Volvo Ocean Race Leg 5 Leveled by Atlantic Ocean Upwind

Image Volvo Ocean Race Matt Knighton leader Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing Onboard Reporter

Volvo Ocean Race Leg 5 -the longest leg of the world wide circumnavigation competition has concluded. The leg moved from New Zealand through South Pacific cold waters bordering the Antarctic ice limits, crossed Cape Horn and escalated South America´s Atlantic Ocean to reach Brazil -the end goal.

Leg 6 Brazil -Newport US will kickstart coming April 19. After that final phase will take Teams across the North Atlantic Ocean to European waters. Until then athletes take to Brazilian port and rest and prepare for the final legs of the race.

On April 5th Volvo Ocean Race reported that after 7.2 thousand nautical miles Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing finally took the line honours, with MAPFRE in second and Team Alvimedica in third, 1min 16 seconds ahead of Team Brunel. Two days later, on Tuesday, April 7, Team SCA’s arrival brought Leg 5 to an end.

Amazingly considering the incredible distances to cover -with averages of 19 days of sailing the first four Teams which reached Brazil did so in under one hour of separation one boat from another. The Volvo Ocean Race Leg 5 was leveled, tight, close and competitive. Fifth Team SCA reached Brazil with delays due to technical problems and other issues. Dongfeng dismasted near Argentina and reached safe port in Ushuaia never making it to Brazil. Of the seven teams which left the European waters only 5 remain completed Leg 5.

“It’s been very tight".It’s been long, It’s been rough It’s been physically and mentally challenging,” Volvo Ocean Race summarized it. The Leg which had to be suspended due to the passing of Cyclone Pam in its start showed its full glory through Pacific and Atlantic waters.

As the sounds of the boat escalated north into warmer waters Volvo Ocean Race prepared to blast their Life on the Extreme broadcast to world viewers, shocking and revealing the limits of sailing today.

"Insane, impressive, wild, cold cut, focused, fast moving... " these words describe the footage released by Volvo in Life in the Extreme. The glory this time is not for the ocean, nor the winds nor the waves nor the environment but for the mastery of the athletes which cut sailed the toughest portion of waters on this planet. Beautifull,,, within a world of their own, with time for no mistakes and space for nothing but hard sailing... Teams once again inspired those around the world who have the privilege of sharing their human upclose experience delivered by Volvo Ocean Race in this years´s unique edition of the renown regatta.

Teams encountered an unexpected surprise once they passed Cape Horn. Having most believed that the worst was over the Teams encountered winds of up to 50 knots, extreme climate, harsh conditions, massive swells and hard hitting waters. Boats were tested to the limit. On board repairs became norm for most all teams.

Sailing upwind -which is the prevalent wind system which one faces in South Atlantic waters is a tricky business. It is exhausting, requires maneuver after manoeuvre, team effort, synchronizations, cold thinking and the best of physical and mental conditions.

Cero Degree cold airs, huge waves, winds over 50 knots, these were the conditions which teams called home.

Upwind is no time for spinnaker sails, nor laying back, it is turn and turn, tight and tighter sails to make the best of winds, sail changes, eye on the edge of the compass stretching course as north as possible. Upwind is no time for wave surfing, nor side edging waves, deep into the swell, up and down, all day long, all night too.

“What is left is upwind sailing. An angle in which we feel particularly strong compared to the other three teams, and we want to make the best of it. We have been very active with sail change in the past 12 hours, attempting to predict the behaviour of the wind, something which the state of the sea complicates very much,” Matt Knighton reporter on board the leader Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing had posted before entering the real South Atlantic upwind escalation.

“It has been long and hard, we have past many difficulties, we have had to repair many things...but we are very happy, the result could not have been better,” Iker Martínez of MAPFRE Team which came in second stated. MAPFRE conquered first position in the previous stage of the race.

Team Alvimedica took third position over Team Brunel after turn over turn, breathing on each other for over 24 hours. Team SCA came in fifth after days later but their efforts should not be underestimated considering what the the Team faced.

Leg 6 from Brazil to US will present more upwind competition and perhaps more calm waters and weather as they reach Equatorial ocean waters. The final leg to European waters could be decisive for those Teams which are looking to make a distance from the fleet.

Ocean Life News in Brief

Ocean Level Increase Dropping Oceans Floor: International Press reported on December 5 on the findings of new research which assures that due to ocean level increase the ocean floor is sinking. The study published online in Geophysical Research Levels used mathematical equations to accurately measure the Ocean's floor impact driven by the increased of water volume weight. Using data from 1993 to 2014 researchers found that ocean level increase is causing the Ocean floor to drop globally by the milimeters. Ocean Dead Zones Up By Four: On January 8 New York Daily reported that Ocean Dead Zones have quadrupled.Researchers warned in a new study that oxygen-starved ocean dead zones, where animals and plants are struggling to survive, have increased fourfold and it may not be reversible. The new study was published in the Journal Science. The increase of Dead Zones was linked to climate change. La Niña´s Polar Wave Hitting Hard the US -Freezing Oceans: International Press reported on the Polar Wave hitting hard the US. The event is linked by experts to the influence of La Niña. “For the past couple of weeks, parts of North America have been chilling down to record temperatures, with massive snowfall and icy cold conditions putting life at a standstill for many,” media reported. The US East Coast has been particularly badly hit with the likes of Boston down to Philadelphia reaching bone-chilling lows of near 0°F , with icy winds making it feel closer to around -10°F to -20°F. Officially 18 were dead and 100 million affected. Government of Bali Declares a Garbage Emergency: On January 5 Ocean Conservancy reported on a New Waste Management Emergency in Bali. Massive amounts of ocean debri are affecting the island. The situation has reached its peak as the Government of Bali declared a “Garbage Emergency”. Clean up works have began. “Ivory Coast Village Swallowed by Ocean Increase,” Aljazeera Reports: On January 8 Al Jazeera reported that ocean increase levels are affecting infrastructure in the Ivory Coast. “Rising tides and more frequent, devastating storms are slowly destroying what is left of Lahou-Kpanda, the offshoot of what was once a major colonial town near the mouth of the Bandama River, the longest river in Ivory Coast,” Al Jazeera reported. Arctic Ocean Radioactive Levels on the Rise: IFL Science reported on January 3 on the findings of new report which assures that radioactive levels in the Arctic Ocean are on the rise. “Concentrations of radioactive radium-228 in the Arctic Ocean increased between 2007 and 2015,” the report reads. While levels have not yet reached a mark of concern the trend is worries experts. Lauren Kipp of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution addressed the issue. New World Wide Ocean Turtle Study Says 90% of Plastic Pollution Cases Result in Death: Earth Sky Org reported on January 7 that hundreds of marine turtles die every year after getting tangled in trash in oceans and on beaches. A research published in the journal Endangered Species Research took on a World-Wide Survey covering the major oceans where turtles live. They discovered that 91 % of the entangled turtles were found dead. They also suffered serious wounds from entanglement, leading to maiming, amputation or choking. Double Whirlpools Discovered for First Time: December 4 Press reported that Double Eddies have been registered for the first time in History. Tangled up Double Eddies can travel great distances affecting ecology significantly. Eddies are a natural part of the ocean environment but double whirlpools had only been theorized by mathematicians.