Will it be smooth sailing in the north or a wild ride on Groupama's Highway to Hell? With Leg 5 there to be won and lost, navigator Jean-Luc Nélias makes it clear there is only one choice for the French team.
Nélias, speaking about the conditions the team will face over the coming days, said option one was to navigate a more northerly course to Cape Horn through the Pacific Ocean, where winds are mild and waves are meek.
The second option means heading into the depths of the Southern Ocean to hitch a ride on a breakneck low-pressure system.
Put simply by Nélias: “One is slower but easier to breathe in; the other one is faster but looks hellish.”
With only a loose grip on first place, Nélias said there was added pressure on which way they would go.
“Since this is a race, we are trying to catch the faster option while trying to avoid any human or material breakage,’’ he said. “But that fast option really looks hellish, with lots of south-east cold and unstable wind and a bad sea state.
“We would follow a low pressure until the Cape Horn in a wind, which would always be above 30 knots: a true challenge. On the other hand, if we are too slow this night and if we don’t get to surf that low pressure, we will be rejected in a transition with lighter winds.
“Our heart balances between both options: successfully catch the low and live the hell, or miss it and live a more pacific Pacific.”
From Volvo Ocean Race
Nélias, speaking about the conditions the team will face over the coming days, said option one was to navigate a more northerly course to Cape Horn through the Pacific Ocean, where winds are mild and waves are meek.
The second option means heading into the depths of the Southern Ocean to hitch a ride on a breakneck low-pressure system.
Put simply by Nélias: “One is slower but easier to breathe in; the other one is faster but looks hellish.”
With only a loose grip on first place, Nélias said there was added pressure on which way they would go.
“Since this is a race, we are trying to catch the faster option while trying to avoid any human or material breakage,’’ he said. “But that fast option really looks hellish, with lots of south-east cold and unstable wind and a bad sea state.
“We would follow a low pressure until the Cape Horn in a wind, which would always be above 30 knots: a true challenge. On the other hand, if we are too slow this night and if we don’t get to surf that low pressure, we will be rejected in a transition with lighter winds.
“Our heart balances between both options: successfully catch the low and live the hell, or miss it and live a more pacific Pacific.”
From Volvo Ocean Race
