Daryl Wislang and Tom Addis checking out on the rivals at the start of leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Rio de Janeiro to Boston. Image copyright Gabriele Olivo/Telefonica Blue/Volvo Ocean Race.
by Tom Addis (navigator)
My first report of the leg. Sorry this is a bad/late start!
A good start by us.... We always saw the Rio to Cabo Frio section as absolutely critical to this leg – a good placing at Frio should be able to get translated to a good placing at the Fernando scoring gate – the classic ‘rich getting richer’ scenario.
Hooked into a beautiful shift on night one and sailed around the fleet with Green Dragon and from there, we have been able to get the lane we want for the trip north and pretty much hold onto it to date.
Squalls are now becoming a feature of the leg to Fernando – this means potential for big gains and losses so it’s no longer such plain sailing but it’s the same for everyone so we just have to manage them as best we can and let the rest happen – every boat’s experience in this stuff is completely different, a few miles separation can be like a different world. We didn’t have a great night last night in this regard and lost miles on everyone – will try to do better tonight with what nature sends our way!
I’m starting to look at the options after Fernando now, I haven’t spent much time on this to date as it doesn’t change our plans from here to the scoring gate at all – but its time to start looking and formulate a bit of a game plan. The first thing that goes through my mind is that I’ll miss the Southern Cross at night as we head north! Hopefully I’ll be able to come up with something more useful soon!!
Life on the boat is great. Warm, dry (most of the time), flat water, a new menu from Gabri (Gabriele Olivo MCM) and great to have our old mates Pepe (Pepe Ribes), Daryl (Daryl Wislang) and Laurent (Laurent Pages) back.
Not much else to report really – sailed through heaps of what I call toadfish last night (no idea if this is the right name, there is one in Finding Nemo who blows himself up whenever he gets excited), squillions (or dare I say Brazillions) of them on their way to annoy amateur fishermen at jetties around the world.
650nm to Fernando.
Volvo Ocean Race
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