AT SEA – JANUARY: These images were provided by brave Getty photographers aboard the various boats in the Volvo Ocean Race between India and Sri Lanka during Leg 3 Abu Dhabi, UAE and Sanya, China. The Volvo Ocean Race is the world’s premier ocean race for professional racing crews, and this is the 12th running of this ocean marathon. It started in Alicante in Spain on October 11, 2014. The route, spanning some 39,379 nautical miles and visits 11 ports in 11 countries (Spain, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, China, New Zealand, Brazil, United States, Portugal, France, the Netherlands and Sweden) over nine months.
- Onboard Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Daryl Wislang pulls a new reefing line through the boom prepping “Azzam” for heavier breeze.
- Onboard Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Adil Khalid squeezes in a brief nap on the rail as Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing prepares to round the bottom of India.
- Onboard Team Alvimedica, Charlie Enright on the helm and Dave Swete trimming in wet upwind conditions.
- Onboard Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Justin Slattery leaps back to the cockpit from the bow to unfurl the MHO as the wind builds at dusk.
- Onboard Team Alvimedica, Fast sailing conditions on day 9 bring out the smiles for Alberto Bolzan (L), Mark Towill (M) and Nick Dana (R)
- Onboard Team Alvimedica. Ryan Houston ducks into an incoming wave.
- Onboard Team Alvimedica, Photo by Amory Ross/Team Alvimedica
- onboard Team Alvimedica. Nearing the inlet between Sri Lanka and India, winds accelerate through the gap providing the fleet with a rare day of heavy-air sailing, a welcome change from the light winds that have dominated the leg
- Onboard Team Brunel. Louis Balcaen at the helm as the fleet experiences stronger winds in the channel between India and Sri Lanka.
- Onboard Team Brunel. Louis Balcaen at the helm.
- Onboard Team AlvimedicaK, Nick Dana prepares to shake the reef.
- Domestic chores for Jens Dolmer as he empties the urine bottle out of the Team Brunel boat.
- Gerd-Jan Poortman at the bow as the fleet experiences stronger winds in the channel between India and Sri Lanka during Leg 3 between Abu Dhabi, UAE and Sanya, China.
- Onboard Team Brunel
- Aboard Team Brunel (Photo by Stefan Coppers/Team Brunel/Volvo Ocean Race via Getty Images)
- Onboard Team Brunel.
- Aboard Team Brunel.
- Onboard Team Brunel.
- Aboard Team Brunel.
- Onboard Dongfeng Race Team. It was wet for Liu Xue, aka Black. Really wet.
- onboard Dongfeng Race Team. Liu Xue, aka Black, displays his sailor hands. Photo by Sam Greenfield/Dongfeng Race Team/Volvo Ocean Race
- Onboard Team Brunel, The fleet experiences stronger winds in the channel between India and Sri Lanka.
- onboard Dongfeng Race Team. There are two stories in this photo: First, Ying Kit Cheng’s (aka Kit) girlfriend, Bin Bin, said to send her a photo of a rainbow. Bin Bin, that’s for you. Second: Liu Xue, aka Black thought he was actually getting off watch and going to bed. I’m pretty sure that lasted about ten minutes.
- Onboard Dongfeng Race Team. Baptism of water for Ying Kit Cheng, aka Kit.
- Onboard MAPFRE. Anthony Marchand fixing the footrest for the driver’s platform on the deck.
- Onboard Dongfeng Race Team. Ying Kit Cheng, aka Kit, at grinder.
- Onboard MAPFRE. Anthony Marchand and Antonio Cuervas-Mons, aka “eti”
- Onboard MAPFRE. Sight of Alvimedica from onboard MAPFRE after 8 days of sailing.
- Onboard MAPFRE, Andre Fonseca, aka Bochecha.
- Onboard MAPFRE. Carlos Hernandez fights to walk against a wave onboard.
- Onboard MAPFRE. GoPro shot of Anthony Marchand as the fleet experiences stronger winds in the channel between India and Sri Lanka.
- Onboard MAPFRE,( GoPro shot Antonio Cuervas-Mons, aka “eti”) Rob Greenhalgh as the fleet experiences stronger winds in the channel between India and Sri Lanka
- Onboard MAPFRE. Skipper Sam Davies checks the sails at sunrise. Photo by Corinna Halloran/Team SCA/Volvo Ocean Race
- Onboard MAPFRE. Sally Barkow chats with Dee Caffari at sunrise.
