While the Leg 3 finish line in Melbourne lies some 5,000 nautical miles in front of the teams, it’s what is behind them that is currently consuming them.
A huge depression is forming west of the fleet with winds of up to 60 knots (111.12 km/h) at its centre – and it is moving so fast that the seven Volvo Ocean 65s will not be able to outrun it.
Rather the teams will have to make tough decisions about where to position themselves in relation to the storm, which is set to strike on Thursday.
The toss-up is between risk and reward. A more southerly route will see faster sailing over the next day or so but with it comes the danger of being closer to the centre of the depression.
What’s more, a virtual exclusion zone to keep the fleet north of Antarctica’s ice fields will prevent teams diving below the low to escape its strongest conditions.
On the other hand the northerly option appears safer as it will put the teams further from the storm’s centre, easing the huge pressure on the boat, but it will undoubtedly prove slower.
A split appeared in the pack today, with current leg leader Dongfeng Race Team, MAPFRE, team Akzonobel and Team Brunel choosing to go south, while Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag, Vestas 11th Hour Racing and Turn the Tide on Plastic are opting to stay more to the north.
“There’s a certain amount of risk being further south and straight in front of [the depression],” explained Simon Fisher, Vestas’ navigator.
“If we can be further north and making good progress that would certainly be a more seamanlike way to go about it.”
Knowing when to put the hammer down and when to choose the more conservative option is vital to glory in the Volvo Ocean Race, and Fisher is an expert at these kind of decisions – after all, he guided Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing to victory in the 2014-15 edition.
“It’s going to be an interesting couple of days,” he added. “It’s going to be a fine line between sailing as fast as you can on optimal course versus sailing in a safe place, looking after the boat and not putting yourself somewhere that you can get run over by the low.
“We want to sail as fast as possible but we have to be careful we don’t get into an area of the low pressure where the wind heads, the sea state is terrible and we get pushed against the ice gate.”
Perhaps the only sailor not entirely consumed with thoughts of the impending weather was Brunel skipper Bouwe Bekking. The Dutch sailor’s father sadly passed away last week, and his funeral is today.
Bekking, among the race’s most experienced sailors with seven previous editions under his belt, admitted his mind was elsewhere in an emotional dispatch from onboard.
“We knew that it was just matter of time and we agreed beforehand that I would race, but I’m not feeling happy about it,” he wrote.
“The only comfort what I get is that my dad reached a very nice age, the oldest so far in the family history and he had a good life. He always supported my choice to become a professional sailor: just live your life and enjoy it 100 per cent.
“So, even though we are racing hard, today my thoughts are with my old man, who I will miss tremendously.”
WHY? It is a little known fact that Port Elizabeth has been approached TWICE to bid on becoming a stopover for the Volvo Ocean Race – the first attempt was stopped by our local Port Authorities and we await the outcome of the second. The home of Volvo Cars is Gothenburg – the second-largest city in Sweden which is twinned with Nelson Mandela Bay and which has provided incredible support and promotion for our Metropole.
MyPE is running a series of articles about the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race to: 1. Acknowledge and thank Gothenburg for their support, 2. Showcase a sport that Alan Straton is passionate about, 3. Demonstrate to citizens of Port Elizabeth just how much exposure a city like Cape Town receives from the VOR and 4. As a gentle reminder to the TNPA and our city of the great value that such an event can bring to our city.
The start city of the VOR – Alicante, Spain – estimates the economic value of each leg to be R960 Million. Click here to read very Volvo Ocean Race published on MyPE.
The local Algoa Bay Yacht Club has hosted many international sailing regattas, the most recent being the 60th 5O5 World Championships and, along with requests from the Volvo Ocean Race, have also recently been asked to host the 2019 stopover for the Clipper Around the World Yacht Race.
Alan Straton
Latest posts by Alan Straton (see all)
- Am I Missing Something Here Facebook/Google? - 27 October 2026
- Fish Moths in the Cupboard? True Clean Looks for Moisture - 27 October 2026
- True Clean Explains Why Flea Control Goes Beyond the Pet - 27 October 2026
- The Programme for Music Exchange #MEX26 Is Out, Conference Is Hosted by DJ Eazy - 26 October 2026
- The Programme for Music Exchange #MEX26 Is Out, Conference Is Hosted by DJ Eazy - 26 October 2026
