Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009
Wet start to the Volvo Ocean Race as leg one gets underway in 25 knot winds
Start day of the 2008-9 Volvo Ocean Race came, as the forecast promised, with overcast skies and a continuation of the blustery northeasterly winds that have buffeted Alicante for the last few days - appropriate weather for the start of the fully crewed round the world race.
With crowds 10 deep on the dock and overlooking proceedings from the balconies of the various hospitality suites, skippers and crews were paraded down the pontoons to their boats, the fleet was blessed and the sailing-mad Spanish royalty pitched up in the form of HM King Juan Carlos 1 of Spain and his two daughters - the Infanta Doña Elena left the dock with her father on board Telefónica Blue while the Infanta Doña Cristina was on Telefónica Black. The royal party was then transferred by RIB to the Spanish Navy frigate Principe de Asturias where they joined Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Knut Frostad, to watch the start.
To huge applause from the crowds, the boats left one by one but rather than head out to the open water in the lively conditions milled about the large harbour until an hour before the gun, as fireworks and a display by the Spanish equivalent of the Blue Arrows aerobatic team helped entertain the gathered spectators.
Race boats and spectator boats eventually ventured out of the harbour into the teeth of a breeze that was at times gusting over 30 knots and a lumpy sea. All eight race boats opted for one reef and mid-sized headsails.
Finally, the waiting was over and the gun was fired from the Spanish frigate, the boats setting off on a windward-leeward before rounding a turn mark close to Alicante harbour and then heading off down the coast of the Spain to Gibraltar and ultimately Cape Town.
With a long line to play with Ian Walker’s Green Dragon was the first on to port tack from the pin end and headed out interminably to the right followed by Team Russia as Ken Read’s Puma tussled with Torben Grael and his Ericsson 4 crew out to the left closest to the shore with the Telefonica boats playing the middle of the course in between.
At the top mark the left had paid with Ericsson 4 rounding first followed by Puma and Ericsson 3, Telefónica Black and Telefónica Blue, Green Dragon and Delta Lloyd. We later discovered that Green Dragon have suffered a temporary breakdown of the ‘PLC’ hydraulic controller for her canting keel mechanism on this first leg (which she sailed with the keel centered) and with a problem with the lock for her J4 (hence why she was the only boat to sail the upwind leg under J2).
As the fleet headed back towards Alicante so a variety of sails were popped ranging from a fractional kite on Ericsson 4 to a giant masthead on Puma (peeling to a genniker on their first gybe) to a genniker on Ericsson 3 to a kite and staysail combination on Telefonica Blue Anders Lewander and his Nordic team were the first to gybe out to sea, the move offshore costing Ericsson 3 third place. They were overhauled by a speeding Telefonica Blue. Green Dragon pulled up to sixth ahead of Delta Lloyd and Team Russia.
With strong conditions forecast for the first 12 hours it will be a sprint to Gibraltar, where both the winds and the seas are expected to decrease as the boats head southwest increasing the potential for a park up as they pass through the Straits.
Before leaving the dock, Green Dragon skipper Ian Walker commented, “It is amazing to be here, we have all worked so hard to get to this point am I am incredibly proud of everyone on the team. There have been a lot of people involved in this project in order to make it a reality and I cannot thank them enough. I can promise that we will be incredibly dedicated to making sure we do the very best out here on the water. It looks like we will have some good breeze to kick of proceedings, the race to the Straits will be interesting and I am sure the battle through to the Atlantic maybe make or break in terms of podium position”.
Puma Ocean Racing skipper Ken Read added: “Today is very special for us, it’s the end of two years of incredible preparation and hard work to bring us to where we are right now. It’s not the perfect Spanish weather we expected for the start of the race, but it’s time for us to get out of here.
“I can’t say enough about this whole team, everyone involved in the Puma Ocean Racing team as well as all the folks at Puma, they have been magic to work with. I hope we can put on a good show out there. We just need to get through the night, and then we’ll have a nice ride down to Cape Town. We’re looking forward to seeing you there.”
Story & Images: The Daily Sail - www.thedailysail.com