- Onboard MAPFRE. Game Day! Sally Barkow, a Wisconsin native, shows her support for her favorite NFL team: Greenbay Packers
- Onboard MAPFRE, Elodie Mettraux enjoys the morning sunrise
- Onboard MAPFRE. After a day of higher winds, we saw light air suddenly as we reached the tip of India.
- Aboard MAPFRE, Annie Lush helms while Elodie Mettraux trims in the light air in the shahow of India during Leg 3 between Abu Dhabi, UAE and Sanya, China.
The intrepid photographers: Matt Knighton/Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing; Amory Ross/Team Alvimedica, Stefan Coppers/Team Brunel; Sam Greenfield/Dongfeng Race Team
ALICANTE, Spain, January 8 – Dongfeng Race Team were battling on Thursday towards the opportunity to make Volvo Ocean Race history as Charles Caudrelier’s (FRA) crew continued to defy the odds at the head of the fleet.
The experienced French skipper’s race squad includes no less than six rookie Chinese sailors and very few observers had considered them among the pre-race favourites at the beginning of the 12th edition.
A pair of narrow runners-up places in the opening two legs has left them tied at the top of the standings with Team Brunel (Bouwe Bekking/NED) and Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Charles Caudrelier/FRA), however, on four points apiece.
In the third leg between Abu Dhabi and their home port of Sanya, the Chinese-backed boat is currently showing the rest of the fleet that its flying start is no fluke.
After five days of sailing and 948 nautical miles (nm) of the 4,670nm leg behind them, they protected a narrow lead of 8.5nm over Team Brunel on Thursday (0940 UTC).
There is still a long, long way to go, including the very hazardous Malacca Strait, but victory in Sanya would put Caudrelier’s crew in the 41-year-old race’s record books as the first Chinese boat to win a leg.
Additionally, of course, they would take the outright lead going into the fourth leg to Auckland.
It has been relatively slow going since the fleet – minus the damaged Team Vestas Wind – set sail for Sanya on Saturday from Abu Dhabi.
Their progress has not been assisted by repeated hold-ups caused by ocean garbage, such as plastic bags and other debris, which has needed to be cleared from the keels by the sailors.
Team Brunel even had to remove a snake, which had wrapped itself around the sail drive.
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (Ian Walker/GBR) lie third, some 12nm behind Team Brunel, with Team Alvimedica (Charlie Enright/USA) sandwiched behind them but ahead of MAPFRE and back markers, Team SCA (Sam Davies/GBR).
The women’s crew, boosted by their win in the Abu Dhabi In-Port Race, are by no means out of the leg, however, and are only 37.9nm behind Dongfeng Race Team.
“Out here, on Leg 3, life is always changing,” reported their onboard reporter Corinna Halloran. “You can’t get too comfortable. This is only the beginning so it’s hard not to get too excited by the small gains, and on the flip slide, beat yourself up for the small losses.
“We just have to continue to sail our best against the other boats and stay with the fleet.”
Meanwhile, the long campaign – ‘A Race We Must Win’ – for Team Vestas Wind to re-enter the race by the time it leaves Lisbon in June was continuing.
The boat has been thoroughly examined in a port near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and is now being transported on a Maersk Line ship towards Genoa in Italy where it is expected to arrive on January 25.
From there it will be taken to the Persico yard in Bergamo for repairing, with the assistance of Race Sponsor, GAC Pindar.
“Let me be really clear, the boat’s a mess, almost everywhere key structure is broken and this will be not be easy,” said Neil Cox, the team’s shore chief.
The boat was grounded on a reef on St Brandon in the Indian Ocean on November 29, forcing the Danish-backed crew to suspend racing. It was retrieved from the reef just before Christmas and last Friday the team announced officially it planned to return to racing.
FLASHBACK: TWO YEARS AGO THE SPANISH BOAT MAPFRE (PICTURED ABOVE) SET A NEW RECORD FOR CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS’ ROUTE OF DISCOVERY.
Sailing aboard the boat used by Telefonica in the 2011-2012 Volvo Ocean Race, Mapfre captain and Olympic gold medalist Fernando Echávarri led his crew from the Spanish coast to San Salvador in the Bahamas. Volvo Ocean Race onboard reporter Pedro Freitas was there to tell the story.
