Could the recent ban on Plastic Straws by the Algoa Bay Yacht Club be too little too late? Microplastic particles have been found in the oceans close to Antarctica, data collected during the Volvo Ocean Race has revealed. The new data comes from the Volvo Ocean Race Science Programme, funded by Volvo Cars. Scientists analysed water samples, gathered at points during Leg 2 of the Race, between Lisbon and Cape Town and Leg 3 from Cape Town to Melbourne. The groundbreaking results, … [Read more...] about Microplastic Particles Reach Antarctica
Hong Kong
Ocean Race Yacht Retires after Collision and Death
The Volvo Ocean Race confirmed today that Vestas 11th Hour Racing, one of the teams competing in the 2017-18 race, was involved in a fatal collision with a non-race vessel before the finish of Leg 4, near Hong Kong. The team retired from Leg 4 and began proceeding to Hong Kong unassisted and under its own power. Race Control at Volvo Ocean Race headquarters was informed of the collision by the team moments after it happened at approximately 17:23 UTC on Friday January 19, 2018 (01:23 local … [Read more...] about Ocean Race Yacht Retires after Collision and Death
Scallywag Records Historic Win
Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag have won Leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race, leading the fleet into their home port of Hong Kong. It’s an historic win for skipper David Witt and his team who had to overcome significant setbacks on the leg before grabbing the lead with a bold tactical call out of the Doldrums last weekend. “We had a bit of a plan and we stuck to it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t and this time it worked for us,” Witt said. It was an extended Doldrums crossing, and … [Read more...] about Scallywag Records Historic Win
Scallywag on track for first leg win in home port
Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag were showing no signs of relinquishing their grip on the Leg 4 lead on Tuesday as they geared up to break the 1,000-miles-to-go barrier. Hell-bent on arriving in their home port of Hong Kong as heroes, Scallywag have maintained their comfortable lead of 73 miles over closest rivals Vestas 11th Hour Racing as the action reaches fever pitch. The seven international teams celebrated two weeks at sea since leaving Melbourne with optimal conditions – the … [Read more...] about Scallywag on track for first leg win in home port
Scallywag Ahead by 75 Nautical Miles
Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag increased their lead in Leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race on Monday as the sprint for the Hong Kong finish line moved inside 1,500 nautical miles. Dave Witt’s team shot to the front of the fleet on Saturday after ‘cutting the corner’ north of the Solomon Islands and have since then consolidated their lead over their six rivals. Driven on by the opportunity to lead the fleet across the finish line in the first ever Volvo Ocean Race stopover in their home town of Hong … [Read more...] about Scallywag Ahead by 75 Nautical Miles
“I got that one completely wrong,” admits David
Four days into Leg 4 the Volvo Ocean Race fleet was starting to compress again – with overall race leaders MAPFRE rapidly rising through the rankings and closing guage with the leaders. Skipper Xabi Fernandez spoke on Thursday about plenty of opportunities to improve on MAPFRE’s fifth position, nearly 40 nautical miles adrift of the leading duo of Dongfeng Race Team and team AkzoNobel – and by Friday the Spanish crew had rocketed into third. Having opted to hug the Australian coastline for … [Read more...] about “I got that one completely wrong,” admits David
19 Changes as teams prepare to leave Melbourne
The leaders of the Volvo Ocean Race, MAPFRE, will make no changes to the crew that won Leg 3, as they prepare to race from Melbourne to Hong Kong when Leg 4 starts on Tuesday January 2. It’s a much different story elsewhere in the fleet where significant swaps are taking place. Some are scheduled rotations, while others have been forced by injury or for other reasons. In total, 19 sailors are rotating on board for Leg 4, with 18 coming off (SHK/Scallywag is racing with one additional crew … [Read more...] about 19 Changes as teams prepare to leave Melbourne
