Volvo Ocean Race - Leg 5 start postponement?
20 PHOTOS
First - what happened after the weekend in the Race Village?
All the race boats now finished up the maintenance and fitting and were placed back into the water in the Viaduct Basin. The boat's masts were raised, so all boats look like they are ready for the next leg to Brazil. Though, still there are quite a lot of other jobs to complete in order to be completely ready for the Leg 5. The next leg going to be the tough one.
New Zealander Stu Bannatyne who recently joined Team Alvimedica for leg five and have huge experience with the extreme conditions of the Southern Ocean (he run six Volvo Ocean Races with three wins) noted:
"The next leg with its huge waves and sustained winds of sometimes over 40 knots is the most demanding of the race."
So see our photos below, what is happening in the Volvo Race Village now, how all teams prepare for the extreme conditions during next leg.
Anyway, it looks like the extreme conditions already influence the Volvo Ocean Race. The latest information:
Due to Tropical Cyclone Pam, Volvo Ocean Race organisers have decided that the Volvo Ocean 65 boats will not leave Auckland for Itajaí earlier than 14:00 NZ time / 01:00 UTC on Monday March 16.
A final decision will be made no later than 12:00 NZDT on Friday March 13 (23:00 UTC on Thursday 12 March) on whether the delay will be to 14:00 NZ time on Monday March 16 or later.
Read our next post about the schedule for the upcoming events. In brief:
•14 March 2015. Auckland In-Port Race. The In-Port Race will be run very close to the shore, so this is great opportunity to watch the most advanced ocean sailing boats in action!
•16 March 2015 (???). Leg 5 Start to Itajaí. We will confirm the exact date and time of the start soon.
So keep visiting our web site www.softfern.com for the latest information, photos and videos about Volvo Ocean Race and Auckland stopover.
| Sailor from Team Brunel on the boats mast really high!!! |
| Volvo Ocean 65’s (VO65) fleet in Auckland Viaduct. |
| Dongfeng Race Team skipper Charles Caudrelier is being interviewed. |
| Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing boat |
| Dongfeng Race Team working with their boat. |
| Tropical Cyclone Pam may postpone start of Leg 5. |
| Trimmer/bowman from MAPFRE crew Carlos Hernández working on the boat. |
| We have hundreds of high quality photos and video made during Volvo Ocean Race Auckland Stopover. If you are interested in purchase of the photos/videos, please contact us by email: sb@softfern.com |