of the rebuilt Team Vestas Wind (Chris Nicholson/AUS), which is expected to reach the city in the early hours of the morning via ship and road following a journey from Bergamo, Italy.

The fleet, seven-strong for the first time since November 29, when Vestas Wind struck a reef in the Indian Ocean on Leg 2, will then have an 10-day maintenance period before returning to competitive action on June 6 for the In-Port Race, before the Leg 8 departure for Lorient a day later.

Current latest standings (low points wins, In-Port Race Series splits ties): 1) Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 11 pts, 2) Dongfeng Race Team 17, 3) Team Brunel 21, 4) Team Alvimedica 24, 5) MAPFRE 24, 6) Team SCA 35, 7) Team Vestas Wind (Denmark) 44.

via Lisbon gears up for thrilling finale | Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.

The ISAF-appointed independent international jury will be hearing four cases during the Lisbon stopover after alleged breaches of sailing rules during Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race, it was announced today (full story below).ALICANTE, Spain, May 26 – The ISAF-appointed independent international jury will be hearing four cases during the Lisbon stopover after alleged breaches of sailing rules during Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race, it was announced today.Team SCA are to answer two cases: that they sailed against the traffic flow in a Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS), and, additionally, into a Rhode Island Sound exclusion zone.Dongfeng Race Team and MAPFRE are also facing protests that they sailed against the traffic flow in a TSS.The Race Committee has brought all the cases to the jury, If a penalty is to be given, the jury has discretion on what it will be.No date has yet been set for the hearings although race organisers say they want to have them settled as soon as possible following the fleet’s expected arrival in Lisbon on Wednesday (May 27).Full details of the cases are available on the Race Noticeboard.

via International jury to hear four cases during Lisbon stopover| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.