Stopover in China extended by 12 hours
Category: InternationalWhilst they were supposed to set off for Auckland on Sunday, the weather conditions had other plans. Indeed the start of the fourth leg was delayed by half a day so as to wait for the winds and the sea state to calm down in the South China Sea. The six Volvo Ocean Race boats finally left Sanya on Monday morning, where they have 3 weeks at sea ahead of them as they make for Auckland, following on from a 15-day stopover.
However, there was no question of the crew of Groupama 4 losing time wallowing in the whys and wherefores of this poor performance. They needed to sleep and muster their strength for the start of the leg to Auckland scheduled for the next day. However, the weather conditions in the South China Sea prove to be too extreme: eight-metre waves and over 40 knots of wind beneath the squalls are forecast. The Race Committee decides to set the boats off on a preliminary coastal course on Sunday, before keeping them in port for around a dozen hours and then letting them set off in the order they finished the previous day’s course.
During the coastal course, Franck Cammas and his men get off to a very bad start, and end up getting pushed onto the mark at the pin end of the start line. Groupama 4 even hits the mark. The French boat receives a penalty and has to perform a 360 degree manœuvre on itself, whilst the Americans make good their escape! Thanks to some effective tactics, good speed and unwavering concentration, Groupama 4 manages to make up ground on the leaders. Indeed the French crew finally score second place, just 2 mins 34 s behind Telefonica.
A few hours later, the six competitors take the staggered start to Auckland. The boats set off one after the other, retaining the time deficits observed when they completed the previous day’s coastal course.
The fourth leg spans some 5,220 miles (9,968km) and is set to last a little less than 3 weeks. Before arriving in Auckland around 8 March, Groupama 4 and the other competitors in the Volvo Ocean Race will have to traverse the South China Sea and then the Pacific Ocean, passing offshore of islands with exotic names like Fiji and Vanuatu… And so the adventure continues.
Provisional overall standing after the In-Port race in Sanya
1. Telefónica (Iker Martinez) 101 points
2. CAMPER with Emirates TNZ (Chris Nicholson) 83 points
3. Groupama sailing team (Franck Cammas) 73 points
4. PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG (Ken Read) 53 points
5. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker) 43 points
6. Team Sanya (Mike Sanderson) 17 points