Chris Nicholson says slick boat handling could hold the key to Leg 2 Stage 2 on Wednesday -- a race his CAMPER team are desperate to win after after being pipped at the post in the first stage by overall race leaders Telefónica and Groupama repair hull damange.
Less than two minutes separated CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand and Team Telefónica when they reached the safe haven port introduced by race organisers to counter the threat of piracy in the Indian Ocean.
Nicholson says the narrow loss had been a disappointing blow for the team after several thousand nautical miles of ocean racing, but one which his crew had managed to put to the back of their minds.
“There is obviously a massive mood difference between finishing second like we did and if we had won,” he said. “The closeness of the result was incredible after such a long time racing.
“We didn’t like it, that’s for sure, but we took it in our stride and pretty much got straight down to the normal process of de-briefing the leg. We identified some areas for improvement and now we are focused on winning the second stage into Abu Dhabi.”
If Nicholson’s men win tomorrow’s second stage and Telefónica finish in fifth place, both teams would finish Leg 2 on 26 points. In that situation, the tie would be decided in favour of CAMPER as the team with the best result in the most recent scoring opportunity.
With winds as high as 25 knots forecast for the 98 nautical mile dash along the United Arab Emirates coast to Abu Dhabi tomorrow, Nicholson says the high speed scramble to decide the overall Leg 2 winner could be decided on a number of key moments.Telefónica's overall race lead is not under threat, however.
“For most fleets this would be viewed as a long coastal race, but in these Volvo Open 70s it's going to feel like it will be over in the blink of an eye,’” he said.
“The start will be a major factor as usual and then the first section after that will be upwind for about 18 nautical miles.
“The biggest element could be when we find out who has the legs on everyone on the tight reach in the middle of the stage,” Nicholson added.
Read promises to pull out stops in PUMA’s prowl for points
There may be only six points up for grabs for winning, and racing will last for less than 12 hours – but PUMA Ocean Racing skipper Ken Read reckons the battle for the top spot in the second stage of Leg 2 will be as fiercely fought as any other part of the Volvo Ocean Race.
“You won’t see anyone letting up and you’ll see everyone pulling out all the stops. It looks like what is notoriously a light-air area could be pretty windy.
“It could be a pretty breezy reach down the coast, not to mention a lee shore the whole way down with big waves bouncing off the shore. It could be fairly action packed.”
While there are many more points-scoring opportunities to come, Read said his team could do with the boost of a good result in the sprint to Abu Dhabi.
“In the position we’re in we need the points,” he added. “It’s not that anyone can say they don’t need the points but there are a couple of boats up there that are sitting fairly comfortably right now, and we’re chasing them so we need every point that we can get.
“I have to admit, not a day goes by where I don’t look at the leaderboard and throw another 20 or 25 points on our score just to have a hypothetical idea of how we’d be looking at this stage. It’s disheartening, it’s a shame, there’s nothing else to say. It is what it is, and we have to get over it, and I think as a group we have gotten over it.”
Despite the current positions of the overall leaderboard, Read said success would come down to who sails best on the day – and that could be any one of the five teams racing.
Groupama repair minor hull damange
Groupama 4 skipper Franck Cammas is confident about the team's chances in Leg 2 Stage 2 despite a repair job that had to be carried out by the sailing team.
The sailors had to fix a crack in the hull themselves after it was spotted at the time of last week’s loading in the Safe Haven port in the Indian Ocean. The crew went to work on fixing it after the arrival in Sharjah and while a more comprehensive repair will not be completed until after the fleet’s arrival in Abu Dhabi, Cammas is not too concerned.
“It’s a minor crack," the Frenchman told reporters on Tuesday. "It’s annoying but we will try not to think too much about it. It will be a minor brake on our performance.”
Bowman Brad Marsh said six sailors went on board the yacht overnight to assess and repair the damage. Marsh said he used his harness and several ropes to manoeuvre to the bottom of the boat, with the aide of his teammates.
"Martin Strömberg and Martin Krite made sure I was safe and well placed under the hull by using ropes,’’ he said. “Damian (Foxall), Phil (Harmer) and Charles (Caudrelier) prepared the different things, which were necessary to fix it.
