At 17:00 UTC (14:00h locally) the start gun sounded for a lengthy and particularly tricky 5,700 nautical miles from Itajaí (Brazil) to Newport (United States).
“We knew from the very start that the real race would begin now. There are still nearly 43% of the points at stake, and the team which sails this last part of the round-the-world race the best, will most likely be the winner of the whole race.” – Joan Vila, navigator
An extremely punctual start, and winds of 10 to 12 knots in Itajaí for the start of the next leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, the eighth of the total 11 legs in this 2017-18 edition, which takes the fleet from southern Brazil to Newport, on the eastern coast of the United States.
As was the case for the in-port race on Friday, which saw victory for the Spanish team, MAPFRE were once again the key players at the start line, with wonderful work from Pablo Arrarte at the helm, and Joan Vila and Rob Greenhalgh on tactics. On the left side of the line, and tight into the pin, Xabi Fernàndez and his team began leg eight in clean wind enabling them to lead the fleet from the very first few seconds.
MAPFRE were first around the top mark, closely followed by Dongfeng, and as the live aerial TV images showed throughout the second lap the two boats were incredibly close. Xabi Fernández and his crew led the fleet, with Caudrelier’s team less than half a boat-length behind them, but despite attempts from Dongfeng to pass the Spanish team, MAPFRE held their ground perfectly.
The second mark rounding made for magnificent racing with MAPFRE and Brunel each attacking from a different side, and after fabulous work from Bouwe Bekking and his team on the second lap, the Dutch team were able to pass in second place, 29 seconds behind MAPFRE, with Dongfeng, just a second after the Dutch team.
After the 6 initial laps, 42 minutes into the leg, MAPFRE rounded the last mark of the course once again leading the fleet, having demonstrated clean, focussed and fast sailing. Dongfeng followed the Spanish team 41 seconds behind; followed by Brunel at 1:05, at 1:18 Turn The Tide On Plastic, at 1:46 AkzoNobel, and 2:59 Scallywag, with Vestas 11th Hour Racing 3:19 minutes after MAPFRE.
5,700 nm to go
Following the initial round-the-cans, the fleet now head out upwind towards Cabo Frío, located a short distance from Río de Janeiro.
The leg will last approximately 18 days, and will be one of the trickiest for the fleet tactically, involving the trade winds, the Doldrums, crossing the equator, the Gulf current, and the cold, and foggy conditions into Newport.
“Sailing up to the equator, there will be a lot of transitions, so we have to play our cards well, and read the wind correctly to stay ahead. It is important to stay with the fleet, and not fall behind or get stuck,” explained Pablo Arrarte just before leaving the dock.
“This is a long and tricky leg. Conditions will be lighter, but we have to pass the equator and will see a little bit of everything, with squalls, and clouds. It is complicated sailing, and then there is the area from Recife up until the Caribbean, where there is a lot of sea algae, and it is obviously a problem for all of us. Experience helps when it comes to facing the sea algae, at least in the knowing when to stop, whether to clean the boat or not. Finally there is the Gulf current, and it will be cold and windy too. So all in all, we will have a little bit of everything,” concluded skipper Xabi Fernández.
