Days of the Doldrums
Day 11/12 – It’s been the day of the doldrums for the Volvo Ocean Race fleet, with the historically preferred west positioning again appearing to provide the best conditions for progressing across the equator.
Perhaps that is why two of the more seasoned teams, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing and Team Brunel, are furthest west and now furthest ahead.
“We made that decision two days ago,” explains Abu Dhabi’s skipper Ian Walker. “All we can do now is a subtle adjustment. It’s not like we can suddenly go 100 miles this way or that way. We’re where we are.”
There’s no shortage of incentive to get across to the South Atlantic. “It has become very hot,” noted Amory Ross, Team Alvimedica reporter, “and super smelly. So yes, confidently confirmed: we are in the Doldrums! Wish us luck.”
While teams read the clouds for wind, they welcome the occasional downpours too, and are ready with the soap when they arrive.
“I can’t see a thing, I’ve got so much soap in my eyes!” laughs Walker, steering the boat with one hand, wiping away the suds and bubbles from his foamy brow with the other.
Walker’s team is now 7 degrees north, and while the early forecast was for the fleet to exit the Doldrums by Wednesday morning, all boats at this time are recording slow speeds.
Leg 1 Position Report
1. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Ian Walker (GBR), 4050.1 nm Distance to Finish
2. Team Brunel, Bouwe Bekking (NED), 2.9 nm Distance to Lead
3. Dongfeng Race Team, Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 46.6 nm DTL
4. Team Alvimedica, Charlie Enright (USA), 69.7 nm DTL
5. Team SCA, Sam Davies (GBR), 75.6 DTL
6. Mapfre, Iker Martinez (ESP), 89.4 nm DTL
7. Team Vestas Wind, Chris Nicholson (AUS), 93.0 nm DTL
By the morning of Tuesday 21st October, the fleet have hit the Doldrums and hit them hard. The boat’s tracks have gone wobbly, speeds have plummeted and the wind arrows have reduced to little dots – the cloud battle has begun.
The navigators will have switched from strategic mode – worrying about weather models and routing software – into tactical mode, focused on the B&G radar to try and read what’s coming their way in the next cloud.
As mentioned earlier, traditionally 27-28W is the best place to enter the Doldrums. Looking at the width of the fleet, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing is set up on about 29W, while 130km to the east, Team Vestas Wind are on about 27W – no one is taking a flyer here.
But looking at those faint wind arrows on the tracker, they are slightly but significantly bigger and stronger to the west. It looks like the western boats have the narrower band of Doldrums to cross. If they get an even break with the clouds, they should come out first.
Sail boat racing doesn’t always work like that though, and once they are out the other side of the Doldrums, the relative exit positions from east-to-west will still have a big impact on the drag race toward Brazil for the Fernando de Noronha waypoint in the south-east trades. An eastern boat will have a wider, faster angle… but if I had to put money on it, I’d say that this later gain isn’t going to outweigh the advantage that the western boats should have by exiting first.
Of course, these are the Doldrums, and something else entirely could happen – but for now, the dice has been rolled, the lanes have been picked and we just have to sit back and watch it play out…
Race website – Tracking – Videos
See other Volvo Racing postings….
Sailing With Devious, 2014 