Why they Call it Ocean Masters: IMOCA World Championship

IMOCA World Championship - Cheminees Poujoulat in Indian Ocean in full Cyclone battle running lead.

There is a reason why the IMOC World Championship is called Ocean Masters, actually there is more than one reason. With over one month out at sea and two months still to go, with eight teams departing from the start at Barcelona port and  only seven remaining in competition  teams have sailed through  Atlantic high speed winds, down the South American coast, released argo floats for an UNESCO program, were trapped in high pressure dead wind zones, entered the Indian ocean avoiding 2 cyclone formations and knifed the exclusion Antarctic zone. 

On February 3rd IMOCA reported on "who is really in control". “The waves have increased in height, wind in intensity and the noise in decibels. The Indian Ocean reminds us who's really in charge here,” reports Guillermo Altadill from Neutrogena tracking on that day second and battling for the lead in the Indian Ocean ends with leader Chemine. By February 10th leading teams had sailed past Australia final cape and entered a sprint race into the South Pacific Ocean with destination fixed for Cape Horn.

IMOCA assuires that the Barcelona World Race skippers have been racing for one month, and the toll of covering nearly 10,000 miles is beginning to show on the faces of the 14 skippers.

Teams past the two Capes -Cape Town South Africa and Cape Leeuwin Australia but with more than halfway to finish line still the challenges are to come. Skippers are aware that the toughest sailing is ahead, more cold waters, crossing the fear imposing Cape Horn and escalating against the winds up the backbone of South American Atlantic -coast treacherous even for the local sailors. After that Teams will go in to the trail to find those reliable and trustworthy trade winds that will take them home. Barcelona to Barcelona...across the world...across the oceans...easier said than done, more extreme than it looks. This is why the race is called Ocean Masters.

This years edition counts with amazing support from the organizers, communication and media open to the world, live tracking, available data streaming live from UNESCO supported Argo Floats, continual live reporting and professional support grounded in case of any emergency to aid athletes, teams and skippers. 

As of February 6th Positions ranks were revealed by the live tracking of IMOCA. For first position and leading was Chemine followed by Neutrogena. Separated by few nautical cold ocean miles for positions 3 and 4, GAES and Renault

"The crew of GAES are also having a good race. Guys like Jean, Bernard and Guillermo know exactly when you need to be 110% and when we can ease back a little. In the end, it makes the difference," the crew posted. 

Sailing in fifth position and trying to shorten distances We are Water and One Planet and Spirit of Hungary 6th and 7th respectively. 

The Indian Ocean threw upon contestants one of the biggest challenge -two merged tropical cyclones which pushed to cross their path. Teams escaped the worst of the cyclones but were hit by its large exterior influence. The oceans and winds were extreme, rough, uneven and trembling.  Teams cut down sail surface and some even lowered anchor and brought the race to a “full stop” to avoid “abandonment by force major”. 

Those who have sailed know the feeling that descends upon the stomach when the first the maps reveal high and low pressure system colliding and know the intensification of the gut feeling and the psychological difficulties that arise when the day sky darkens, clouds dance in shaded colours and the winds and water for a moment seem to settle for what is to come...That same feeling which is only cancelled out once the storm has passed and sun shines bright with constant steady even winds. 

After passing the Indian Ocean cyclones IMOCA teams ranking settled but nothing is certain and decided...anything can happen...positions can change dramatically. To sail it out is the big game. 

While international press reported on alarms triggered by the two Tropical cyclone Eunice and Diamondra the IMOCA teams sailed south of the weather facing winds of 45 knots and waves of 8 meters height. IMOCA from land alerted emergency teams and ran an adrenaline report titled “Fasten your Seatbelts”. In those days uncertainty ruled over the World Championship.

“Together with Bernard Stamm and Jean Le Cam on Cheminées Poujoulat, Altadill and Jose Munoz were today battling the most testing conditions the Barcelona World Race fleet has yet faced, with 40-45 knots of wind and severe sea states of 6-8m waves generated by a south-moving low pressure system made up of two merged tropical cyclones,” IMOCA followed the development minute to minute. Teams battled on despite the cyclones with different strategies. 

"It's the first time I have had to stop a boat racing, but it was the only solution to avoid getting into a survival situation," explains Stamm.

Other teams chose to cut down sails and others assured that the cyclones presented a “sailing opportunity”.  

For Neutrogena in second-place, the tropical storm was a threat but also an opportunity. Guillermo Altadill explaining today: "We knew that Cheminées were 180 miles in front us and would get the worse conditions. And we were just behind waiting, and pushing a little bit harder to close the gap." The strategy proved to be successful. 

IMOCA embraced and prepared for the worst case scenario which hopefully did not arrive. 

"In order to be proactive, we also contact the MRCC [Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres] of the region concerned by the storm," assistant race director Hubert Lemonier stated. 

"So we already have a contact with those guys and we make sure that in case of a crisis, we can activate and organise a response i n the region if one of the boats needs help or needs any search and rescue operations,” the Director assistant concluded. .

The tropical storm passed or better said team found a safe passage through the tropical storm and sailed to Australian basin and into the Pacific sprint. What comes now is what will become surely the shifting of the race from a mental to a physical challenge. The Cold waters of the edge of the Antarctic Exclusion Zone, Cape Horn and the upwinds of South America are the final challenges ahead. 

Upwinds South America will be a back to back endeavour. Upwinds implies direction change and every direction change is hard work in IMOCA: 

"The manoeuvre is hard work. Then, starting with the stack, i.e. shifting from left to right (or vice versa) all the stored gear: the sails, tools and spare parts, the personal kit, the food in 15kg bags (15 bags of it); a total of some 500kgs all-inclusive. Obviously downwind you have to keep the bags and sails at the back of the boat, in the bowels of Renault Captur, to prevent the boat from nose-diving into the waves. So, to be well organised, you can first count on doing a quarter of an hour of weight training,"  the crew of Renault explains what it takes to maneuver. 

Atlantic Trade winds and easy route home are still a distant dream for the teams. For now the open horizon waters are home, somewhere past Australian coast and into the Southern Pacific waters...to lower the guard now would be a grand mistake. In the end of the day all sailors racing the 2014-15 IMOCA have gained respectfully the inspiring weight of the words “Ocean Masters”.