The Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 finishes on Saturday with the Inmarsat In-Port Race Gothenburg. Below, we run through a leg-by-leg review of the highlights of the offshore stages, which finished earlier this week.
Leg 1: Alicante (Spain) to Cape Town (South Africa)
Winner: Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR)
Highlights: It was a tactical and long race, passing Gibraltar, Cape Verde, and negotiating the Doldrums and the St Helena High. After breaking a rudder, Dongfeng Race Team went south and nearly caught up with the leaders, finishing in second place only 12 minutes after winners Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. The all-female crew, Team SCA, snatched sixth place from MAPFRE in the final miles after the Spanish team stalled under the shadow of Table Mountain.
Leg 2: Cape Town (South Africa) to Abu Dhabi (UAE)
Winner: Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED)
Highlights: The leg, which changed Team Vestas Wind’s race story, started in 40 knots of breeze, when the fleet left Cape Town. The Agulhas Current and the Indian Ocean, plus a threatened cyclone, heralded a challenging stage for the fleet. Dongfeng Race Team suffered a broken mast track – a recurrent problem for them early in this edition – but they solved it with an on-the-move repair. Then, on November 29, disaster struck. Team Vestas Wind hit a reef on the Cargados Carajos in the Indian Ocean. Chris Nicholson led his team to safety in the middle of the night, in shark-infested waters. The other six boats continued to sail to Abu Dhabi where Team Brunel claimed another tight victory. Dongfeng Race Team finished second again.
Leg 3: Abu Dhabi (UAE) to Sanya (China)
Winner: Dongfeng Race Team (Charles Caudrelier/FRA)
Highlights: A first victory in the Volvo Ocean Race for a Chinese team. And what better place to do it than in Dongfeng Race Team’s home port of Sanya? But to achieve their landmark win, Charles Caudrelier and his team were made to battle for 23 and a half days. The fleet sailed through the Gulf, along the Indian coast, around Sri Lanka, and through the Malacca Strait before finally punching through the South China Sea.
Leg 4: Sanya (China) to Auckland (New Zealand)
Winner: MAPFRE (Xabi Fernández/ESP)
Highlights: This was MAPFRE’s moment of glory in the City of Sails. As they approached the Luzon Strait, Team SCA and Team Brunel tacked north. The other four boats continued across the top of the Philippines. MAPFRE had problems with the boat‘s electronics and they were left effectively sailing blind before it was repaired. With Xabi Fernández as a skipper, MAPFRE bounced back to cross the line in first place.
Leg 5: Auckland (New Zealand) to Itajaí (Brazil)
Winner: Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR)
Highlights: Cyclone Pam forced the race organisers to delay the leg start. The boats left Auckland three days late on Wednesday, March 18. Three teams endured Chinese gybes and most suffered some sort of equipment failure in the Southern Ocean. The conditions finally improved and Team Alvimedica led the fleet around Cape Horn. Dongfeng Race Team’s hopes were rocked when their mast broke close to the Horn. They abandoned the leg, after a brief stop in Ushuaia, Argentina, and made their way to Itajaí under jury rig and motor. The first four boats were within five nautical miles (nm) of each other at the finish, but the Emirati team had made some small gains during the night and defeated MAPFRE for first place.
via From Alicante to Gothenburg – a race we’ll never forget| Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.