“An uncomfortable position and I was afraid of not doing it well, but it all went well, a true team effort."
From : Volvo Ocean Race
Credit : PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race
Less than two minutes separated CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand and Team Telefónica when they reached the safe haven port introduced by race organisers to counter the threat of piracy in the Indian Ocean.
Nicholson says the narrow loss had been a disappointing blow for the team after several thousand nautical miles of ocean racing, but one which his crew had managed to put to the back of their minds.
“There is obviously a massive mood difference between finishing second like we did and if we had won,” he said. “The closeness of the result was incredible after such a long time racing.
“We didn’t like it, that’s for sure, but we took it in our stride and pretty much got straight down to the normal process of de-briefing the leg. We identified some areas for improvement and now we are focused on winning the second stage into Abu Dhabi.”
If Nicholson’s men win tomorrow’s second stage and Telefónica finish in fifth place, both teams would finish Leg 2 on 26 points. In that situation, the tie would be decided in favour of CAMPER as the team with the best result in the most recent scoring opportunity.
With winds as high as 25 knots forecast for the 98 nautical mile dash along the United Arab Emirates coast to Abu Dhabi tomorrow, Nicholson says the high speed scramble to decide the overall Leg 2 winner could be decided on a number of key moments.Telefónica's overall race lead is not under threat, however.
“For most fleets this would be viewed as a long coastal race, but in these Volvo Open 70s it's going to feel like it will be over in the blink of an eye,’” he said.
“The start will be a major factor as usual and then the first section after that will be upwind for about 18 nautical miles.
“The biggest element could be when we find out who has the legs on everyone on the tight reach in the middle of the stage,” Nicholson added.
Read promises to pull out stops in PUMA’s prowl for points
There may be only six points up for grabs for winning, and racing will last for less than 12 hours – but PUMA Ocean Racing skipper Ken Read reckons the battle for the top spot in the second stage of Leg 2 will be as fiercely fought as any other part of the Volvo Ocean Race.
“You won’t see anyone letting up and you’ll see everyone pulling out all the stops. It looks like what is notoriously a light-air area could be pretty windy.
“It could be a pretty breezy reach down the coast, not to mention a lee shore the whole way down with big waves bouncing off the shore. It could be fairly action packed.”
While there are many more points-scoring opportunities to come, Read said his team could do with the boost of a good result in the sprint to Abu Dhabi.
Credit : I. Roman/VOR
“In the position we’re in we need the points,” he added. “It’s not that anyone can say they don’t need the points but there are a couple of boats up there that are sitting fairly comfortably right now, and we’re chasing them so we need every point that we can get.
“I have to admit, not a day goes by where I don’t look at the leaderboard and throw another 20 or 25 points on our score just to have a hypothetical idea of how we’d be looking at this stage. It’s disheartening, it’s a shame, there’s nothing else to say. It is what it is, and we have to get over it, and I think as a group we have gotten over it.”
Despite the current positions of the overall leaderboard, Read said success would come down to who sails best on the day – and that could be any one of the five teams racing.
Groupama repair minor hull damange
Groupama 4 skipper Franck Cammas is confident about the team's chances in Leg 2 Stage 2 despite a repair job that had to be carried out by the sailing team.
The sailors had to fix a crack in the hull themselves after it was spotted at the time of last week’s loading in the Safe Haven port in the Indian Ocean. The crew went to work on fixing it after the arrival in Sharjah and while a more comprehensive repair will not be completed until after the fleet’s arrival in Abu Dhabi, Cammas is not too concerned.
“It’s a minor crack," the Frenchman told reporters on Tuesday. "It’s annoying but we will try not to think too much about it. It will be a minor brake on our performance.”
Bowman Brad Marsh said six sailors went on board the yacht overnight to assess and repair the damage. Marsh said he used his harness and several ropes to manoeuvre to the bottom of the boat, with the aide of his teammates.
"Martin Strömberg and Martin Krite made sure I was safe and well placed under the hull by using ropes,’’ he said. “Damian (Foxall), Phil (Harmer) and Charles (Caudrelier) prepared the different things, which were necessary to fix it.
“An uncomfortable position and I was afraid of not doing it well, but it all went well, a true team effort."
From : Volvo Ocean Race
